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2024/25 English Premier League
Matchday 17
Manchester United v Bournemouth
Old Trafford
Manchester, England
Sunday, 22 December 2024
Kick-off is at 16h00
Manchester United will be looking to build on their second win under Ruben Amorim when they host a resurgent Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday, December 22.
The Red Devils arrested a two-match losing streak in the
Premier League as they came back from behind to beat local rivals Manchester City 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium on December 15.
Amorim has now collected seven points from his opening five games since replacing Erik ten Hag at the helm last month, although United remain in the bottom half of the table in 13th place, six points adrift of the top four.
The Cherries find themselves in the lofty position of seventh after recording their seventh victory of the season, having battled back from an early goal down to triumph 2-1 over Ipswich on December 8.
It was their third straight win and Andoni Iraola's side have a chance to go above Aston Villa into sixth position when they welcome West Ham to the Vitality Stadium on December 16.
Image copyright: Getty Images
The hosts have an almost fully-fit squad at their disposal, with just Mason Mount and Luke Shaw (calf) unavailable for selection. The visitors have a few more injuries to contend with as Alex Scott (knee), Luis Sinisterra, Marcus Tavernier, Julian Araujo and Marcos Senesi (all thigh) will all miss the trip to Manchester.
Amorim has called on his players not to drop their standards after claiming a morale-boosting derby win over City as he shifts his focus to the visit of Bournemouth, who ran out 3-0 victors in the corresponding fixture last season.
"It is always important to win. In this moment, every win is like an oxygen balloon! It helps us continue our job with happiness," the Portuguese said.
"No matter what happens we have to continue the same. It's a special day for us but, tomorrow, it's over and we focus on the next game."
Iraola felt his team were good value for their win at Ipswich despite scoring twice in the final three minutes, but he insists qualifying for Europe is the furthest thing on his mind.
"I think it was a game we didn't deserve to lose. We missed clear chances to score in the first half and the beginning of the second we were pushing, and then you start thinking it's maybe not going to be your day," the Spaniard said.
"You can take a picture of the standings if you want, just in case we're not there, but I won't look too much. I am confident in this team because we are being competitive. Let's hope we can continue playing the same way."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Man United wins - 3
Bournemouth wins - 1
Draws - 1
Premier League Matchday 17 fixtures:
Saturday, December 21
14h30: Aston Villa v Manchester City
17h00: Brentford v Nottingham Forest
17h00: Ipswich Town v Newcastle United
17h00: West Ham United v Brighton & Hove Albion
19h30: Crystal Palace v Arsenal
Sunday, December 22
16h00: Everton v Chelsea
16h00: Fulham v Southampton
16h00: Leicester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers
16h00: Manchester United v Bournemouth
18h30: Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool
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