- Man Utd have forced their way into the top four with four wins from five matches
- Bournemouth have lost all five meetings with the traditional big six this season
- Recommended bet: Back over 2.5 Manchester United goals

After three wins on the bounce in all competitions, Manchester United will feel they will have too much quality for Bournemouth when they meet at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

Reality is starting to bite for Bournemouth, who enjoyed a bounce under Gary O’Neil but have now lost six of their last seven Premier League matches to slide ever closer to the bottom three.

An abject performance against Crystal Palace on New Year’s Eve delivered a 2-0 home defeat, and it will have further dented confidence ahead of a tough trip to Old Trafford to face resurgent Manchester United.

United manager Erik ten Hag, at last, seems to be getting his ideas across to his squad, who have won six and drawn two of their previous nine Premier League games to force their way into the top four, so Bournemouth head north knowing they are in for another long afternoon.

Team news

Manchester United should welcome back Argentinean World Cup winner Lisandro Martinez, while Portuguese full-back Diogo Dalot could return to the squad having recovered from a hamstring strain sustained in Qatar.

Midfielder Scott McTominay was unavailable against Wolves due to illness and will be assessed ahead of this match, but Jadon Sancho and Axel Tuanzebe look set to miss out.

Bournemouth’s Philip Billing is a major doubt after coming off against Crystal Palace with a hip problem, and Marcus Tavernier may also miss out with a hamstring injury, potentially depriving O’Neil of two key midfielders.

First-choice goalkeeper Neto is unlikely to be available until next week, and the same is true of winger Junior Stanislas, midfielder David Brooks and full-back Ryan Fredericks.

The stats

Bournemouth have kept just one clean sheet in their last nine Premier League outings, conceding at least two goals in six of those games.

The Cherries have lost all five meetings with the rest of the big six and have conceded plenty of goals in doing so. They lost 3-0 to Arsenal, 4-0 to Manchester City, 3-2 to Tottenham, 9-0 to Liverpool and 2-0 to Chelsea.

United have shown more attacking intent as the season has progressed, and their last five matches against top-flight opponents in the league and Carabao Cup have seen them score an average of 2.5 goals per game.

The form of Marcus Rashford has been central to that improved output, with the England attacker scoring seven goals in his last ten appearances for club and country.

The Red Devils also scored heavily in their last two home games against Bournemouth, beating the Cherries 5-2 at Old Trafford in 2019-20 and 4-1 the season before, and Rashford scored in both matches.

Prediction

It always felt like Bournemouth were living a charmed life in the early days of O’Neil’s managerial reign, but their luck has run out to leave the Cherries with six defeats in seven league games.

The south coast side rose as high as eighth during O’Neil’s six-match unbeaten start but were fortunate throughout that sequence. The Cherries achieved a lower expected goals rating than their opponents in five of those matches but were repeatedly bailed out by Neto’s heroics.

Neto’s injury has highlighted the failings in front of him as Bournemouth’s form has collapsed in his absence. And with the Brazilian goalkeeper expected to miss this trip to Old Trafford, it is hard to see his teammates stopping in-form Manchester United.

Marcus Rashford’s form, three goals in United’s last five league matches, and recent record against the Cherries make him the most likely to profit, and the England man would make a decent addition to a Bet Builder selection.

However, the best bet could be to back Ten Hag’s men to rack up a few goals against a Bournemouth side who have conceded three or more against four of the other big six teams they have faced this season. Back over 2.5 Manchester United goals, which is available at evens with LiveScore Bet.