David Moyes will be hoping lightning does not strike twice as his Manchester United side welcome Swansea to Old Trafford for the late kick off on Saturday.
The Swans defeated United 2-1 at Old Trafford last weekend, resulting in the Red Devils’ exit from the FA cup. United subsequently lost at home to Sunderland in the League Cup semi-final on Tuesday night, which only served to result in talks of a crisis at Old Trafford.
Moyes is understandably under a lot of pressure at the moment, something that would only intensify further should his side lose to Swansea at home for the second time in as many weeks. His opposite number Michael Laudrup will be hoping his team can repeat the result and earn their second ever victory there.
Team News
United have several injuries but there is a chance some players could be fit in time for this weekend. Wayne Rooney faces a late fitness test and Phil Jones and Robin van Persie could also return. Nani, Marouane Fellaini, Ashley Young and Rio Ferdinand are still unlikely to feature.
Swansea also have a number of injuries in their side, with Jonathan De Guzman, Pablo Hernandez, Nathan Dyer and Michu being notable players in that list. Unfortunately for Laudrup, it doesn’t look like he will be able to call upon any of these players.
Interesting Statistics
United have lost five games at home this season in all competitions.
Should they lose this game, it will be the first time United have suffered four consecutive defeats since 1961.
Swansea could move into the top 10 if they win on Saturday and other results go their way.
If Swansea win, it will only be their second win ever at Old Trafford.
Key Players
Manchester United – Danny Welbeck
Welbeck has enjoyed a good spell in front of goal recently, bringing his total for the season to seven goals. He has scored these goals from just 11 shots on target, however, he has also fired 10 shots off target, meaning he has a shooting accuracy of just 52%. His clear-cut chance conversion rate is much better though at 88%, converting seven of these chances and missing only one. Unlike some other strikers in the league, Welbeck hasn’t had a big creative impact on his team. He has only created six chances for his team mates and has just one assist to his name so far. To be fair, Welbeck has been more converting the end product for United this season, and this is very likely why the statistics appear as they do. Welbeck will be a worry for Laudrup and if Rooney plays behind him, the threat shown by the striker will only be higher.
Swansea City – Wilfried Bony
Like Welbeck, Bony has also enjoyed a good spell in front of goal recently. He has six goals for the season and has done this from 16 shots on target. His 21 shots that have been off target, however, means that Bony only has a shooting accuracy of 43%. His chance conversion is even worse at 16% and he’s converted just 50% of his clear-cut chances with four. Again like Welbeck, Bony has not been the most creative player in his team. He has created more than his United counterpart with eight chances and also has one assist. However, this could be reflective of the fact that seven of Bony’s 16 appearances have been as a substitute. He managed to score the winner at Old Trafford last weekend, so it will be imperative for Moyes to make sure his defenders watch the striker more closely this time round.
Prediction
David Moyes is under a huge amount of pressure to get the victory against Swansea on Saturday. The players that are unavailable to him will only make this harder. That being said, Swansea also have several injuries – including players who were in the team that defeated United at the weekend. If Wayne Rooney does return from injury then it would certainly give more reason for fans of the club to be optimistic. However, I still think United will win, with the final result being 2-0.
This prediction is shared by Winner Sports who have Manchester United as the favourites at odds of 1.50. Swansea are a long shot with odds of 7.50. You can sign up for a free bet with them here – Free £25 bet with Winner.
Danny Welbeck is at 5.5 to grab the first goal of the game and Bony is at 9’s to repeat what he did in the FA Cup and score the last goal of the game at Old Trafford for the second game in a row
Once again thanks to Winner Sports for the odds.
