Our live stream ahead of Tuesday nights Premier League match, Manchester United vs Wolves is now up, kicking off at 20.00 GMT
You can keep an eye on the commentary as it happens below, but first, we take a preview into the fixture, lineups, predictions and much more…
Manchester United come into the game off the back of a hard-fought 2-2 draw at Leicester.
Boxing Day’s clash between two Champions League-chasing sides lived up to its billing, and despite going 2-1 up thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes, a late Axel Tuanzebe own goal ensured that Leicester walked away with a point after Harvey Barnes had initially levelled the scores.
Even though United were unable to stretch their winning away record in the Premier League to 11 matches, Arsenal did Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men a favour by beating Chelsea a few hours later, meaning that Man United remain in the Champions League places for the time being.
Solskjaer’s men have taken seven points from a possible nine in their last three home league matches, and United fans will not be able to forget that 6-2 thrashing of Leeds in a hurry, but the visit of Wolves represents a much sterner test for Man United.
Wolves come into the game having held Tottenham to a 1-1 stalemate on Sunday evening where they had overcome Chelsea just a couple of weeks before.
The West Midlands outfit failed to return to winning ways on their own patch, but the Wolves faithful will no doubt be satisfied with a point after witnessing their side hold Spurs to a draw.
The reinvigorated Tanguy Ndombele opened the scoring for Spurs, but Romain Saiss’s late header ensured that Wolves walked away with a deserved point, although Santo would have felt frustrated not to have taken all three against a stuttering Tottenham outfit.
United and Wolves last met in February, playing out a goalless draw at Old Trafford…
PRESS CONFERENCE:
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Ole, I just wondered how much all the goals at Old Trafford against Leeds has eased you back into playing well at home and getting results there. Did that game help?
“Yeah of course. When the last game you played at Old Trafford gave you six goals then I’m sure the boys will look forward to it. It gave us confidence that performance and it also gave us a little gage on how fit we are, that we could match them fitness-wise.”
“We know we have loads of games in a short space of time, but Wolverhampton have got an even shorter turnaround this time, but they didn’t have a midweek game [last week].”
Last season it felt like we were talking about United facing Wolves every week! They were tight games – have your players now got more solutions up their sleeves to unlock those tight games?
“Well, we’ve had so many tight games against them. We are improving definitely, we’re getting better and better at finding different solutions in different games. But we know that Wolverhampton have got quality as well and they will give us problems if we’re too open. We’ve got a plan together.”
You’ve had two tough games in Everton and Leicester away but you’ve used the best part of 20 players. That must bode well for the little run you’ve got with a lot of games in a short space of time…“I think we have to do it this way. It’s also good for the players, knowing that we trust them. We trust them to play big games and they’re here for a reason. They’re here to contribute and in this period everyone will have to contribute, and across the season, it’s going to be relentless. I hope that will stand us in good stead.”
It was obviously a difficult start for Harry [Maguire] at the beginning of the season, but have you been really pleased with how he has reacted in recent weeks and the form he’s shown?
“Harry is a strong character and a very good player. He’s led from the back, if you put it that way, he’s really been putting himself forward and always wants to play. He never wants a rest.”
“He’s really improved throughout the season, with the team of course, but we can see more and more maturity and leadership from Harry in every game.”
How important has it been to Harry that he’s had unwavering support from you and also Gareth Southgate?
“Of course I support Harry. He’s such a good human being. He’s in there, leading the dressing room. He’s very humble and hardworking and he knows he has to hold his hand up.”
“He’s led from the front or the back, whichever way you want to say it, he’s really gone out there and been a leader in the team and in the dressing room too. I’ll always support him and I think Gareth will always support him, and all he wants to do is keep on playing football.”
Edinson Cavani is clearly a player of immense experience who has played at the very highest level. Do you see him as a starter in your team or someone who is more of an impact substitute?
“He’s definitely a starter. You don’t classify a player of that quality as anything else. We’ve got plenty of starters, more than 11 starters. When you’re at Man United you should believe in yourself and trust yourself.”
“I trust him, I trust all my players and we’ve got good competition for places. He’ll probably start more games that he will not start.”
People have said that you have to have real personality to wear the no.7 shirt for United. Was his performance off the bench against Leicester another sign that he has the confidence and stature for that shirt?
“That was the first thing he asked me when I spoke to him, if he could wear the no.7. We talk about the history of the shirt and, for me, with the history of his career and the experience he’s had and his personality when I spoke to him and having watched him before… I wasn’t in doubt that he could handle that no.7 shirt.”
“He’s so meticulous and professional with his habits, everything about him shows why he’s had the career he’s had and, at the age he’s now, he’s still one of the fittest players we’ve got.”
When you have so many games in such a short period of time, how do you prepare your players to the best of your ability and what do you do between the games?
“This year has been a strange one. When you play for Man United you get used to the rhythm of playing, recovering, playing, recovering and I also have a big squad, so you have to prepare them physically and mentally.” “
We’re more and more consistent in the way we want to play and press and the way we want to be, on the ball and off the ball, so with the season as it is there aren’t many weeks you have to do preparation on the grass. So there are videos and loads of good work by the coaches and the medical staff to get them physically ready.”
I know it’s around this time of year when the club tends to take decisions on players in terms of whether to extend their contracts by another year. The way it’s shaping up, would you like to and do you think you’ll keep Edinson for another year?
“At the moment he looks like he has a few years left in him so I wouldn’t say anything else. He’s been a great influence and has made a great impact since he’s come here, let’s just focus on improving everyone as well. He’s got a few years left in him.”
I wanted to ask you about Luke Shaw and in particular his attacking play in the last few matches…
“Luke is one of those lads with strength and power and quality, and of course down the left-hand side he’s created a good relationship with Marcus [Rashford]. Against Leicester, Paul [Pogba] came in on the left and I think that changed the dynamic a little bit and that pushed Luke on more and he had to go more then because if you don’t have a wide man in front of you then it’s the full-back’s responsibility.”
“I think he grasps that now. Sometimes he’s got to stay back more and sometimes he’s the one that goes. I’ve enjoyed working with Luke for a couple of seasons now and he’s a very talented boy that I still want to push on.”
Nuno Espirito Santo
On a quick turnaround
“It’s very hard. The schedule is very demanding on everybody. Not much time to recover, but this is what we do now. In the cycle, Sunday is the moment to recover well. Monday prepare the game and compete at Old Trafford.
“It’s going to be very tough, but the signs are good. Let’s see the assessment of the players and we’ll decide who we’re going to start with.”
On the recovery process
“Immediately after the game, we started the process of recovering. Monday the same, then you make a good meeting and compete. What we hold on is our foundation, our idea, the way we do things, how we want to do things and we rely on our players to develop the tasks on the pitch. From there on, it’s a game, anything can happen.”
On United’s form
“It’s very early. Not only early in the competition, but at the same time so unpredictable. There’s no result that we can predict, anything can happen with any team. I look at the opponent.
“One thing I know for sure is every game in the Premier League is very tough. There’s no team you can relax on. Very good work by Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer], very tough squad, a very tough game ahead of us.”
On confidence growing
“Confidence comes from the way you prepare the game, the way you prepare to compete, and we are confident to say we want to compete.”
“Against all the opponents, we have the same idea, compete in every moment of the game. For us, there’s no different in opponents, we’re going to face a very tough team.”
On Neto’s form for Wolves
“I believe he has a lot of potential to develop. He’s a very talented player. I realise that as the season goes by, ups and downs in performances of the players are normal. What we want is to have all the players at the same level of performance. Sometimes it doesn’t happen.
“When things come together, and you have more than two or three players at their top level of performance, then the team can play good football. Neto is doing well now. We expect more from other players, realising that sometimes Pedro is not going to be so involved.
“Daniel [Podence] did an amazing game on Sunday, Adama [Traore] did a very good game, Fabio [Silva] played very good. They’re young players that are playing together now because of circumstances, but we believe as times goes by, we can improve them.”
FORM:
Manchester United Premier League form: WWDWWD
Manchester United form (all competitions): LDWWWD
Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League form: WLLWLD
LINEUPS:
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Tuanzebe, Maguire, Bailly, Telles; Fred, McTominay; Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford; Cavani
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Patricio; Semedo, Coady, Saiss, Ait Nouri; Neves, Moutinho; Traore, Podence, Neto; Silva
THATSAGOAL TIP:
COMING SOON
Time to take a look at our Manchester United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers live match stream as it happens…
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