Sports Mole previews Thursday’s Premier League clash between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Manchester United look to make amends for a woeful performance last time out when they go to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Boxing Day in the Premier League.
The Red Devils will go into the clash in the bottom half of the table at this stage in the season for the first time since 1989, after being humbled on home turf by Bournemouth on Sunday.
Match preview
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If Ruben Amorim was not aware of the monumental task that was in front of him when he joined Man United last month, it has now been laid bare to him in brutal circumstances.
After losing 3-2 at home to Nottingham Forest, Man United were beaten 3-0 at home by the Cherries for the second successive season at the weekend, meaning the new manager has won just two just of his first five league games in charge.
Being knocked out of the EFL Cup by Tottenham Hotspur last midweek now means that Amorim has overseen four defeats in his last six games, following a run of seven games unbeaten immediately after Erik ten Hag was sacked.
That makes their astonishing win away to rivals Manchester City even more of a surprise, and backing it up may prove tough, considering they have not won back-to-back away league games since February.
Six points must be targeted from their final two games of the year though, here at Wolves and at home to Newcastle United, because United then face Liverpool to start 2025, before facing Arsenal in the FA Cup a few days later.
The away support will look to the club’s Boxing Day record for some inspiration, considering no team in English football league history has won as many games on this day as Man United (54, 22 of which have come in the Premier League era), despite not keeping a clean sheet in any of their last 10.
Molineux has also been a favoured ground despite their troubles in recent years, because United will be seeking a fifth straight win at this venue, after winning a 4-3 classic back in February.
Wolves also have a formidable recent Boxing Day record though, now having gone seven without defeat – winning five.
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Spirits will be high among the home support too after they saw new manager Vitor Pereira guide them to a 3-0 win away to relegation rivals Leicester City last week.
That ended a four-game losing run, and moved them to within two points of Leicester and safety already, with their last two wins now both coming away from home, scoring seven goals in the process.
Wolves’ dramatic start to the season is perfectly encapsulated by the fact they have scored either the same amount or more goals than six of the 10 teams in the top half (27).
A rare clean sheet last Sunday was a huge bonus, and they will now seek back-to-back shutouts for the first time since January ahead of what is a treacherous run of fixtures for Wolves.
Their next nine league opponents are all clubs who will fancy themselves to be in contention for either the title or the top four, including the current top three, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League form:
Manchester United Premier League form:
Manchester United form (all competitions):
Team News
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Amorim was coy once more about whether wantaway Marcus Rashford could be involved here after the Bournemouth game, but the reality is that the attacker is unlikely to play for the club again.
Injury-prone duo Mason Mount and Victor Lindelof were both forced off early on against Man City and Spurs respectively, and are set for spells on the sidelines, while Luke Shaw has also suffered another setback which will keep him out.
Matthijs de Ligt missed the defeat over Bournemouth with illness, but he should be fine to return, while Tyrell Malacia is likely to drop out after a tough first half at the weekend.
After a perfect debut in charge, Wolves boss Pereira may be reluctant to change much, even if Rayan Ait-Nouri is back from suspension.
Matheus Cunha is still yet to hear back from the FA about a potential misconduct charge from the defeat over Ipswich, but a ban somewhere along the line is expected for the Wolves top scorer, who found the net again on Sunday.
Boubacar Traore and Pablo Sarabia are set to return in a couple of weeks, but Mario Lemina could be back much sooner, with Pereira hopeful he can play some part here, after missing the win at Leicester.
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Jose Sa; Nelson Semedo, Bueno, Toti; R Gomes, J Gomes, Andre, Ait-Nouri; Guedes, Strand Larsen, Cunha
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Onana; De Ligt, Maguire, Martinez; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot; Amad, Hojlund, Fernandes
We say: Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-3 Manchester United
In one of the most intriguing festive fixtures, it could be telling in how both club’s seasons pan out, because another win for Pereira in his second game could see them cruise to safety.
Another defeat for United would be catastrophic, but they have a good record here and seem to be doing better on the road, so they will seek to capitalise on Wolves having the joint-worst home record in the division so far.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
