After coming so close yet so far to pulling off one of the great EFL Cup comebacks, Manchester United hope to make amends when Bournemouth visit Old Trafford for Sunday's Premier League contest.
Ruben Amorim's side were the victims of a 4-3 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in Thursday's absorbing battle, while the Cherries snatched a point in a 1-1 draw with West Ham United on Monday thanks to some Turkish delight.
Match preview
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Disaster struck for both Man United and Tottenham on Thursday evening, as after Ange Postecoglou's Spurs stormed into a three-goal advantage in the EFL Cup quarter-finals, two catastrophes from Fraser Forster gave the Red Devils two lifelines in the second period.
However, Forster's blushes were subsequently spared by his opposite number Altay Bayindir, whose pleas for a foul fell on deaf ears after Son Heung-min's corner flew straight into the back of the net, and a last-gasp Jonny Evans header was rendered inconsequential.
The ever-composed Amorim still appeared in relatively high spirits as he embraced Postecoglou on the sideline, perhaps still partially basking in the glow of last weekend's gripping 2-1 derby win over Manchester City, albeit one that has made little impact on the Premier League standings.
The 20-time champions of England enter the final gameweek before Christmas in a lowly 13th position, although they are still mathematically closer to the Champions League places than the relegation zone and could rise into the top half if results go their way this weekend.
Fail to win, though, and Man United will spend December 25 in the bottom half of the table for the first time in the Premier League era, but scoring at least two goals in each of their last five home matches in all competitions stands Amorim's men in relatively good stead.
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Late goals were also the theme of Bournemouth's most recent Premier League battle at home to West Ham, who were on the brink of leaving the Vitality with all of the spoils thanks to a Lucas Paqueta penalty, one for Enes Unal to one-up the Brazilian in the dead-ball battle.
With no fewer than 90 minutes on the clock, the Cherries' Turkish marksman lined up a free kick a good 30 yards from goal and beat Lukasz Fabianski all ends up with a marvellous strike into the top corner, thus extending his side's unbeaten top-flight run to four matches.
Failure to trump the relegation-threatened Irons did see Bournemouth's three-match winning sequence come to an end, but Andoni Iraola's troops still enter gameweek 16 seven places better off than the Red Devils in the rankings, sitting just two points below Manchester City in sixth spot.
Always showcasing an unwavering commitment to attacking football - having the second-most shots in this season's competition behind Man City - Bournemouth are out to score for the 10th Premier League game in a row on Sunday and could win three top-flight away games on the spin for the first time in 12 months.
That December 2023 sequence coincidentally saw Iraola's men slay Man United 3-0 at Old Trafford before also holding the Red Devils to a 2-2 stalemate at the Vitality Stadium in April - never before have Bournemouth avoided defeat in three consecutive games against Sunday's hosts.
Team News
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As was the case at the Etihad, there was no space for Marcus Rashford in the Man United squad for the EFL Cup bout with Tottenham; the Englishman has publicly stated his desire to leave, but Amorim insisted at full time that there could still be a way back for him at the Theatre of Dreams.
Rashford's availability for Sunday's game will likely remain shrouded in uncertainty until the official team sheets are released, and the same goes for Victor Lindelof, who suffered yet another injury in the first half of Thursday's defeat.
Luke Shaw (calf) and Mason Mount (leg) will certainly not be at Amorim's disposal, and as he has done throughout the early days of his Man United tenure, the Portuguese head coach will not shy away from making several changes on Sunday.
In contrast, Bournemouth came out of their stalemate with West Ham unscathed on the physical front, but Iraola is expected to still be without five stricken players for Sunday's tie.
Luis Sinisterra (thigh), Alex Scott (knee), Julian Araujo (thigh), Marcos Senesi (thigh) and Marcus Tavernier (thigh) all remain out of contention, and only the former is thought to be in with a chance of returning before 2025.
Unal's extraordinary free kick on Monday night may have given Iraola some food for thought up front, especially as Evanilson has now gone scoreless in five straight Premier League games while his Turkish foe has goals in back-to-back appearances off the bench.
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Onana; De Ligt, Maguire, Martinez; Diallo, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot; Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Kepa; Smith, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Cook, Christie; Semenyo, Kluivert, Ouattara; Unal
We say: Manchester United 2-1 Bournemouth
Bournemouth had a whopping 29 shots in their stalemate with West Ham, which was not the first time this season that Iraola's men have failed to convert their attacking dominance count into a glut of goals, and such wastefulness could prove fatal at Old Trafford.
As shaky as Amorim's men can be at the back, they have a knack for scoring at the other end and will welcome a handful of refreshed troops back to the XI, so we have faith in Man United to spread some festive cheer around the Theatre of Dreams with a hard-fought three points.
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Ben Knapton
