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Barclays Premier League Preview: Wolves vs Manchester United

Written by: admin on 6th March 2010

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Manchester United face the possibility of going top of the table this weekend. A visit to Wolves beckons on Saturday and the Red Devils will go all guns blazing with the aforementioned target in mind. Mick McCarthy’s team meanwhile hover precariously over the relegation pit. With just four games taking place this weekend, they play before most of their fellow strugglers and any points picked up against United will surely be a huge bonus in the fight for survival.

Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolves are 17th in the league and only their superior goal difference prevents them from being within the relegation zone. Their home form is only slightly better than bottom placed Portsmouth and their attack is the weakest in the league. In their last league fixture Wolves travelled to the Reebok and ended up on the wrong side of a 1-0 scoreline. A goal from Zat Knight helped Bolton to an essential win while the Wanderers succumbed to their 4th defeat in 5 games in all competitions. The Wolves last collected points when they defeated Tottenham in the beginning of February, in what was amazingly their first top flight league double since 1981.

The Wanderers have a decent bunch of players who give their all in a football game. They don’t concede too many goals but neither do they score too many. Kevin Doyle is their top scorer with just 6 goals. With the exception of goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann, Wolves are a young squad with players having little experience in England’s Premier division. This has often let them down, especially moving forward. Mick McCarthy has almost a complete squad to choose from and will be hoping his team come up with the goods against the Red Devils.

Fans will remember that the last time these two sides met, McCarthy opted to rest his first team, lost 3-0 and was promptly fined by the league for not putting out a competitive squad. There is no chance he will look to repeat that debacle this weekend.

Manchester United
Sir Alex Ferguson won his 4th Carling Cup against Aston Villa last weekend. A penalty early on that should have seen Nemanja Vidic go off gave the Villains the lead. Michael Owen’s first half finish and Wayne Rooney’s second half header secured the Scot his 34th piece of silverware at helm of United. The Red Devils are on a definite high and the prospect of going top this weekend attracts all their attention.

United have been caught napping at the back now and again and multiple injuries to key defenders hasn’t helped their cause. But they have somehow managed to evade the storm with makeshift defences almost throughout the season and have come out of all of it, unscathed. Man United have some key absentees for this game too. Their back line is considerably weakened and could be a cause for concern at Molineux. At the other end of the pitch Wayne Rooney can take on the whole world all at once at the moment and with Dimitar Berbatov hitting some form, things look good for the defending champions upfront. Their away form hasn’t been quite as impressive as last season but in their defence one could argue that the league is much more competitive this time around.

Team News

Wolves: David Edwards (ankle injury), Michael Knightly (ankle injury)
Manchester United: Johnny Evans (knee problem), Rio Ferdinand (back problem), Owen Hargreaves (knee injury), John O’Shea (leg injury) and Michael Owen (hamstring injury). Ryan Giggs and Rafael da Silva are outside shots at being fit for the match.

Form Guide

Wolverhampton Wanderers (LLWLL)
Crystal Palace 3 – 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Birmingham City 2 – 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 – 0 Tottenham Hotspur
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 – 2 Chelsea
Bolton Wanderers 1 – 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Manchester United (WWLWD)
Aston Villa 1 – 1 Manchester United
Milan 2 – 3 Manchester United
Everton 3 – 1 Manchester United
Manchester United 3 – 0 West Ham United
Aston Villa 1 – 2 Manchester United

Key Players

Kevin Doyle: The Irishman had a brilliant 2008-2009 season having scored 18 goals. His season hasn’t been as quite prolific but the former Reading forward has easily been Wolves’ best player this season. Doyle can exploit the Red Devils’ makeshift defence on Saturday and be the cause of some joy for the Wolverhampton fans.
Wayne Rooney: With 23 goals in 27 games, Rooney has a massive case for Player of Year. He attacks and defends with the same intensity and will never give less than a 100%. With his winning mentality and leadership skills, one cannot discount his contributions even from a non-statistical point of view.

Probable Line Ups:

Wolves: Hahnemann, Berra, Zubar, Craddock, Ward, Halford, Milijas, Henry, Jarvis, Doyle, Ebanks-Blake

Man United: Van der Sar, Neville, Brown, Vidic, Evra, Valencia, Carrick, Scholes, Park, Rooney, Berbatov

Prediction: United to win 2-0, with Wolves making it tough for them early on.

File Photograph Copyright: Tsutomu Takasu

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