Manchester United vs Bournemouth prediction 09.12.2023

• Competition: Premier League
• Date: Saturday, 9th December 2023
• Kickoff: 15:00 UK / 16:00 CET
• Venue: Old Trafford (Manchester)

Manchester United are having a terrible season so far in all competitions, at least by their standards. The Red Devils are already eliminated from the Carabao Cup and are the last-placed team in the pretty weak Champions League Group with Bayern Munich, FC Copenhagen, and Galatasaray. The situation in the Premier League was terrible as well, but with four wins in the last five games, they climbed to 6th place and are now only three points away from the Champions League spots. Now, the next two games, vs Bournemouth in the Premier League and against Bayern Munich in the UCL, are crucial because, with two wins, the season could take a significant turn for the better. 

Last season, Bournemouth finished 15th despite having a disastrous defensive record (71 goals in 38 rounds - 1.9 per game). This year, despite changing the coach, they once again struggle on the defensive end and allow two goals per game. Still, the last few games have been a reason for optimism, as they won ten points in four rounds with notable wins against Newcastle and Crystal Palace. Currently, they are 15th, nine points away from the danger zone.

Manchester United vs Bournemouth pick: Over 2.5 goals

The main problem for Manchester United this season is the poor contribution from their offensive players. Still, we can see some improvements from the team in recent games. In the last six games in all competitions, the Red Devils have scored 12 goals - two per game. Because of a bit better offensive displays, they were over 2.5 goals in four of the last six games. The Red Devils also scored twice in the last game vs Chelsea, but since they had 28 goal attempts and 4.11 xG, we can once again say they should have done even better. Now, against one of the weakest defensive teams in the Premier League, we expect their offense to finally wake up and start scoring up to their potential.

Bournemouth are on an excellent run, with ten points in four games and notable wins against Crystal Palace on the road and against Newcastle at Vitality Stadium. Away from home, Bournemouth have been an excellent team for over 2.5 goals bet, considering we have seen three or more goals in seven of eight (87.5%) matches in all competitions. The primary reason is the terrible defensive record. However, Iraola's counter-attacking playing style is also a major factor in their high-scoring games, as the Cherries have regularly scored against very good opponents away from home. In eight matches away from home, Iraola's side failed to score just once. We already saw them scoring against Manchester City, Liverpool, Brighton, etc. So, we believe they are capable of scoring against MU. 

In the previous three h2h games and Old Trafford, we have seen three or more goals every time. Considering everything above, we expect an exciting game with at least three goals, most likely with both teams scoring.