AFC Bournemouth are set to match up against Manchester United at the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday evening. The Cherries are coming off a 3-goal thrashing from Liverpool in their previous Premier League tie and are placed in the 11th spot of the points table.
Their concerns of relegation are distant for the time being but lose all 4 of the last league fixtures in the season, the possibility of the drop to the Championship rises significantly.
Eddie Howe has strategically collected points wherever possible to transcend the club into mid-table status over the past two seasons. Fixtures like these are always a gamble for smaller clubs like Bournemouth which tends to pay very low dividends.
However an upset is always on the cards especially after the 0-1 loss for Jose Mourinho’s men to a bottom-placed West Brom team. The Red Devils struggled to get going on the offensive end and somehow looked more lacklustre than the visitors have all season. And in the process, they handed over the league title to their next door neighbours right after beating them 2-3 in the previous tie.
The last time Bournemouth matched up against United was back in December which ended 1-0 in the favour of the Red Devils. Romelu Lukaku scored the only goal but Howe’s men always pushed for the equalizer and made life hard for the United backline.
Maybe a similar story will ensue and this time, Bournemouth will be able to prevent the 2nd-placed team from getting the double over them.
Here is how the Cherries might lineup on gameday.
Formation: 5-4-1
Defence
Asmir Begovic is fit and ready to take on the United team by appearing in between the sticks. Artur Boruc to remain on the bench as backup.
Nathan Ake, Steve Cook and Simon Francis are expected to feature in the defensive back-three.
Charlie Daniels might provide cover from the left and Ryan Fraser from the right.
Adam Smith and Simon Francis still need to be assessed for fitness while Tyron Ming is a long-time absentee.
Midfield
Dan Gosling and Lewis Cook are expected to solidify the centre-circle along with Jordan Ibe and Joshua King on the wings.
Lys Mousset might make a substitute appearance if called upon.
Attack
Callum Wilson might get the nod ahead of Jermain Defoe for this fixture. The veteran could not get it going in the last game and might just be better as a late substitute option rather than a starter.
