The Reds travel to Molineux to take on Julen Lopetegui’s struggling Wolves side. The hosts scraped themselves off the bottom of the table last time out with a last gasp win over Everton. United are looking to snuff out that new-found spark and take an important win on the road.
Erik ten Hag will be confident his men can get the job done. They showed some attractive, flowing football last time out, albeit against an unimpressive Nottingham Forest side. Goals from Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Fred punctuated a fairly dominant performance with 66% possession and 17 shots to Forest’s 8.
Casemiro rightly took the man of the match award and is showing himself to be a – and perhaps even the – key man in this new-look Manchester United side. He’s an asset both defensively and offensively and has offered the team a new solidity.
Wolves struggled to retain the ball in their win over Everton and under Ten Hag, Manchester United have been better at winning the ball back. As a result, we expect to see United offer another dominant performance.
It’s crucial that United get three points too, with the race for a top four spot looking more competitive than ever.
Manchester United
Raphael Varane made a welcome return to the starting 11 against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday. The Frenchman’s return was a big plus for the Reds and no-doubt contributed to the clean sheet and 3-0 win.
He’ll likely be called into action again, but it’s hard to say who will partner him at centre back. In the last two fixtures have seen unexpected appearances of Luke Shaw and Casemiro in that position and both players made good accounts of themselves.
Following his recent performances, Casemiro will surely be the first name on the team sheet. After his success in the World Cup final Lisandro Martinez is back in training and could well play a role.
Lindelof and McTominay were ill and unavailable for selection last time out, but are expected to return to the squad. Antony looked rusty against Forest but may well be given another chance to start in a bid to recover his form.
Aaron Wan Bissaka has regained his form and is now a serious challenge to Diogo Dalot for the right back position. His remarkably athletic assist against Burnley in the League Cup marked his return to the squad and forced Ten Hag to take note.
Line-up
With those considerations in mind. We would expect to see Manchester United line up like this.
Opposition
In past seasons, Wolves have been notoriously hard to break down but since the departure of Conor Coady they’ve looked more vulnerable and less organised. Now though, the arrival of Lopetegui could offer Wolves the proverbial ‘new manager bounce’ and a little more organisation.
Will they be able to trouble United? Certainly the likes of Podence, Neves and Traore can be threatening on their day – though there is still a question mark over Podence’s availability. Of course, Diego Costa is set to return to the fray too leading the Wolves line. He’s yet to wow for the Wanderers but United fans are well acquainted with his knack for a finish and his ability to play the pantomime villain.
There’s plenty to fear from Wolves on paper despite recent results and the arrival of Lopetegui is a huge boost for them, but United should have enough to outgun their Midlands rivals.
Prediction
Under Erik ten Hag, with the likes of Casemiro and Eriksen marshalling the midfield, United look to have more than enough to cope with Wolves this New Years Eve. We’re expecting an away win to the tune of 2-0, or similar. Fingers crossed.
Enjoy the game Reds and head over to the Stretford Paddock YouTube channel to join in with our watch-along.