- First PL meeting between the clubs
- United has drawn 0-0 eight times in 2015
- Bournemouth looking for back-to-back wins
Manchester United was knocked out of the Champions League midweek, but the Red Devils have no time to feel sorry for themselves as they travel to the South Coast to take on Bournemouth (Watch live, 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC and online via Live Extra).
[ WATCH: PL TV Schedule — Week 16 ]
Bournemouth is coming off of the biggest win in club history, a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge over Chelsea last weekend. It was the Cherries first league win since September, and they will be looking to win consecutive Premier League matches for the first time. Manager Eddie Howe will look at Saturday as the perfect time to face Manchester United, a team riddled with injuries and coming off of an emotionally draining loss.
The pressure on Louis van Gaal is at an all-time high, as a loss to Bournemouth would cap off one of the worst weeks in recent memory for United. After losing to Wolfsburg and being eliminated from the Champions League, LVG can’t afford a poor performance on Saturday, even if he is without nine first-team players through injury.
[ MORE: Is Louis van Gaal’s job under threat at Manchester United? ]
Despite the disappointment in Europe, United sits fourth in the Premier League just three points off the leaders. They haven’t lost in the PL since early October, and have conceded a league-low 10 goals.
What they’re saying
Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe on facing United: “We know how difficult this game will be, we know the level we have to get to to compete. All I would say is that hopefully if we can match those levels (from the Chelsea game) again, it is in our hands. We are proud to be hosting Manchester United. It’s a big game in this club’s history.”
United’s Marouane Fellaini on moving forward: “It will be a tough game as they will be confident, so we need to be ready to challenge them. We have to take the three points to stay near the top of the table. Tuesday night was a disappointment for everyone but we now have to make a quick recovery and focus on the next game.”
Prediction
Bournemouth is riding high after the win over Chelsea, and I think that momentum carries over to Saturday. The Cherries will be eager to get a result at home against a makeshift United lineup. Bournemouth 1-1 Manchester United.