Manchester United will be hoping to build on the weekend’s win over Aston Villa, when we play away to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Friday night.
The 20:00 GMT kick-off at the Vitality Stadium comes on the back of Sunday’s 3-1 victory at home to Aston Villa, and is our final game before the March international break
Prior to United’s defeat at Newcastle earlier this month, the Reds and Bournemouth were first and second respectively for the longest ongoing unbeaten runs in the Premier League.
That lead is now in the Cherries’ hands after four draws in a row, which have frustrated them, but ensured they haven’t been beaten in 10 top-flight games.
League leaders Arsenal were the last to get the better of them on 3 January, one of only two matches they’ve lost in the competition since our 4-4 draw in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford.
United have been beaten twice too since then in the Premier League, and in only one of nine fixtures under Carrick, meaning we enter Friday’s clash third in the table.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, are 10th, one place off their best-ever top-flight finish and just two points adrift of Everton in eighth.
TEAM NEWS
The Reds appeared to pick up no fresh problems in the win over Aston Villa, and were able to welcome Mason Mount back to the matchday squad after seven games out through injury.
Mount was an unused substitute against Villa and could get his first minutes since January’s derby clash with Manchester City, when we visit the south coast.
Matthijs de Ligt, Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu and Lisandro Martinez are all recent absentees that Michael Carrick could be asked about in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
As for Bournemouth, head coach Andoni Iraola said after Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Burnley that the turnaround to Friday’s encounter “will be tight” for Tyler Adams and Ben Gannon-Doak.
Central midfielder Adams missed the trip to Turf Moor after feeling something the day before the game and, while former Liverpool winger Gannon-Doak took his place on the bench, but was not ready for minutes, according to Iraola’s suggestion, having been sidelined since November.
Lewis Cook, Justin Kluivert and Julio Soler are also players who have been in the treatment room of late for the Cherries. Cook was running on his own before the Burnley game, which came too soon for him to return in.
