Manchester United scored big in the summer transfer window. The Red Devils have loosened their purse strings to bag A-listers with eyes firmly set on the Premier League title. Man U will open the campaign at Old Trafford against West Ham on Sunday.
With teams like Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool all in the hunt for the title alongside United, the championship is going to go down to the wire. The first three points of the season are always going to be of utmost importance, and Manchester will be looking to collect maximum points in the opening match.
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United have made a habit of starting the Premier League season strong, winning 16 of their fixtures. However, the task is never going to be easy against a team like West Ham, who have also made some decent signings; biggest being former Manchester United forward, Javier Hernandez.
There will be pressure on Hernandez, who will spearhead the attack for West Ham. To make things worse, Manuel Lanzini will not be available for the first two matches of the season. Diafra Sakho, Andy Carroll are also out of the clash. But manager Slaven Bilic will field the best team on Sunday.
However, the spotlight will be on Manchester United and Mourinho. The manager's style of play might have been criticised in the past, but with new signings like Romelu Lukaku, the club might segue into a new phase.
Another new signing Matic will give Paul Pogba the freedom to play his brilliant offensive game, and take the league by storm. Last season, he was a flop, but Matic's arrival could mean his resurgence.
Coming to United's team, the central pairing of Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof, Matic, Pogba, Ander Herrera, Henrikh Mkhitrayan, Anthony Martial and Romelu Lukaku are likely to figure in the starting 11.
Prediction: Manchester United to win 2-0, with goals from Lukaku and Mkhitrayan.
Schedule
Manchester United vs West Ham
Date: August 13, Sunday
Time: 4 pm local time, 8:30 pm IST, 11 am ET
Venue: Old Trafford
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