AFC Bournemouth welcome Manchester United to the Vitality Stadium this weekend, in their last home game of the 2022/23 season.
It’s a match that can be enjoyed by fans as, with safety secured, there is no real pressure on the game from a Bournemouth point of view.
For Manchester United however, much is still to be decided in their season. They are still battling Newcastle, Liverpool and Brighton for a spot in the top 4, and the Champions League qualification that comes with it.
A win for Bournemouth could see them move up to 13th in the PL table. With every position in the league being worth upwards of £3million, every position matters for Gary O’Neil’s men.
Manchester United have a chance to put themselves in the driving seat for a Champions League spot. With a win, they can move level with Newcastle United on 69 points, four ahead of Liverpool, who currently sit in 5thplace.
The Cherries’ last beat Man United back in 2019, Josh King scoring the only goal of the game to secure a 1-0 victory against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men.
Gary O’Neil spoke to the media, including Nerve Sport, on Friday afternoon, previewing the upcoming encounter.
The head coach confirmed that Traore has trained all week but will not be involved tomorrow. Lerma might need a mask after Andersen’s ‘punch’ to his face, but he is all ok to play this weekend.
The contract of Jefferson Lerma has been a big talking point in recent weeks, O’Neil gave his thoughts on the matter: “We’re hopeful Jeff stays, he’s worked his socks off all season and been vital for us. He’s been fully committed to us all season and when we return in July hopefull he’s still with us.” Lerma had been attracting interest from the likes of Crystal Palace and West Ham, but no decision has yet been made on his future, from either party.
Gary O’Neil was due yet another apology last weekend after Howard Webb deemed that Andersen should have seen red last weekend, this led O’Neil to give the light-hearted comment of: “My Sundays consist of watching the little boy play football, speaking to Howard Webb and having a Sunday roast.”
Despite the fact the Cherries’ are guaranteed another season of Premier League football, O’Neil wants to make sure standards don’t slip amongst the squad as the season begins to draw to a close: “I want us to finish strongly. We set ourselves a goal and we’ve achieved it, but we won’t stop and park up. We are looking for a response from last weekend.”
AFC Bournemouth vs Manchester United kicks off at 3pm, live from the Vitality Stadium.