Manchester United vs Wolves preview, team news, tickets and prediction

Manchester United will be looking to get back to winning ways and cement their place in the top four with a win over Wolves at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.

Not too long ago, United were targeting a ‘treble’ after they reached the final of the FA Cup with a penalty shoot-out win over Brighton having already lifted the Carabao Cup back in February. They were also in the quarter-finals of the Europa League and favourites to go on and win that competition. The club were also comfortably situated in the top four with a healthy gap to the chasing pack, so it was shaping up to be a memorable campaign for the Manchester giants.

However, a packed schedule appears to have caught up with them. The squad is looking fatigued and some key players have picked up untimely injuries. Any hopes of a treble ended after Man Utd were dumped out of the Europa League thanks to a 5-2 aggregate defeat to Sevilla last month. Fans are now fearing an embarrassment against Man City in the FA Cup final as Pep Guardiola’s side are in formidable form, whereas United’s season could be ending in a whimper.

Their top four status is now under threat following back-to-back defeats on the road. Brighton secured a dramatic, albeit deserved, 1-0 win at the Amex Stadium thanks to a last minute penalty while a mistake from David De Gea gifted West Ham a win at the London Stadium last weekend. Those results have now left Man Utd sitting fourth – just one point above fifth-placed Liverpool. The Merseysiders are on a terrific run having won five of their last six league games and are now a genuine threat to snatch fourth spot.

The good news for United is they have a game in hand over Liverpool, so they’ll be looking to open up a vital four point advantage with a win over Wolves on Saturday to put the pressure on Jurgen Klopp’s side ahead of their trip to Leicester City on Monday. Anything other than a win at Old Trafford would be a huge blow for United and put the momentum firmly in Liverpool’s hands heading into the final few games of the season. So they simply cannot afford to slip up at home if they want to be playing Champions League football next term.

Fortunately, Wolves are probably one of the best teams to be playing right now. They have secured their Premier League status for another year after a crucial 1-0 win over Aston Villa last weekend moved them onto 40 points. They are now up to 13th in the table and 10 points clear of the relegation zone, so they have nothing left to play for this season.

Tickets

The game will be played at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon, kicking off at 3pm. The match hasn’t been selected for live broadcast on any of the TV channels so supporters will need to have a ticket to watch the action live.

Old Trafford has a capacity of almost 75,000, but tickets are still extremely difficult to get hold of. All home matches are usually sold out well in advance so it will be tough to get your hands on a ticket via official channels. Fans could try their luck at Seatsnet to see if they have any tickets available.

Injury woes

Manchester United have been hit by a spate of injuries at the wrong time and it’s cost them in recent weeks. Raphael Varane has been struggling with an ankle injury and he’s expected to miss the visit of Wolves once again this weekend.

Fellow centre-back Lisandro Martinez has been ruled out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury while forgotten defender Phil Jones is also out with a knee problem.

Scott McTominay remains a major doubt with a muscle injury that’s kept him out of action lately while Donny van de Beek won’t play again this season due to a serious knee injury.

As for for Wolves, they’ll be without Francisco Oliveira as he’s still working his way back from a knee injury while Sasa Kalajdic is also out with his own knee problem. Boubacar Traore will face a late fitness test ahead of the trip to Old Trafford.

Line-ups

Erik ten Hag could make some changes to the starting eleven that featured at the London Stadium on Sunday. De Gea was at fault for the West Ham goal but the Spaniard is still certain to keep hold of the gloves this weekend. Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof are likely to continue in the middle of defence meaning Harry Maguire will remain on the bench.

Diogo Dalot is pushing for a recall and he could replace Tyrell Malacia at left-back meaning Aaron Wan-Bissaka keeps his place on the right. Casemiro is certain to start in midfield while Christian Eriksen should also keep his place but we could see ten Hag freshen things up in attack.

Anthony Martial, Marcel Sabitzer and Jadon Sancho are all pushing for recalls after being named on the bench last time out, but Marcus Rashford is expected to keep his place in the United side.

Man Utd XI: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Shaw, Dalot, Casemiro, Eriksen, Sabitzer, Fernandes, Sancho, Rashford.

For Wolves, we could see a similar side to the one that started against Aston Villa. Jose Sa will retain his place in goal and the back four should remain unchanged. The only major change could see Joao Moutinho recalled in midfield.

Wolves XI: Sa, Semedo, Dawson, Kilman, Gomes, Neves, Moutinho, Nunes, Neto, Cunha, Costa.

Prediction

Manchester United have stumbled on the road in recent weeks but they are still strong at home and will be confident of beating Wolves at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.

The visitors have very little left to play for and will be relieved to have secured their top flight status for next season. Wolves should be relaxed, which could make then dangerous, but it’s still difficult to see past a home win here.

Ten Hag will be demanding a response from his players following their poor recent results, and this is the perfect opportunity to get back to winning ways and tighten their grip on fourth spot. With Newcastle losing against Arsenal, it also gives United the chance to climb up to third, and we think the Red Devils will ease to victory this weekend to take a step closer to securing Champions League qualification for next season.

The like of Rashford and Fernandes should be too strong for Wolves and we’re backing Man Utd to seal a relatively comfortable 2-0 win this weekend. Man Utd 2-0 Wolves