Manchester United are back. After two weeks of international football, the club duties are back on the table and the Red Devils will be playing on Saturday afternoon. Their rivals are Swansea City, a team that still has a lot to play for. The Welsh club is currently fighting relegation and will want to repeat the last season’s 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
United on the other hand have to keep their second place in the league secure and with a win that quest would be one big step closer. With eight games to play, Jose Mourinho’s team has two points more than Liverpool, but also have a game in hand. The win against Swansea and potentially against West Ham in the postponed match could mean a lead of up to eight points.
Eight More To Go
But, where will Manchester United finish the season? How many points will they end up with and where will that leave them. Going into the final part of the season, the Devils will not be looking at the fixtures ahead, figuring out how many points could they win from each match. They will want to win every single game, including the one next weekend, as Manchester City will be the hosts in the Manchester Derby.
With 65 points from 30 matches, United are in good position to establish themselves in second, behind their big rivals. There are eight matches to be played. First, it is Swansea at Old Trafford and then a short trip to Eastern Manchester, to play against Pep Guardiola’s side. A week later, in mid April, Man United will be hosting West Bromwich Albion, who are looking set to join the Championship next season.
Then a midweek match will be on the cards, as Bournemouth will be hosting Mourinho’s boys, before Arsenal come to the town on the last weekend of April. Brighton and Hove Albion will, afterwards, host United, and then Watford will visit Old Trafford. Somewhere along the line, United will play West Ham in that postponed match due to FA Cup action.
So how many points from these 24 could Manchester United count on? This is a decent schedule to end the season with, with only two top six sides yet to play against the Devils. Just 15 points is needed to reach the 80-point mark, but the boys should be ready to successfully get past that number.
A Good Schedule Is Ahead
The four home matches will see in Manchester two teams fighting relegation, a Watford side that seems settled in mid-table and an Arsenal team that could be focusing on Europa League the way United did last season. By the time that match happens, Arsenal could well be on their way of reaching the final in Lyon and could prioritize that competition.
Away from home, United will visit City in a match that could seal the title for Guardiola and his team. A trip to Bournemouth could be tricky, but United could really win six out of the eight matches. That would leave them with at least 83 points when the season ends, a tally they last time managed to beat in Sir Alex Ferguson’s last season.
The progress under Mourinho’s guidance would be confirmed, even though it would be a slow and steady one, nothing close the meteoric rise most people expected. Winning only 69 points last term was not good, but this season has showed United are going up.
A big summer is ahead of us…
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