(Football news) Fourth place Manchester United will take on 15th place Bournemouth at Old Trafford in the Premier League, hoping to secure the three points. The Red Devils defeated Wolves in their last match 1-0 while Bournemouth lost 2-0 to Crystal Palace. Erik ten Hag’s side have managed three Premier League victories in a row and five in all competitions and have only lost once since the Manchester derby in October.

As things stand, Manchester United are just two points behind third place Newcastle who have played a game more and they will take on league leaders Arsenal, which means it’s not unrealistic to think that the Red Devils could potentially be third if results go their way. Erik ten Hag’s side are also just four points behind Manchester City with an equal number of games played (16) and could move five points clear of Tottenham Hotspur with a win over Bournemouth. The Red Devils have four consecutive home games coming up, taking on Everton, Charlton Athletic and Manchester City after the clash against Bournemouth.

As for Bournemouth, they will look to bounce back after a defeat against Crystal Palace where Jordan Ayew and Eberechi Eze were on the scoresheet. They are currently 15th in the league table with 16 points from 17 games due to a record of four wins, four draws and nine defeats. The Cherries have the worst defensive record in the Premier League, conceding 36 goals and it will be interesting to see if Manchester United, who have struggled to score goals manage to take advantage of Bournemouth’s defence.

In team news for Manchester United, Lisandro Martinez could be available for selection after completing a full week’s training at Carrington which means Luke Shaw could feature in left back while Aaron Wan Bissaka is expected to be on the right if Diogo Dalot is unavailable. The likes of Axel Tuanzebe, Jadon Sancho and Scott McTominay are ruled out for this fixture while Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof could feature on the bench once again. Marcus Rashford should feature in the starting lineup alongside Antony and Anthony Martial to make the front 3.

For Bournemouth, Philip Billing is a doubt due to a hip problem while David Brooks and Neto will be unavailable for selection alongside Ryan Fredericks, Junior Stanislas and Marcus Tavernier. Siriki Dembele is expected to feature in central midfield with Kieffer Moore and Dominic Solanke featuring as a front two. The Cherries have the third worst home record in the Premier League and despite Manchester United looking heavily reliant on Marcus Rashford, it’s fair to say that they have enough firepower to secure the three points in this fixture.

Also read: League leaders Arsenal face a difficult opposition against in form Newcastle