Manchester United V Swansea: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info

Louis van Gaal has come under considerable pressure after a disastrous December, and January starts with Manchester United versus Swansea, a fixture in which he has a 100 per cent losing record. 

His former managerial nemesis Garry Monk may have been replaced by caretaker manager Alan Curtis, but having lost home and away last season and lost again in Wales earlier this campaign, Van Gaal will be hoping for a markedly different outcome.

Without a win in eight games, the Red Devils urgently need to pick up three points and arrest the negative momentum that has seen them slide out of the Champions League places. Thoughts of a title challenge are a long way off and will further dissipate should Swansea repeat their recent trick and take all three points. 

The Swans' own form has been much improved of late, and they are unbeaten in three games, though have only won one of those. They have proved over recent seasons, however, that Old Trafford holds no fear for them. Even so, the fact that they have scored just two goals in their past six games is a significant issue.

Given the paucity of both teams' recent hit rates, a goal fest seems a long shot. 

Date: Saturday, January 2, 2015

Time: 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET

Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester, England

TV Info: USA Network (U.S. only)

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S. only)

Form Lines

Manchester United: DLLLLD

Swansea City: LLLDWD

Team News

United are without Jesse Lingard, who is suffering from a hamstring injury, and long-term absentees Antonio Valencia, Luke Shaw and Marcos Rojo, with foot, leg and shoulder injuries respectively, per the Daily Mail.

Curtis "confirmed that Wayne Routledge should return to the squad after missing the draw with Crystal Palace, while Federico Fernandez is hopeful of being fit after recovering from a bruised heel," per Swansea's official website.

Predicted Lineups

With no new injury worries, and United having played reasonably well against Chelsea, there is no reason to expect significant changes to the starting XI. The only change suggested above is to swap Ashley Young and Matteo Darmian's positions, as perhaps Young's interplay with Anthony Martial could lead to some promising situations.

Swansea's lineup is a little less predictable. Assuming Fernandez makes it, the back four is fairly settled—with Jordi Amat likely to fill in if Fernandez does not recover in time. There is a chance Angel Rangel's guile could be preferred to Kyle Naughton's pace, but the other three positions are set.

In the centre of midfield, there are plenty of options with either of Jonjo Shelvey or Leon Britton in with a shot. Ki Sung-yeung is selected because of his recent history of effectiveness against United. 

Bafetimbi Gomis has struggled in recent times to hit the heights he managed earlier this season. In their win over West Bromwich Albion, Curtis selected Andre Ayew up front, and given the additional creativity this provides, that is probably not a bad option here. Expect Wayne Routledge to miss out if Gomis is selected.

Players to Watch

Ander Herrera's return to United's lineup against Chelsea demonstrated his qualities out of possession, as he made six tackles, the most of anyone on the pitch.

Wayne Rooney hinted at some sort of recovery in form, making three key passes for his side, although he missed a presentable chance towards the end of the game and was lucky not to face a red card for his awful mistimed tackle on Oscar.

United could really do with that slight improvement growing into something more tangible in this game, though optimism remains measured given his season so far. 

Jon Super/Associated Press

For Swansea, Jefferson Montero and Gylfi Sigurdsson remain the key creative outlets, averaging 1.4 key passes per league game each. However, the lack of goals is reflected in the assist figures; no Swansea player has more than two. 

Ayew is ahead of Gomis in their goalscoring charts and has spread his goals over the season better than Gomis. He also scored and provided an assist the last time these two teams met so has to be considered a threat.

Key Battle

GLYN KIRK/Getty Images

Rooney's battle with Ashley Williams and either Amat or Fernandez could be absolutely key here. The much-maligned England and United captain simply has to start contributing more goals than he has so far this season. If he does not, then Van Gaal may not be able to hold on to his job for a great deal longer.

Odds

Manchester United: 57-100

Draw: 151-50

Swansea: 27-4

Odds for the game correct at the time of writing, per Odds Shark.

All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com.