Manchester United travel to the West Midlands on Boxing Day looking to avoid a third successive defeat in all competitions when they face Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.
Ruben Amorim has faced more questions than answers in recent weeks, with former United captain Gary Neville even suggesting that the weekend’s home defeat by Bournemouth – the second year in a row that the Cherries won 3-0 at Old Trafford – was “a big positive” given how glaringly it served to highlight the team’s shortcomings.
Wolves, on the other hand, are one game into a new era after Gary O’Neil was replaced by Vitor Pereira earlier this month. Their 3-0 win over rivals Leicester City was a potential catalyst for progress as we reach the halfway point of the season.
Wolves vs Man Utd H2H record (last five matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Wolves |
Man Utd |
|---|---|
|
Leicester 0-3 Wolves – 22.12.24 |
Man Utd 0-3 Bournemouth – 22.12.24 |
|
Wolves 1-2 Ipswich – 14.12.24 |
Tottenham 4-3 Man Utd – 19.12.24 |
|
West Ham 2-1 Wolves – 12.9.24 |
Man City 1-2 Man Utd – 15.12.24 |
|
Everton 4-0 Wolves – 12.4.24 |
Viktoria Plzen 1-2 Man Utd – 12.12.24 |
|
Wolves 2-4 Bournemouth – 30.11.24 |
Man Utd 2-3 Nottingham Forest – 12.7.24 |
|
Earth |
TV channel/live broadcast |
|---|---|
|
Great Britain |
Amazon Prime Video |
|
United States |
USA Network, Universo, fuboTV |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada |
Rayan Ait-Nouri returned from suspension following his red card against Ipswich Town, although the full-back was again booked for a second ban.
Mario Lemina is in doubt after Pereira’s first game missed with a shot. O’Neil stripped the midfielder of his captaincy. Pablo Sarabia and Boubacar Traore are not expected until January, and Saša Kalajdžić is out until February.
Predicted line-up of Wolves against Man Utd (3-4-2-1): With; Doherty, Bueno, T. Gomes; Semedo, J. Gomes, Andre, Ait-Nouri; Cunha, Guedes, Larsen.
Defensive problems remain for the Amors, with Matthijs de Ligt still missing against Bournemouth due to illness. Victor Lindelof was also absent from that game, while Luke Shaw is still ruled out. Further down the field, Mason Mount is also out for “a few weeks”.
Marcus Rashford has now missed three games amid his stated readiness for a “new challenge”.
Predicted line-up Man Utd vs Wolves (3-4-2-1): Onana; Yoro, Maguire, Evans; Mazraoui, Casemiro, Mainoo, Dalot; Amad, Fernandes; Hojlund.
This game should show a few things: whether Wolves are indeed experiencing a new managerial surge and whether Manchester United have the resilience to fight back after a heavy defeat.
Wolves’ confidence is much higher than it was even just a week ago and if there’s ever a time for them to face United, it’s probably now.
Prediction: Wolves 1-1 Man Utd
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