Man U vs. Wolves
Venue: Old Trafford
Kick off: 6:30PM
Manchester United will be looking to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to Old Trafford in today’s late kickoff.
Both United and Wolves have collected 34 points from their 24 league matches this season, but the Red Devils are fifth in the table on goal difference, while Wolves are behind Tottenham Hotspur in seventh.
In all honesty, a total of 34 points from 24 matches should not be enough for a potential top-four challenge at this stage of the campaign, but United is not entirely out of the race for the final Champions League spot despite enduring an inconsistent season.
Indeed, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side is only six points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, although they are just three points above of ninth-placed Southampton, which is an indication of what type of season it has been.
The 20-time English champions have actually lost their last two in the Premier League, suffering a 2-0 defeat at Liverpool on January 19 before losing by the same scoreline at home to Burnley three days later.
Solskjaer’s side did triumph in the FA Cup with a 6-0 win over Tranmere Rovers last weekend, though, before beating Manchester City 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night.
The victory over the English champions was not enough to progress to the final of the competition, though, as Pep Guardiola’s team triumphed 3-2 on aggregate to ensure that they would play for another League Cup title.
A lot has been made of United’s lack of options in the final third of the field, but the Red Devils announced the signing of Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon on Thursday.
The Portugal international underwent a medical with the club before signing on the dotted line and should be involved this weekend.
Jesse Lingard, Andreas Pereira and Juan Mata have all struggled to contribute in the number 10 position this season, but Fernandes has managed 15 goals and 14 assists in 28 appearances at club level this term.
The 25-year-old might well need time to make his mark in England, though, and at the time of writing, the club have still not signed a new striker despite a host of speculation.
In terms of what is ahead for Solskjaer’s side, they will follow this weekend’s clash with a trip to Chelsea in the Premier League on February 17, and there is a chance that the likes of Paul Pogba and Axel Tuanzebe could be available for the match at Stamford Bridge after the 16-day break.
United also have a two-legged Europa League knockout clash with Club Brugge to come before the end of the February, in addition to a home game against Watford in the Premier League.
The Red Devils cannot afford to look past Saturday’s clash with Wolves, though, as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will also feel that they are capable of challenging for a top-four finish in the final months.
Only Manchester City (5) and Liverpool (0) have lost fewer Premier League matches than Wolves (6) this season, although 10 draws from 24 matches sees them sit seventh rather than higher up the table.
Having started their Europa League campaign for the 2019-20 season back in July, Wolves have played an awful lot of matches this season.
Like United, they have progressed to the first knockout round and will face La Liga outfit Espanyol over two legs before the end of February.
Despite the praise that has come Wolves’s way this season, they have actually only won one of their last five in the Premier League, losing twice to Liverpool and also away to Watford in recent weeks.
The former Championship winners suffered a 2-1 home loss to Liverpool in their last league match on January 23, and they have not actually played since then having been knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round courtesy of a 1-0 loss at Old Trafford on January 15.
Wolves held United to a 1-1 draw when the pair met in the Premier League earlier this season, while they recorded a 2-1 victory against the Red Devils in April 2019.
Somewhat surprisingly, not since March 2012 have United actually beaten Wolves in the Premier League.
Having had last weekend off, Wolves should be fresh for Saturday’s contest, while it will be 13 days until they play again as they return to Molineux to take on Leicester City on February 14.
A number of players have once again impressed for the club this season, but Raul Jimenez has managed 11 Premier League goals thus far, while Adama Traore, who has five goals and 10 assists in all competitions, has also enjoyed a fine campaign for Nuno’s side.
Having already triumphed in Manchester this season away to the reigning champions, Wolves will be full of confidence. United, though, will be determined to bounce back from their disappointing performance against Burnley and should be able to hand a debut to one of the most exciting attacking midfielders in Europe.
Man United possible XI: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Williams, Fred, Andreas, James, Fernandes, Mata, Martial.
Wolves possible XI: Patricio, Dendoncker, Coady, Saiss, Doherty, Moutinho, Neves, Jonny, Traore, Jimenez, Neto.
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