Manchester United vs. West Brom: Team News, Preview, Live Stream & TV Info
Manchester United will be looking to bounce back from their first run of consecutive league defeats under Louis van Gaal when Tony Pulis' West Bromwich Albion come to town on Saturday evening.
The game has tremendous importance for the Red Devils, who are looking to capitalise on Liverpool's slip against Hull City in midweek with a win that would see them move to within three points of certain Champions League qualification.
For Albion, seven points and four teams separate them from the bottom three, so a loss here would be no disaster. However, there is a great deal of pride to be gained from repeating last season's feat and pulling off an upset at Old Trafford.
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Date: Saturday, 2 May, 2015
Time: 5:30 p.m. BST/12:30 p.m. EDT
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester
TV Info: Sky Sports 1 (UK Only) / CNBC (U.S. Only)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK Only) / NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S. only)
Form Lines
Manchester United: WWWLL
West Bromwich Albion: LLLWD
Team News
Van Gaal told MUTV that the Red Devils will be missing Jonny Evans, Luke Shaw and Michael Carrick (h/t the club's official website). Manchester Evening News journalist Stuart Mathieson also tweeted that Marcos Rojo would still be missing:
There is better news for United in that Van Gaal also said Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Phil Jones would be available for selection.
Albion will continue to be without goalkeeper Ben Foster. There are further injury problems for the Baggies, although Pulis has not confirmed the details, saying per Bill Howell in the Birmingham Mail:
"We have had a few injuries this week.
It’s been disappointing in respect that we’ve not been able to do the work as early in the week as we usually like to do.
I’m not going to say who is injured and who is not injured but a couple of them are still not 100 per cent, so we might have to make a few changes on Saturday.
"
Youssouf Mulumbu is set to return from suspension.
Predicted Line-ups
Manchester United are facing something of a mini injury crisis.
In the absence of any other recognisable left-back, but for the sake of attacking fluency, Daley Blind should be deployed in central midfield rather than shuffling the pack in the centre of the park. Angel Di Maria would be unlucky not to start this game, given how little playing time he has had lately and how much United would benefit from his directness if he can find some form.
The WBA line-up is not so much a prediction as a guess, given Pulis' reluctance to share detailed team news ahead of this game.
Players to Watch
Assuming he is available, Saido Berahino will be one to watch for Albion. The youngster caused United all manner of problems at the Hawthorns back in October 2014, and his pace will be a threat on the counter-attack.
Darren Fletcher is worthy of attention too, although for more sentimental reasons. The United faithful will be pleased to see Fletcher return to Old Trafford, where he is thought of with tremendous affection.
From a United point of view, this could be the game in which Di Maria reasserts himself as important to the Red Devils' cause. United's best period of form has come without the Argentinian in the side, but he possesses the quality to make a big difference in this game.
Elsewhere, look for Juan Mata and Ander Herrera to resume the on-pitch understanding that reflects their off-pitch friendship.
Key Battle
If Blind is used in central midfield, then his battle with Mulumbu, Claudio Yacob and Fletcher will be an interesting one.
Marouane Fellaini has been disappointing of late and attracted a lot of attention from the opposition against Chelsea and Everton. It will be intriguing to see whether Pulis deploys a defender or midfielder specifically to deal with the threat posed by the big Belgian.
Rooney's battle with West Brom's defence will be interesting to watch, given he has not exactly been at his best in recent weeks—goal-of-the-season contender against Aston Villa aside.
Odds
The odds for the game, at the time of writing, per Odds Shark are:
Manchester United Win: -268
Draw: +429
West Bromwich Albion Win: +900
