An away win at last for Manchester United under Louis Van Gaal and what a place to get those 3 points from. Easily the headline result of last week when United beat old rivals Arsenal at the Emirates in a game neither side wanted to lose. A game of two halves, I must say, as Arsenal launched a wave of attacks in the first 45 but ended the half with nothing to show for all their efforts, with David De Gea particularly immense for the away side. But Manchester United in the end, came away with a much needed result and 3 points after a dogged second half performance fielding a makeshift defence. The win took Man United to the dizzy heights of fourth place and with two home games to be played against Hull and Stoke, the Red Devils would be looking to build on the momentum ahead of the all-important festive run-in.
Hull City and Steve Bruce are short of morale after that painful home defeat to Spurs especially the way they played that game up until the sending off, they must be gutted to have got nothing out of that fixture and fairly so. Hull City are winless since the start of October and the Tigers haven’t been impressive on the road to be honest. Steve Bruce has been very vocal of late, lambasting his side of lacking the character after that capitulation against newly-promoted Burnley and the league table doesn’t make good viewing as his side currently sits just above the drop zone with 11 points – 1 more than Leicester and Burnley meaning they will desperate to get a result on Saturday and make some progress.
Team News
Van Gaal’s side has been plagued with injury after injury so much so that the injury list could actually make a good premier-league team. But some of the players have recovered, though not match-fit, but will soon be available for contention. Defender Jonny Evans and Ander Herrera took part in a reserve game a couple of days back to gain some match fitness and they could be available for Saturday. Luke Shaw could be out for two weeks after injuring his ankle against Arsenal. Falcao has recovered from his knee injury and he could start on the bench which could be a huge boost for the home side. Rafael, Jones and Rojo are still sidelined due to injuries while Rojo after dislocating his shoulder against Man City, Â has recovered and started training with the first team and could return on Dec 8.
Steve Bruce has been boosted by the return of defender Alex Bruce, son of the manager Steve himself and midfielder Diame is also expected to be fit ahead of Saturday’s encounter against Manchester United. Robert Snodgrass is still unavailable. And Gaston Ramirez is suspended after picking up a red card against Tottenham last week and won’t be available for selection.
Previous Meetings
- United 3-1 Hull (PL, May 14)
- Hull 2-3Â United (PL, Dec 13)
- United 4-0 Hull (PL, Jan 10)
- Hull 1-3 United (PL, Dec 09)
- Hull 0-1 United (PL, May 09)
Interesting Numbers
Wayne Rooney has scored 6 goals in 4 Premier League matches against Hull.
The Tigers have won just one of their last 11 Premier League away games (D4 L6).
Manchester United have won the last nine straight matches against Hull City including all six meetings in the Barclays Premier League.
No team has thrown away more points from a winning position in the Premier League than Hull City this season (11, level with Swansea).
Key Men
Michael Carrick – Manchester UnitedÂ
The 33-year old has just come back from a lengthy injury lay-off, and a timely comeback at that as he will be very much integral to the success of Manchester United in the coming fixtures, especially after the supposed long-term absence of Daley Blind. He’s played 3 games so far, in various positions to be fair and his versatility has come in handy at times it has to be said. His cameo as a center-back against Crustal Palace at home for example proved to be successful as the side eked out an effective 1-0 win before the international break. His ability to pick a pass is well documented and he’s had a success rate of 86% so far, which could improve as he gets more minutes under his belt. It is his defensive work that often goes under the radar, as he’s involved in seven defensive actions on an average per game which is remarkable and a testament to the work he puts in every game. With the team still struggling to get a consistency at the back, Michael Carrick’s experience and expertise could prove key to the home side’s chances of picking up all 3 points.
Nikica Jelavic – Hull City
Jelavic has been having a decent run so far with a goal in every two games he’s played in. He’s been among the shots averaging close to 2.5 shots per game with a hit rate of 40% on goal. His passing though has been haphazard at times as he’s just had a 71% of success in finding a teammate, which needs to be improved massively, as he’s now the focal point of a goal-shy Hull City. He’s created 7 chances from open play but his work rate often goes unnoticed, with an average of two defensive actions per game, which is laudable for a striker. He’s not a stranger to scoring against Saturday’s opposition as he’s already done it in the past with Everton colors. If he can pick his game up and pose an early threat to Man United’s goal and an unsure and inexperienced back three with his menacing presence in the box, the away side certainly can get something out of this game.
Betting Section
Angel Di Maria has already made 20 assists so far in 2014 – the most by anyone in Europe’s top 5 leagues. Think he’ll add to his brilliant tally on Saturday? Back it up by creating a bet via Tailorbet by clicking the link below – priced at a whopping 3.00!
Prediction
The home side has a bit of a momentum going into this game with two wins on the trot including a massive win at the Emirates. They have been generally good at home this season and have picked most of their points they have accrued in total at Old Trafford. The away side will give it all but eventually fall short.
Manchester United 2-0 Hull CityÂ
