The curtains will temporarily fall on Gameweek 34 of the 2024/25 Premier League season on Sunday. Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur will face off in the marquee fixture to end the day. However, the action will start with Bournemouth vs Manchester United at the Vitality Stadium before the ongoing round of fixtures ends on Thursday.
Bournemouth would have hoped to remain an outside contender to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, having been in and around the top five for several weeks. However, a run of one win in eight Premier League games has taken the Cherries from fifth to eighth on the table. That has left Andoni Iraola’s men eight points behind seventh-placed Aston Villa.
On the other hand, the Premier League campaign has been irrelevant in the grand scheme of things for the 2024/25 season, having lost a mind-boggling 15 games in 33 top-flight outings thus far. A dreadful start cost Erik ten Hag his job, with things going from bad to worse under Ruben Amorim. The Red Devils are 15th in the Premier League standings and can finish 17th by the time the season ends.
The reverse fixture saw Bournemouth cruise to a 3-0 win over Manchester United, with Dean Huijsen, Patrick Kluivert, and Antoine Semenyo finding the back of the net. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Smith, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Cook, Adams; Semenyo, Kluivert, Ouattara; Evanilson
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Onana; Mazraoui, Maguire, Yoro; Dorgu, Ugarte, Fernandes, Amass; Mount, Garnacho; Hojlund
While Antoine Semenyo, Evanilson, and Rasmus Hojlund were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Bruno Fernandes as the Player to Watch for Sunday’s Premier League clash between Bournemouth and Manchester United at the Vitality Stadium.
The Portuguese international has created 77 Premier League chances this season, with only Cole Palmer exceeding that tally before the latest round of fixtures. Fernandes is one shy of recording ten Premier League assists for the second time, having accumulated 12 in the 2020/21 campaign. The Manchester United captain will be eager to get into the groove ahead of the UEFA Europa League clash against Athletic Club with a top-notch performance vs Bournemouth.
Manchester United deserved something from the game against Wolverhampton Wanderers, with a much-changed side making a mark. Most of the regular starters will return on Sunday, and that will pave the way for more threat in the final third. However, Rasmus Hojlund’s struggles might continue and help Bournemouth keep a clean sheet.
At the other end, Manchester United’s soft underbelly will cost the away side again, and that will help Bournemouth clinch a narrow victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-0 win for Andoni Iraola and his charges.
The result means Bournemouth will become the sixth side to complete the league double over Manchester United this season, the most against the Red Devils in a campaign since 1933/34 and the highest in the top flight since nine in 1930/31.
