Introduction
Manchester United kick off their quest for a 20th league championship with a tricky away fixture against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthornes on Sunday. The Reds will be buoyed by their thrilling Wembley comeback in the Community Shield last weekend against bitter rivals Man City. Sir Alex Ferguson will also be grateful for the cancellation of the England match in midweek as multiple members of his squad would have been involved risking injury ahead of the new season.
As it is, Javier Hernández is definitely out as he recovers from concussion sustained in the later stages of the US tour, Carrick and Evra are also doubts with minor knocks but will be expected to feature. Newspaper reports on Saturday morning suggested that Rafael has suffered a dislocated shoulder but at the time of writing this is yet to be substantiated.
In the corresponding fixture last season, United went home with the points after a hard fought 2-1 victory thanks to a late winner from Hernández after being second best for much of the game. Fans will remember this game as much for the lacklustre display by Gary Neville as for the three points gained. The run around given to the former England international by Graham Dorrans convinced the right back that his illustrious career was rapidly coming to an end.
The Opposition
Roy Hodgson leads the Baggies into the first full season under his stewardship after successfully steering the side clear of the relegation zone following his appointment. After an ill fated 191 days in charge at Anfield, the experienced manager took on the reins at The Hawthornes from Roberto Di Matteo and achieved an excellent end to the season points haul of 20 from the 12 games that remained. Their finishing place of 11th was the stuff of dreams for the board at West Brom who acted decisively when the club's future in the Premier League looked bleak.
During the close season, Hodgson has brought in Gera, Foster, Long, McAuley and Fulop to supplement the talented squad at his disposal which has convinced many that this season will see the club consolidate their position. The one glaring area of weakness last season was in the defence where their record of 71 conceded was beaten only by relegated Blackpool. They will hope that the addition of ex United keeper Foster along with the tough tackling McAuley will go some way to address this deficiency.
Chris Brunt and Peter Odemwingie were the team's standout players last season. The Northern Irishman with the cultured left foot managed 11 assists last term while the Nigerian settled into English football well after a difficult spell in Russia. The home fans will be hoping that Shane Long (bought from Reading) will dovetail well with Odemwingie as creativity from the likes of Dorrans, Brunt and Morrison should see plenty of chances come their way.
United
The manager suggested in his pre-match press conference that last weekend's second half display when he brought on Cleverley, Jones and Evans to supplement Welbeck had given him much food for thought in terms of team selection for Sunday.
Although heavily criticised in certain quarters after a shaky display against City, the boss confirmed that he will stick with De Gea in goal. This is a sensible and considered move by an experienced manager as it would serve no purpose to lessen the young Spaniard's confidence in such an early stage of his United career. The back four is likely to be the same as at Wembley with Chris Smalling given another chance to impress at right back where he mixed sound defence with plenty of enterprise further up field.
Although Cleverley was hugely impressive last weekend, I think the manager will stick with Carrick and Anderson in the centre of midfield (if fit) as they are tried and trusted and the U21 international can bide his time on the bench before making an impact if required in the second half. Nani and Ashley Young pick themselves after exciting performances against City. I would expect to see much inter-changing of positions by these two as both are capable of playing on either flank.
The one change I foresee in the front six is the inclusion of Berbatov ahead of Welbeck. I feel that the youngster got a taste for the big match atmosphere last weekend and will continue his education on Sunday with a watching brief from the bench. It remains to be seen how the languid Bulgarian fits into the exciting fluid system that developed in the second half last week as in the past, the speed of a break has tended to slow down somewhat when he gets involved. Wayne Rooney will look to continue his excellent start and I would expect he will be given licence to roam once again in order to set up play.
There will be plenty of competition for a slot on the bench this season as the squad looks well covered in most departments. This will be further boosted by the expected return of Fletcher and Valencia along with Hernández very soon.
Prediction
With confidence high, I would expect United to comfortably collect the three points on Sunday. The crowd will be vociferous early on but once the initial fervour has been quelled, the Reds superior quality should shine through. I will go for a 0-2 scoreline with goals from Young and Vidic.
Three points will be a must as we enter a tricky run of games against many of our main rivals. United are traditionally slow starters so it will be vital to hit the ground running to lay the foundations for another successful season.
For further discussion about Sunday's game, please listen to the Can they Score United podcast featuring myself and others.
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