Bournemouth host Premier League powerhouses Manchester United at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday, 12 December, in gameweek 16 of the EPL this season.
On paper, Manchester United may look the far better side by all means, but one has to realise the injury crisis at the Red Devils camp is worryingly high. Defenders Chris Smalling, Matteo Darmian, Marcos Rojo, midfielders Anotnio Valencia, Ander Herrera, as well as skipper Wayne Rooney, remain on the sidelines.
United are fourth in the table with 29 points, while Bournemouth stay just above the relegation zone. The Cherries come into the game on the back of a huge upset over defending English league champions Chelsea. Glenn Murray remained the scorer for Bournemouth as they defeated Jose Mourinho's side 1-0 at Stamford Bridge last Saturday.
That is not all. The Cherries have also not lost any of their previous three games in the EPL. They scored a total of six goals also in their last three fixtures.
Red Devils legend Bryan Robson has said Louis van Gaal's men just cannot take the Cherries lightly today. "Bournemouth got a fantastic result against Chelsea last week and it's going to be a tough game," said the former United captain.
"So the [United] players need to prepare themselves to know the fact it's going to be tough. Bournemouth play with a lot of energy and pass the ball well. They're doing okay in the league at the moment. But if we get our focus correct in the game, we've got a great chance of going down there and getting a good result," explained Robson.
For the Cherries, who earned promotion to the English top-flight for the first time in history after winning the Championship last season, today's fixture remains a historical one. "We know how difficult this game will be, we know the level we have to get to to compete," said Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe. "All I would say is that hopefully if we can match those levels (from the Chelsea game) again, it is in our hands. We are proud to be hosting Manchester United. It's a big game in this club's history."
Possible starting XI
Bournemouth: Boruc; Francis, Cook, Daniels, Smith; Arter, Gosling, Surman; Stanislas, Ritchie, King.
Manchester United: De Gea; McNair, Blind, Young, Varela; Carrick, Fellaini; Mata, Depay, Lingard; Martial.
Where to watch the game
Bournemouth vs Manchester United is scheduled to kick-off at 5:30 pm GMT (11 pm IST, 12:30 pm EST) on Saturday, 12 November.
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 (delayed start).
In the UK and Ireland, viewers can catch the game on Sky Sports 1/HD and Now TV. Online streaming will be available on Sky Go and Sky Go Extra. Radio commentary of the game will be available on TalkSport Radio.
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.
In Indonesia, viewers can catch the game on beIN Sports 1 HD and Orange TV.
MUTV will also broadcast the game live.
