Michael Carrick is the favorite to be the next Premier League manager to depart after a chastening start to the season for Manchester United, which has seen them win just two of their 11 games in all competitions.
They were victories over Ipswich in the Premier League and Sabah in Europe, with a 4-1 defeat to Como in the Champions League on Wednesday their latest disappointment.
Bruno Fernandes openly criticized the manager after that performance, and it’s fair to say that Carrick is drinking in the last chance saloon as his team host Bournemouth at Old Trafford this weekend.
The Cherries had a slow start to the season themselves, but three wins in a row in all competitions without conceding have really improved the mood around the club.
Bournemouth’s latest win was a 3-0 home success over AC Milan in the Europa League, a remarkable achievement considering the respective histories of the two clubs.
Marco Rose’s men are unfortunate to have just six points from seven league games, with their failure to see out results early in the campaign a big issue.
Their increased defensive solidity in recent games is a big boost and they are a tempting price to get a result at Old Trafford, where they have a strong record.
The visitors have scored at least three goals in their last three away games against these opponents, two of which were victories and the other was a draw.
In fact, Manchester United have failed to win any of the last six meetings between these two teams, and it’s hard to see them reversing that trend given their poor form as of late.
Manchester United vs Bournemouth prediction: Bournemouth win or tie double chance (-165) available at time of publishing. Playable to -180.
