Manchester United take on Bournemouth in a rescheduled fixture of the Premier League 2015-16 season on Tuesday at Old Trafford. The match was originally stated to take place on Sunday, but a bomb scare didn't allow the match to see the light of the day.
The positive news was that the "suspicious package" that led to the evacuation of the entire stadium and the match being called off, hasn't been found to be an explosive. It, however, led to tremendous frustration among fans who travelled miles to Manchester to witness their team's last home game of the season.
It was also the first time in 24 years that a Premier League match had to be abandoned on security grounds, according to the BBC.
Anyway, now that the fixture has been scheduled once again, it only needs to be seen if there are any major changes made by the teams, given that some of the injured players have received their much-needed rest. United take on Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final this Saturday, and ahead of that crucial game, Louis van Gaal could be expected to give the big names in his squad possibly some more rest.
Even a win tonight will not assure the Red Devils of a top four finish in the EPL, as Manchester City have already occupied that position. At best, United can overtake Southampton to finish fifth in the table if they manage to get a draw or a win.
The England squad was announced on Monday, and only two United players feature in the 26-man provisional squad — Marcus Rashford and Wayne Rooney. Whether the duo are fielded by the Dutchman remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Juan Mata, left out of the 25-man provisional Spain squad, could be expected to feature in United's game against Bournemouth.
"It's going to be a bittersweet farewell to Old Trafford, now that we know we won't be playing the Champions League next season," Mata told BBC ahead of the game. "It leaves us with a bad taste because, even if we enjoyed good moments together throughout the season, we weren't consistent enough to qualify for the top European competition."
Bournemouth, meanwhile, seated 16th in the table at the moment, could move up a position or two, if they get a win or a draw.
For United, Adnan Januzaj (hamstring injury), Marouane Fellaini (banned), Bastian Schweinsteiger and Luke Shaw (long-term injury) are unavailable.
For Bournemouth, defenders Sylvain Distin (back) and Adam Smith (hernia) remain out.
Where to watch live
Manchester United vs Bournemouth is scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m. BST (12:30 a.m. IST, 3 p.m. EST) on May 17.
In India, viewers can catch the game on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports HD 1. Online streaming will be available on Starsports.com and Hotstar.
In the UK and Ireland, viewers can catch the game on Sky Sports 1/HD UK and Now TV UK. Online streaming will be available on Sky Go. The radio commentary will be available on TalkSport Radio World.
In the US, viewers can catch the game on the NBC Sports Network. Online streaming will be available on NBC Sports Live Extra. Radio commentary of the game will be available on Westwood One Sports.
The live scores can be found on the Premier League match centre.
