Bournemouth vs Manchester United preview, team news, match tickets, and prediction

Bournemouth will welcome Manchester United to the Vitality Stadium on April 13. As of the time of this article, the Red Devils are sixth in the Premier League, with 44 points from 25 games. On the other hand, Bournemouth, have amassed 28 points from 28 games and are in dire need of a change in fortunes. 

Bournemouth, after surviving the drop last term, opted for managerial change as Iraola Andoni was brought in to replace caretaker coach Gary O’Neil. Life in English football did not particularly go according to plan for Iraola whose side could not secure a Premier League win in their first nine games. 

Their season campaign got underway with a draw at home with West Ham before suffering defeats to Liverpool and Tottenham. Back-to-back stalemates with Brentford and Chelsea left them in the bottom zone. The next game was at Brighton and they fell to a 3-1 defeat. Dominic Solanke opened the scoring first before the home side rallied back to overturn the game. Three consecutive defeats followed that result as the Cherries only scored once in their three games against Arsenal, Everton, and Wolves.

The Cherries were not to be denied when they claimed their first win of the campaign against Burnley on matchweek 10 and the turnaround started from there. After the bashing at the Etihad against Manchester City, Bournemouth went ahead to win six of their seven Premier League games to move up a bit on the log. They ended 2023 on a losing note at Spurs and their first game in 2024 also ended in a loss to Liverpool at the Vitality Stadium. As of the time of writing, they are without a win in 2024 following draws against West Ham, Nottingham Forest, and Newcastle plus a defeat to Fulham.

On the other hand, Manchester United’s campaign has been a roller-coaster one. They were bundled out of the UEFA Champions League in the group stages and at some point, losing became a habit at Old Trafford. One of the positives is former captain Harry Maguire, who was one of the worst players at the club last season but has become one of the best players this term. Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford blew hot and cold, while youngster Alejandro Garnacho offered flashes in attack. Kobbie Mainoo has also been a revelation in midfield after numerous injuries to key players in the position. After a difficult few months at Old Trafford, striker Ramus Hojlund has started to get among the goals and lead the side to wins.

On the flip side, a couple of positives for the Red Devils include beating Chelsea 2-1 and thrashing Everton 3-0 at Goodison Park before a goalless draw at Anfield with Liverpool. Apart from that, they got knocked out of Europe completely before losing to Forest and West Ham on the road. United sit just outside the top 5 and a run of fine results could propel them to greater heights before the season comes to an end. A run of four consecutive wins, as of the time of writing, has helped to improve their look on the log and they could go on to fight for one of the European spots. 

Bournemouth’s record against Man United is not that poor based on recent performances.They have won twice in the past five meetings and none of their clashes since 2017 have ended in a draw. Therefore, this game looks quite important at both ends of the table, and only the side that wants it more will take the day in the end.

Match tickets

The epic match at Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth kicks off on Saturday 13th April 2024, at 3 PM UK time. 

Bournemouth’s 11,307-capacity stadium will be playing host to this fixture between a side fighting for survival and another side aiming to return to Europe.

Getting tickets for the Bournemouth vs Manchester United tickets could take a lot of work given the standard of this game. Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels. 

Team news

Line-ups

Summer signing Tyler Adams, who has been injured for most of the season, could return for the visit of the Red Devils, while Ryan Fredericks and Maximillian Aarons’ return date is around the same time as that of Adams. Meanwhile, Adam Smith, Hamed Traore, and Milos Kerkez should all be available for the visit of the champions. Striker Solanke and Kluivert will be tasked to lead the line for the Cherries in this important home fixture.

Bournemouth XI: Neto (GK), Mepham, Hill, Zabarnyi, Aarons, Cook, Christie, Sinisterra, Kluivert, Tavernier, Solanke.

In recent weeks, Manchester United has had several players return to the physio’s room. Defenders Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw have barely played this season, summer signing Mason Mount has also struggled with fitness, and Victor Lindelof could also be available for this trip. Youngster Kobbie Mainoo has been a revelation since the turn of the year and looks to finish the season strongly. Meanwhile, Anthony Martial, who underwent surgery in February, could be available for this fixture. 

Manchester United XI: Andre Onana; Harry Maguire, Johnny Evans, Diogo Dalot, Aaron Wan-Bissaka; Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, Christian Eriksen; Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Hojlund, Rashford.

Prediction

Bournemouth, after a slow start under new manager Andoni Iraola, have been able to turn their fortunes around and looking towards securing Premier League safety for another season. 

In the reverse fixture, Manchester United were hammered 3-0 at Old Trafford and this is an opportunity for them to get revenge. It could be pivotal in the grand scheme of things as the final weeks of the season are in sight. With that being said, United might struggle, but they should secure a victory here.

Bournemouth 1-2 Manchester United