Man United vs. Swansea
Venue: Old Trafford
Kick off: 12noon
Manchester United will continue their late charge for a top-four spot when they host relegation-threatened Swansea City at Old Trafford on Sunday (today) at lunchtime.
The Red Devils are just one point off the Champions League places and would temporarily climb into the top four with victory this weekend, although they face a Swansea side in desperate need of points themselves.
The reaction from the Manchester United players following Thursday night’s goalless draw with Manchester City told you everything you need to know about their ambitions for the rest of the season.
Bragging rights were of no importance for Jose Mourinho as his side looked to hold out against their local rivals, and even climbing into the Champions League places with victory on the night was secondary to simply not losing the game.
Defeat would have left them playing catch-up in the top-four race once again, but the draw keeps things in their hands with only two points separating them from third-placed Liverpool, who have played a game more than Mourinho’s men.
The Red Devils only have the eighth-best home record in the league this season despite just a solitary defeat at Old Trafford, but victory today would see them record back-to-back home league wins for the first time in 2017 having won just two of their seven matches in front of their own fans since the turn of the year.
A trip to Old Trafford has never been ideal for a team fighting against relegation, but Swansea are running out of time in their battle against the drop and need to steal a march on Hull City somewhere if they are to leapfrog the Tigers in the table.
The two clubs sit either side of the all-important dotted line, with Hull’s remarkable home form under Marco Silva keeping their noses in front of Swansea in recent weeks.
Beating United is something that no team has managed in the league since October, though, and with defeat potentially leaving the Swans five points adrift of safety, today could be a make or break one for the club.
Man U Possible XI: De Gea, Young, Bailly, Blind, Shaw, Herrera, Carrick, Rooney, Mkhitaryan, Rashford, Lingard.
Swansea Possible XI: Fabianski, Naughton, Fernandez, Mawson, Olsson, Fer, Cork, Carroll; Ayew, Llorente, Sigurdsson.