Louis van Gaal’s last game in charge of Manchester United was against Bournemouth last season and his disciple Jose Mourinho’s first Premier League game in charge of the Red Devils brings them head to head against the Cherries once again. Exactly 89 days ago that game took place as the Red Devils came out on top against the Cherries. There was no lack of drama in that game as the match staged after a bomb scare in the original match two days beforehand.
Jose Mourinho will be keen to start his reign in the Premier League on a strong note while Eddie Howe will be looking to come up with an upset. The Cherries had a decent last season too and bolstered their squad to some extent this summer as they look to establish a strong foundation for themselves in the Premier League. Howe had shown his qualities at the highest stage last season after bringing the South Coast club to the top tier by winning the Championship in the previous season. So, Mourinho has to be wary while approaching the game.
Bournemouth had a good pre-season where they won three games and drew three. A better defensive display from last season could make them top half contenders. On the other hand, Mourinho had a joyous start to his Manchester United as he led the club to a win against Premier League holders Leicester City in the FA Community Shield. After absolutely breaking the bank on superstars this summer, Manchester United fans have already started dreaming about the glory days and only time will tell that their dreams will come to reality or not.
Team news
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Eric Bailly both played the whole game against Leicester City last weekend and both look assured starters. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is also likely to start the game but latest addition for a world record fee Paul Pogba is suspended and will miss the clash.
Bournemouth have just three players out with injuries in the form of Tyrone Mings, Junior Stanislas and Emerson Hyndman.
Predicted starting XI
Bournemouth (4-2-3-1)
Boruc; Daniels, Cook, Francis, Smith; Surman, Arter; Gradel, King, Ibe; Wilson
Manchester United (4-2-3-1)
De Gea; Valencia, Bailly, Blind, Shaw; Carrick, Fellaini; Mkhitaryan, Rooney, Martial; Ibrahimovic
Prediction
You can never truly get your predictions right in the Premier League and on the opening gameweek it’s even harder. However, the quality of the Manchester United team and the presence of someone like Mourinho on the touchline is likely to prove to be too much for the Cherries. We predict a 0-2 win for Manchester United.
