Manchester United are back in Premier League action following their win in the FA Cup, as they are set to travel to Wolverhampton. Here is everything you need to know before Erik Ten Hag’s team’s match.
Team News
Joao Gomes has returned from suspension, but Wolves will still be without midfielder Boubacar Traore of Mali and forward Hwang Hee-chan of South Korea, who are away on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup, respectively. Rayan Ait-Nouri is available for selection in the wake of Algeria’s early elimination from the AFCON, although Pablo Sarabia has surfaced as a doubt due to a calf injury and will be evaluated before kickoff. Manager O’Neil isn’t going to make many, if any, changes to the team that defeated West Brom in the FA Cup. Tommy Doyle, a loanee from Manchester City, will likely reunite with Mario Lemina in midfield, while Jean-Ricner Bellegarde will attack with Neto and Cunha.
After a night out in Belfast, Rashford missed Man United’s victory against Newport due to sickness. The club has now announced that the “internal disciplinary matter” has been “closed,” although Ten Hag will decide late on whether to include the winger in his matchday squad. Along with Mason Mount (calf problem), Anthony Martial, Victor Lindelof (both groinnjuries), Tyrell Malacia (knee), and Sofyan Amrabat (playing at AFCON), Aaron Wan-Bissaka is also uncertain, although for an unspecified reason. It is to be expected Andre Onana will be back in goal after Altay Bayindir’s Man United debut against Newport County.
Form Guide
Wolves will be hosting Man United after a series of good results which started just before the Boxing Day. On Christmas Eve, Wolves defeated Chelsea, and then went on to comfortably beat Brentford and Everton, scoring seven goals in those two matches. In their last four games, they drew against Brentford 1-1 in the FA Cup, before beating them in the replay at home. Then there was the goalless draw against Brighton, before progressing further in the FA Cup with a 2-0 win against West Brom. That’s a great run of results and they are now sitting in the middle of Premier League standings, just behind Chelsea. Plenty of reasons for United to be cautious.
As for Man United, results started getting better since the start of 2024, but the performances are still far from ideal. A 2-0 loss against a League One side Wigan in the FA Cup was always to be expected, while the 2-2 draw against Tottenham in the league was okay, but not great considering having a lead twice, both times losing it quickly afterwards. And then there was the 4-2 win against Newport County in the FA Cup, against the League Two side. Conceding twice in a match where United played with their strongest XI, highlights the problems this team has had defensively for a while.
Predicted Outcome
Considering everything, Man United are clear favourites and we expect them to beat Wolves 2-1 in this match.
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