English Premier League Soccer - Manchester United vs. Bournemouth, 7/4/20 - Preview, Prediction & Odds
Unbeaten in 15 straight games in all competitions, 5th-placed Manchester United will be hoping to keep their excellent form going while hosting 19th-placed Bournemouth, who have relegation breathing down their neck. Kick-off - at 10:00 AM ET on Saturday, July 4.
United Extend Unbeaten Run
The fine form of Manchester United continued, as the team’s unbeaten run in all competitions stretched out to 15 games (W11 D4) following a 3-0 beat-down of Brighton & Hove Albion away at Amex Stadium on Tuesday. January signing Bruno Fernandes netted twice, extending his goal-involvement in the Premier League to eight snipes in his first eight matches (5 markers, 3 assists). Mason Greenwood also scored for the Red Devils, banking his sixth strike of the season - the most by a player aged 18 or younger in a single EPL campaign since Wayne Rooney tallied nine goals for Everton in 2003-04. United have moved back to the 5th place in the league (W14 D10 L8), trailing 4th-placed Chelsea by two points.
English forward Marcus Rashford and French striker Anthony Martial lead the Red Devils with 14 Premier League strikes each. Goalie David De Gea, meanwhile, sits 11th in the league with 81 saves. He has picked up 10 clean sheets in 32 games during the ongoing campaign and allows a goal every 93 minutes on average. Manchester United have netted the 5th highest number of goals this year (51), while taking the 4th highest quantity of shots per game (14.6). The team is 5th in both ball possession (54.0%) and passing accuracy (83.1%).
Bournemouth Lose Fourth Straight
The survival bid of Bournemouth took another bad turn, as the seaside club was beaten with a score of 4-1 by Newcastle United at Vitality Stadium on Wednesday, thus recording its fourth consecutive defeat. The Cherries hit the woodwork twice in the second half after the visitors were already leading 2-0 following the first half-an-hour of play, only to see two more strikes netted by the Magpies, with an injury-time marker by midfielder Dan Gosling providing a little consolation to Bournemouth, who are winless in their last seven league games (D1 L6). The team sits second-bottom in the standings (W7 D6 L19), on level points with 18th-placed Aston Villa, one point off safety.
English striker Callum Wilson leads the Cherries with eight league markers, but is set to miss a second consecutive contest through suspension after picking up 10 yellow cards. Goalie Aaron Ramsdale, meanwhile, is 4th in the Premier League with 107 saves. The Englishman has collected four clean sheets in 31 contests this year and concedes a goal every 55 minutes of play. Bournemouth have scored the 4th lowest quantity of goals during the ongoing campaign (30), while delivering the 4th lowest number of shots per game (10.2). The team is 13th in both ball possession (46.9%) and passing accuracy (76.4%).
Prediction
Out of teams from Europe’s top-five leagues, only German Bundesliga’s Bayern Munich have gone unbeaten in more games at the moment than Manchester United. The Red Devils have not seen a defeat for 15 straight games in all competitions (W11 D4) and are certain to keep that record growing with a home contest against Bournemouth, who have failed to win any of their past seven Premier League outings (D1 L6), losing the very last four in a row. The Cherries managed to beat United in this season’s reverse fixture in November (1-0), but had gone without a win versus the Red Devils for seven EPL outings prior (D1 L6). United, meanwhile, have collected six clean sheets in their last eight league games, posting a score of 3-0 in three of their last four victories.
Best bets:
Manchester United to win to nil (-145)
Correct score: 3-0 to Manchester United (+530)