PREVIEW: MANCHESTER UNITED V BOURNEMOUTH
When is it? United's return to Premier League action kicks off at Old Trafford this Saturday at 12:30 GMT. It will be broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports, but you can also follow it via ManUtd.com's match blog and the club's Twitter account @ManUtd. MUTV subscribers can watch Match Day Live from 11:30, featuring radio commentary on the game, and see the full 90 minutes from midnight.
What’s the state of play? The Old Trafford trophy cabinet was bolstered when United claimed the EFL Cup - the club's 41st major honour - with a lively 3-2 win over Southampton at Wembley. With that in the bag, Jose Mourinho will be keen for everyone to move on from the celebrations to focus wholly on the remaining quests, including the push for a top-four finish. United have not played a league fixture in two weeks but a win over Bournemouth would move the Reds above both Arsenal and Liverpool before those sides meet at Anfield in Saturday's tea-time fixture.
Any early team news? Phil Jones confirmed to ManUtd.com on Wednesday that he is available for selection following his recent injury troubles. It remains to be seen whether Henrikh Mkhitaryan will return after the Armenian missed the EFL Cup final with a problem sustained at Saint-Etienne last month.
Bournemouth are struggling, right? The Cherries have not won in eight matches across all competitions and their last Premier League victory was on 31 December 2016. As such, Eddie Howe’s team have slipped to 14th in the table and sit only four points above the relegation zone.
What happened in the reverse fixture? United began the Premier League season on 14 August by securing an impressive and clinical 3-1 success at the Vitality Stadium. Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic all scored to build a commanding lead before Adam Smith bagged a consolation strike for Bournemouth. "I’m really happy,” said Mourinho afterwards. “It’s just the start; we need to improve every day. But we won and that’s the most important thing.”
Ander Herrera is focused on the league: “We are not having too much time to enjoy it with our people,” said the Spaniard, referring to the EFL Cup success. “We are playing every week now and the manager understands perfectly what we need. Already, we have to focus on Bournemouth as we have to be in the top four. We want to play in the Champions League next season.”
Did you know? United need just one more win to become the first club to reach 600 Premier League victories. The Reds' current record in the competition is played 949, won 599, drawn 203 and lost 147.
Who else is playing this weekend? There are six other fixtures on Saturday after United v Bournemouth, with two more on Sunday and another on Monday night. Check out the full list:
Saturday (15:00 except where stated)
Leicester City v Hull City
Stoke City v Middlesbrough
Swansea City v Burnley
Watford v Southampton
West Bromwich Albion v Crystal Palace
Liverpool v Arsenal (17:30 GMT)
Sunday
Tottenham Hotspur v Everton (13:30 GMT)
Sunderland v Manchester City (16:00 GMT)
Monday
West Ham United v Chelsea (20:00 GMT)
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