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Match Preview

Guus Hiddink has played down the significance of again pitting his wits against Dutch compatriot Louis van Gaal when Chelsea host Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League on Sunday.

The experienced coaches have each enjoyed two spells in charge of the Netherlands, while their careers have crossed paths in three different countries over the past 18 years.

Van Gaal's last victory over Hiddink came for Barcelona in a 3-0 success against Real Madrid in 1999.

But Hiddink guided the comparatively unheralded Real Betis to a 2-1 win over Van Gaal's Barca the next year. He then reeled off three straight victories for his AZ against Van Gaal’s PSV Eindhoven in five months between October 2005 and March 2006.

The pair renewed their rivalry with a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford in Hiddink's second match back at Stamford Bridge and the Chelsea manager was quick to play down the significance of their previous tussles.

"We must not overvalue the role of the managers and the coaches - they prepare the games and the opponent and the way we like to play; that's it," Hiddink said. "At the end the players have to execute what you are doing in training and in team meetings.

“We must not overvalue the battle between managers; it's a battle between the players.

"This is a big match. Big clubs through the years, both Manchester United and us like to compete for the title. They have under-performed and we are getting back on track a little bit."

Chelsea have won two and drawn five of seven Barclays Premier League matches under Hiddink and he is keen to add more triumphs to that unbeaten run.

"Of course I would like some more victories instead of the unbeaten draws, but the team is step by step more stable and now we hope to go into a beautiful spring time," he said.

Van Gaal, who described his relationship with Hiddink as "professional", is buoyed by United's 3-0 midweek victory over Stoke City.

He believes a repeat of such form could prompt a revival of title ambitions for his side, who sit 10 points off the pace in fifth with 14 matches remaining.

"I have said that only Crystal Palace and Arsenal this season were better [in matches against] Manchester United," he said. "But we have to show it in a row of games that you win. In this competition, everything is possible."

Diego Costa is again set to lead the line alone in attack for Chelsea, with Radamel Falcao (groin) and Loic Remy (calf) out.

Alexandre Pato is still building match fitness after his loan move from Corinthians, but winger Pedro is back in training following a groin complaint.

United's midfield will again be without Bastian Schweinsteiger, who has a knee injury. Phil Jones (ankle) is stepping up his recovery, while Ashley Young (groin), Marcos Rojo (shoulder), Antonio Valencia (ankle) and Luke Shaw (broken leg) remain long-term absentees.

Chelsea (from): Begovic, Blackman, Courtois, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Djilobodji, Ivanovic, Rahman, Terry, Zouma, Fabregas, Hazard, Loftus-Cheek, Matic, Mikel, Oscar, Ramires, Traore, Willian, Costa, Kenedy, Pedro

Manchester United (from): De Gea, Romero, Johnstone, Valdes, Darmian, McNair, Smalling, Varela, Blind, Carrick, Fellaini, Herrera, Lingard, Mata, Pereira, Schneiderlin, Depay, Martial, Rooney.

Match Appointments
Referee: Michael Oliver Assistants: S Burt, G Beswick Fourth Official: C Pawson

Match Facts

Chelsea are unbeaten in their last six Barclays Premier League meetings with Manchester United (W3 D3).
United have lost more often to Chelsea than any other opponent in the Barclays Premier League era (16 times).
Man Utd have won only one of their last 13 Barclays Premier League trips to Stamford Bridge (W1 D4 L8).
Guus Hiddink is unbeaten in his last five competitive contests with Dutch compatriot Louis Van Gaal, winning four and drawing one.

Current Form

Chelsea
D 0 - 0 v WAT (A)
W 0 - 1 v ARS (A)
D 3 - 3 v EVE (H)
D 2 - 2 v WBA (H)
W 0 - 3 v CRY (A)
D 0 - 0 v MUN (A)

Man Utd
W 3 - 0 v STK (H)
L 0 - 1 v SOU (H)
W 0 - 1 v LIV (A)
D 3 - 3 v NEW (A)
W 2 - 1 v SWA (H)
D 0 - 0 v CHE (H)

Last Corresponding Meeting
Sat 18 Apr 2015, Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 1 - 0 Man Utd

Eden Hazard (38)

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what happen to the moderator of these section (mukina2) pleas

Match Preview

Juan Mata is happy to embrace the pressure at Manchester United as they look to get their Barclays Premier League campaign back on track against Stoke City.

Mata scored on Friday as United dispatched Derby County 3-1 to move into the fifth round of the FA Cup, and return to winning ways following their 1-0 Barclays Premier League reverse at home to Southampton the previous weekend.

"When you play for Manchester United there's pressure on every game," Mata told MUTV. "You have to win every game and I think we managed the pressure.

"We played good football, and now we're looking forward to the next game on Tuesday in the Premier League."

The Red Devils have mustered just two league victories in two months and face a Stoke side who recorded a comfortable 2-0 win against them at the Britannia Stadium on Boxing Day, although the Potters’ promising form has taken a dip since the turn of the new year.

Defeat at Leicester City, which marked their second successive away league loss, preceded bitter knock-out disappointment this week, as they lost on penalties against Liverpool in the League Cup semi-final before exiting the FA Cup at the hands of Crystal Palace on Saturday.

"It's been a difficult week for us all to be perfectly honest," manager Mark Hughes, who will take charge of his 100th BPL match as Stoke manager on Tuesday, told stokecityfc.com. "I can't fault the players' effort, they gave it a real go [against Palace], but we just lacked that quality that we needed."

United hope to have Bastian Schweinsteiger back from knee trouble and Matteo Darmian is recovering well from a heavy collision against Southampton, but Phil Jones, Antonio Valencia (both ankle), Ashley Young (groin), Luke Shaw (leg fracture) and Marcos Rojo (shoulder) are out.

Stoke's hopes of recording a first league win at Old Trafford were dealt a blow when Marc Wilson suffered a knee injury, which Hughes fears could keep him sidelined for some weeks.

With captain Ryan Shawcross (back) and Charlie Adam (calf) out, and doubts over Marko Arnautovic (back) and Geoff Cameron (ankle), Hughes' hopes of ending an eight-game losing streak away to his old club appear to be slim, despite United's own problems.

Manchester United (from): De Gea, Romero, Borthwick-Jackson, Darmian, McNair, Smalling, Varela, Blind, Carrick, Fellaini, Herrera, Lingard, Mata, Pereira, Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger, Depay, Martial, Rooney.

Stoke City (from): Butland, Haugaard, Bardsley, Johnson, Pieters, Teixeira, Wollscheid, Afellay, Moha, Shenton, Sidwell, Van Ginkel, Whelan, Arnautovic, Bojan, Crouch, Diouf, Joselu, Odemwingie, Walters.

Match Appointments
Referee: Roger East Assistants: D Cann, M McDonough Fourth Official: A Madley

Match Facts
Manchester United have defeated Stoke City 11 times in the Barclays Premier League, only Chelsea have won against the Potters as often (also 11).
Stoke City have lost all seven Barclays Premier League matches at Old Trafford against the Red Devils.
The Red Devils have scored 32 goals in the Barclays Premier League meetings with Stoke; more than any other team has managed versus the Potters.
This will be Mark Hughes’ 100th Barclays Premier League fixture in charge of Stoke – he has a record of W37 D26 L36 so far.
Current Form
Man Utd Man Utd
L 0 - 1 v SOU (H)
W 0 - 1 v LIV (A)
D 3 - 3 v NEW (A)
W 2 - 1 v SWA (H)
D 0 - 0 v CHE (H)
L 2 - 0 v STK (A)
Stoke Stoke
L 3 - 0 v LEI (A)
D 0 - 0 v ARS (H)
W 3 - 1 v NOR (H)
L 2 - 1 v WBA (A)
W 3 - 4 v EVE (A)
W 2 - 0 v MUN (H)
Last Corresponding Meeting
Tue 02 Dec 2014, Old Trafford
Man Utd 2 - 1 Stoke

Marouane Fellaini (21)
Juan Mata (59)



Steven N'Zonzi (39)

Head-to-Head
Man Utd Drawn Stoke
6 2 2


http://m.premierleague.com/en-gb/matches/2015-2016/epl.summary.html/man-utd-vs-stoke

match preview......

Match Preview

Jurgen Klopp has described derby matches as "the salt in the soup" as he prepares to face Manchester United for the first time as Liverpool manager.

One of the Barclays Premier League's fiercest rivalries resumes on Sunday as Louis van Gaal's United, who beat Liverpool 3-1 at Old Trafford in September, aim to make it seven wins from their last nine league meetings with the Merseyside club.

Klopp celebrated 100 days in charge at Anfield on Friday and has won 10 of his 21 matches at Liverpool so far. The German is relishing the prospect of locking horns with their biggest rivals.

"I love derbies," he said on Friday. “It's the salt in the soup. They are the best matches to perform.”

Klopp was delighted with the battling display his side produced in their 3-3 draw with Arsenal this week but has warned that workrate alone will not be enough against United.

"You will not win against Man United because you ran 145 miles or something,” he said. “You have to make the right decisions.”

United also drew 3-3 in midweek at Newcastle United, a match in which they twice squandered the lead before settling for a point.

The three goals marked a more attacking approach from United, but Van Gaal was more concerned that two points had been allowed to slip away.

"I was more disappointed than the fans,” he said. “I had a lot of support on the street but I said to them, we lost two points, which is very important in this period.

"In the circumstance of that game, you have to win. We were disappointed but of course the fans have seen a match where we scored three goals, which was a long time ago!

"Everybody is ready to play this game but you have to do it at the right time, at a different schedule, five past two. In those 90 or 95 minutes we have to show it."

Van Gaal confirmed that Michael Carrick will miss the trip to Anfield, along with Antonio Valencia, Phil Jones (both ankle), Luke Shaw (leg) and Marcos Rojo (shoulder). Bastian Schweinsteiger (knee) is a major doubt.

Liverpool could hand a league debut to Steven Caulker, who was drafted in on loan from Queens Park Rangers to ease the defensive crisis where Dejan Lovren, Martin Skrtel (both hamstring) and Joe Gomez (knee) are sidelined.

Philippe Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi (all hamstring) are still out, while Jon Flanagan is not expected to be fit having only recently returned to Under-21 action after a lengthy injury absence.

United won courtesy of a Juan Mata double in this fixture last season and have beaten their fierce rivals in their last three Premier League matches.

However, Van Gaal's team have won only one of their last eight league fixtures, and sit just three points above Liverpool in the table.

Liverpool (from): Bogdan, Mignolet, Caulker, Clyne, Ilori, Jose Enrique, Moreno, Sakho, Toure, Allen, Can, Henderson, Ibe, Lallana, Lucas, Milner, Rossiter, Teixeira, Benteke, Firmino.

Manchester United (from): De Gea, Romero, Valdes, Darmian, McNair, Smalling, Varela, Blind, Fellaini, Herrera, Lingard, Mata, Pereira, Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger, Young, Depay, Martial, Rooney.

Match Appointments
Referee: Mark Clattenburg Assistants: S Beck, R West Fourth Official: A Taylor

Match Facts
- Manchester United have won six of their last eight Barclays Premier League meetings with Liverpool (L2) and two of the last four at Anfield (W2 D1 L1).
- Man Utd scored with all three of their shots on target in the reverse fixture played this season.
- Juan Mata has scored three goals and assisted four more in his last six league appearances against Liverpool.
- Only Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur (19) has seen more penalties awarded in BPL history than this fixture (18).
- Liverpool have lost 11 times at home to Man Utd, more defeats than against any other visitor in the competition.
- Wayne Rooney will be looking to score in four successive matches for Manchester United for the first time since March 2012.
- Rooney (175 goals for Man Utd) is now level with Thierry Henry (175 for Arsenal) for the most goals for a single club in BPL history.
- Christian Benteke has scored in his last three league outings against Manchester United, but has lost two and drawn one of these three matches

..........

Match preview: Newcastle v United

How to follow the match: Tuesday’s game at St James’ Park kicks off at 19:45 GMT and it will be broadcast live in the UK on BT Sport. You can follow the action in ManUtd.com's live match blog or via @ManUtd on Twitter, while MUTV will broadcast a live matchday programme at 18:30 GMT.

Scene-setter: Louis van Gaal’s men secured a second successive win of 2016 on Saturday with a 1-0 success over Sheffield United in the FA Cup third round. The Reds can gather more momentum against the Magpies and climb up the Barclays Premier League table, with top-four rivals Liverpool meeting Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur facing Leicester City on Wednesday evening.

Form guide: United have only registered two wins in the last 10 games across all competitions and disappointingly dropped 13 league points in December. The Reds have an encouraging record on Tyneside, however, having recorded three consecutive wins without conceding a goal. Newcastle are also struggling for form and have lost their last four games 1-0. Steve McClaren’s side may draw some encouragement from their last outing against United, the 0-0 draw at Old Trafford in August.

Latest team news: Bastian Schweinsteiger is sidelined after suffering a knee injury against the Blades, and van Gaal will assess the rest of his squad ahead of a second game in four days. Phil Jones missed Saturday's game though injury, though Jesse Lingard made his comeback from the bench and is surely in contention to feature again on Tuesday. Adnan Januzaj will no longer play for the Under-21s on Monday night after the Reds reconsidered his situation, while Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo and Antonio Valencia are still long-term absentees. Newcastle are without Jack Colback, Vernon Anita, Papiss Cisse, Mike Williamson, Massadio Haidara, Rolando Aarons, Tim Krul, Gabriel Obertan, Steven Taylor, Emmanuel Riviere and Curtis Good.

View from United: “Tuesday against Newcastle will be tough; it is always tough there but we started the new year well so we have to continue that.” – Marouane Fellaini

Danger man: Georginio Wijnaldum was signed from PSV Eindhoven in the summer and is currently Newcastle’s top scorer with seven goals from 22 appearances, with four of those strikes notched during a 6-2 battering of Norwich City in October. The Netherlands international is a former team-mate of Memphis Depay at the Phillips Stadion.

Did you know? Newcastle’s official match programme on Tuesday will pay tribute to former Newcastle goalkeeper Pavel Srnicek, who sadly passed away late last month. His old team-mates Alan Shearer, Warren Barton, Peter Beardsley and Steve Harper are among the Magpies who pay tribute inside.

Last meeting: Wayne Rooney saw a goal disallowed and Chris Smalling hit the post when United were held to a 0-0 stalemate at home in August. The Reds had 20 shots at target compared to Newcastle's seven, yet the points were shared and van Gaal was left frustrated. "The performance was one of the best in my period but we don't reward ourselves. There was only one club that wanted to win and that was us,” the manager explained afterwards.

Video: Watch some of United's memorable Premier League goals at St James' Park in our video above.

Betting: Official betting partners Marathonbet have priced Newcastle as outsiders at 4/1, with United favourites at 81/100 and the draw at 14/5. Ashley Young scored the only goal in this fixture last season and you can back him to break the deadlock at 22/1. Visit the website for more betting odds.

Referee: Mike Dean will take charge of his 20th fixture of the season and his third involving United, having previously refereed the 1-0 win at Aston Villa and 2-0 home victory over West Bromwich Albion. In total, he has dished out 67 yellow cards and seven red cards this campaign.

Rivals watch: Aston Villa face Crystal Palace and Bournemouth host West Ham United in Tuesday's other Premier League fixtures. On Wednesday, Chelsea face West Brom and Manchester City tackle Everton, with Liverpool meeting Arsenal and Tottenham coming up against Leicester




www.manutd.com/en/Fixtures-And-Results/Match-Reports/2016/Jan/Match-preview-of-Newcastle-United-v-Manchester-United-on-Tuesday-12-January-Barclays-Premier-League.aspx?HPD?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=ManUtd

Match Preview

Louis van Gaal is eager for a first win against his "ghost team" as Manchester United look to halt a three-match losing sequence against Swansea City in the Barclays Premier League.

United ended a run of four straight defeats in all competitions with a 0-0 draw against Chelsea on Monday, a match after which their manager vowed not to resign given the spirited display of his players.

The 13-time BPL champions begin the new year five points adrift of the top four and will face a team who have won four of their last five meetings, including two of their previous three visits to Old Trafford.

Despite their poor record, Van Gaal insists there is no magic wand to be waved in order to end their Swansea curse, but has called on his side to improve upon their past displays.

He said on Thursday: "Swansea have been what I call my ghost team, meaning we are looking to start this new year with what I have been told you say in England by breaking the duck.

"It's always the same. You make a game plan to beat your opponent. We have lost three times to Swansea but then you have to analyse why you have lost.

"It's always like that. And then you continue with the same vicious circle of working. It's not any magic. It's looking to what has happened and what you can improve as a team but also as an individual player."

Swansea managed just one win in the 11 matches after their victory over Man Utd in August, prompting the departure of manager Garry Monk, and one subsequent victory in four under caretaker boss Alan Curtis has left the Swans two points above the bottom three.

But with no defeats and no goals conceded since their 2-1 loss to Manchester City on 12 December Curtis wants his players to "be bold" at Old Trafford.

"We've done exceptionally well against them in the last three games, but we know it will be a tough game and we'll have to be at our best again," he said.

"Some of their results have been a little indifferent but they were excellent against Chelsea on Monday and the game could have swung their way on another day. We've just got to go there and perform, be bold and play our football."

The Red Devils, seeking a first win in nine matches, are likely to be without Jesse Lingard (hamstring) for the game, while Luke Shaw (leg), Antonio Valencia (ankle) and Maros Rojo (shoulder) are definitely out.

Van Gaal is consequently not expected to make many changes from the Chelsea draw, whereas Swansea could welcome back Angel Rangel, Leon Britton, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Ki Sung-yueng and Andre Ayew to the starting line-up after making eight changes for the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace.

Curtis has confirmed that Wayne Routledge (knock) should return to the squad, while Federico Fernandez (heel) could be fit to travel. Eder (ankle) is a doubt, while Franck Tabanou is unlikely to be involved despite recovering from a thigh problem.

Manchester United (from): De Gea, Romero, Valdes, Darmian, Jones, McNair, Smalling, Varela, Blind, Carrick, Fellaini, Herrera, Lingard, Mata, Pereira, Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger, Young, Depay, Martial, Rooney.

Swansea City (from): Fabianski, Nordfeldt, Tremmel, Alfei, Amat, Bartley, Fernandez, Naughton, Rangel, Tabanou, Taylor, Williams, Ayew, Britton, Cork, Grimes, Ki, Lucas, Montero, Routledge, Shelvey, Sigurdsson, Barrow, Eder, Emnes, Gomis..

Match Appointments
Referee: Jonathan Moss Assistants: J Collin, A Halliday Fourth Official: M Oliver

Match Facts
- Manchester United have won three of their last four Barclays Premier League home matches against Swansea City, though they did lose the most recent encounter.
- Bafetimbi Gomis has scored the winning goal in each of the last two league matches against Man Utd.
- United have found the back of the net in all 12 of their home league encounters with Swansea (25 goals in total), winning nine (D2 L1).
- Wayne Rooney has been directly involved in three goals in his last four BPL matches against Swansea (one goal, two assists).
- Swansea have won four of the last five meetings with Man Utd in all competitions, all by a 2-1 scoreline, including two of their last three visits to Old Trafford.
- Swansea have won just one of their last 10 league away matches, losing six of these (D3).
- Man Utd have now gone eight matches without victory in all competitions, their worst run since January 1990 (also eight). The last time that they went nine in a row without a win was in November 1988.
- United’s last two league defeats from leading positions have both come against Swansea (2-1 in February 2015 and August 2015

Match Preview




Louis van Gaal, the Manchester United manager, said he had the support of the club as his team prepare to face Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.

United have fallen out of the top four in the Barclays Premier League as well as exiting the UEFA Champions League in a run where they have won just three times in 13 matches.

Without a victory in any of their last six matches in all competitions, it is United's worst winless run in a single season since December 1998, the campaign in which they went on to win an historic treble.

"I held meetings with the players with my members of staff, I hold a Christmas lunch, I did a speech and I feel the warmth and support of everybody in Carrington,” Van Gaal said Prior in a press conference he cut short after three questions. "But I didn't feel that in the media.

“Of course I can imagine that you can write about that subject [our bad results] but you have to stick to the facts.

"Four weeks ago we were first in the Premier League and in about four weeks we could be back in that position.

"I only say now I am focused on Stoke City and that I help my players."

Van Gaal will hope United can continue their fine record in Boxing Day fixtures, having won 18 and drawn one of their last 19 matches played on 26 December.

Stoke's progress has slowed in recent weeks as they followed a run of five victories from seven league matches by only winning one of their last four, although that solitary triumph was a home victory over Manchester City.

Mark Hughes' men have slipped to 11th, but are only six points adrift of United in fifth. Stoke's Marko Arnautovic is the highest league goalscorer from either of the two teams with five and is optimistic about his side's chances ahead of United's visit.

"It is a huge game," the forward told the Stoke Sentinel.  "They come to us and know it is going to be a difficult game in Stoke and we know they are a good side.

"Manchester United is always a top game and we will try and win this game. If we perform like the last week [against West Ham and Crystal Palace], but score the goals, then I think we can take the three points."

Bastian Schweinsteiger is suspended, while United are also without Matteo Darmian and Jesse Lingard (both hamstring), although Van Gaal hopes the Italian will be back to face Chelsea on 28 December.

Stoke are still without Geoff Cameron (hamstring), Peter Crouch (groin) and Stephen Ireland (hamstring).

Stoke City (from): Butland, Haugaard, Bardsley, Johnson, Pieters, Shawcross, Teixeira, Wilson, Wollscheid, Adam, Afellay, Moha, Shaqiri, Shenton, Sidwell, Van Ginkel, Whelan, Arnautovic, Bojan, Diouf, Joselu, Odemwingie, Walters.

Manchester United (from): De Gea, Romero, Johnstone, Valdes, Jones, McNair, Smalling, Varela, Blind, Carrick, Fellaini, Herrera, Mata, Pereira, Schneiderlin, Young, Depay, Martial, Rooney.

Match Appointments
Referee: Kevin Friend Assistants: M Perry, D Bryan Fourth Official: N Swarbrick

Match Facts
- Stoke City have won just one of their 14 Barclays Premier League matches against Manchester United (W1 D2 L11), but have lost just one of the last four at home (W1 D2 L1).
- The Potters have never kept a clean sheet against Man Utd in the BPL.
- Man Utd have won 18 of their last 19 fixtures played on Boxing Day (W18 L1).
- Stoke have kept a clean sheet in seven of their last 10 league matches, but have conceded exactly two goals in the other three matches in this period.
- Manchester United have failed to win any of their last six matches in all competitions (L3 D3). The last time that they went on a run this long within a single season was in their treble-winning campaign of 1998/99 (December 1998).
- As a manager, Mark Hughes was unbeaten in his first three BPL matches against Man Utd (W2 D1) but has won just one of his 14 meetings with them since (W1 D3 L10).

Current Form
Stoke Stoke
L 1 - 2 v CRY (H)
D 0 - 0 v WHU (A)
W 2 - 0 v MCI (H)
L 2 - 0 v SUN (A)
W 0 - 1 v SOU (A)
W 1 - 0 v CHE (H)
Man Utd Man Utd
L 1 - 2 v NOR (H)
L 2 - 1 v BOU (A)
D 0 - 0 v WHU (H)
D 1 - 1 v LEI (A)
W 1 - 2 v WAT (A)
W 2 - 0 v WBA (H)

Last Corresponding Meeting
Thu 01 Jan 2015, Britannia Stadium
Stoke 1 - 1 Man Utd

Ryan Shawcross (2)



Falcao (26)

Head-to-Head
Stoke Drawn Man Utd
1 2 7


http://m.premierleague.com/en-gb/matches/2015-2016/epl.summary.html/stoke-vs-man-utd

nyabinghi:
May amadioha fire anybody wey defend LVG's performance

Amin Jesuuu!

match preview

Louis van Gaal is under pressure having gone five games without a win ahead of the visit of the Canaries on Saturday
David de Gea insists Manchester United are working hard to turn their form around as
Norwich City prepare to head to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Saturday.
Louis van Gaal's side are without a win in their last five games in all competitions and are six points behind table-topping Leicester City following a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth last weekend.
However, United have been strong on their own turf this season and are yet to be beaten in seven home league matches.
With four fixtures in the space of two weeks approaching, including the visit of Chelsea, goalkeeper De Gea hopes hard work on the training ground pays off.
"We know that the month of December is always a tough one with a lot of fixtures, and the tiredness can build up, so we need to come out of it at the end with a few good results," De Gea told United's official website.
"We're working on it right now. We're training hard and we're preparing well so we can go into those games at our highest level of fitness in order to get through December well-placed near the top of the league."
Defensive injuries have forced Van Gaal to hand debuts to the likes of Guillermo Varela and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson. United, though, have been formidable at the back this season, conceding just 12 league goals and having kept the most clean sheets in the Premier League with nine. Norwich, by comparison, have kept the fewest (one).
The emergence of Varela and Borthwick-Jackson excites De Gea and he believes it signals a bright future for the club.
"I think we have a very young side and I think that the youngsters who are coming up through the youth ranks are fitting in really well," he added.
"They are all good players and after all they represent the future of Manchester United and I reckon that gradually they will become the side of the future and we're all delighted that they're with us."
Norwich have only beaten United twice in the Premier League, though neither of those came at Old Trafford.
Alex Neil's side have only been victorious once in their last 11 games in all competitions and sit in the relegation zone due to an inferior goal difference to Swansea City.
The Norwich boss will remain without Andre Wisdom (hamstring) and Matt Jarvis (knee) as he looks to end a run of four straight top-flight defeats on the road.
Van Gaal could welcome Wayne Rooney back to the side with the striker's recovery from an ankle injury that has kept him out since last month's clash with Leicester nearing completion.
Should he feature at Old Trafford, the captain will become the 10th United player to reach 500 appearances for the club.
Bastian Schweinsteiger, however, will be suspended, but Chris Smalling (groin), Matteo Darmian (hamstring) and Ander Herrera (hamstring) could return.

http://m.goal.com/s/en/match/manchester-united-vs-norwich-city/2043245/preview

An under-pressure Louis van Gaal takes his Manchester United side to Dean Court to face Bournemouth in the teatime fixture on Saturday. After being knocked out of the Champions League in midweek, United will be hopeful of boosting their Premier League title bid at the home of the Cherries.

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Match preview

The visitors know that only a victory at
the Volkswagen Arena will guarantee
them a place in the last 16 but a draw
would be good enough for the hosts

Manchester United manager Louis van
Gaal expects Wolfsburg to play
defensively in Tuesday's crunch
Champions League clash in Germany.

United are under extreme pressure going
into the game. They know a win would
see them progress to the last 16 as
Group B winners, but failure to do
so will see them eliminated if PSV better
their result at home against CSKA
Moscow.

Hosts Wolfsburg only require a draw to
progress past the group stage for the
first time in their history, while a
victory would guarantee they finish top
of the group.

Van Gaal believes the requirements of
both teams mean Wolfsburg are likely to
set up with a defensive strategy.
"Yes, we can win because we have also
won at home against them," he said after
a frustrating 0-0 Premier League draw
against West Ham.

"But that was a difficult match and I
know that also Wolfsburg shall not
attack too much because with a draw,
they continue and we are dependent on
PSV.

"Every match, we have chances and, in
our European matches, we have created
more chances than in the Premier League
matches. We know we have to score in
Wolfsburg.

"We have to play against a very good
team. I am convinced we can do it but
we have to be more composed in front of
goal."

The Bundesliga side have won both of
their two home games in the campaign
so far without conceding, while United
only have one point from their two away
fixtures.

Van Gaal's men, therefore, need as many
key players as possible fit to play, but
Paddy McNair and Morgan Schneiderlin
have emerged as fresh fitness doubts.

Wayne Rooney (ankle) is already
struggling, while Marcos Rojo, Ander
Herrera, Phil Jones and long-term
absentees Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia
are all missing.

"Paddy McNair has an ankle problem and
Schneiderlin is a little bit stiff in the hip,
so we have to wait and see as always on
that," said Van Gaal.

“I hope they can play on Tuesday but it
is a very short [turnaround] so it is a
very big question mark. Playing on
Saturday, resting on Sunday and
travelling on Monday is not ideal for a
Tuesday match but we have to cope."

Van Gaal is hopeful experienced Germany
midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger can
prove an inspiration in his first match
back in his homeland since swapping
Bayern Munich for United.

The Dutchman added: "The reason why
we have bought Schweinsteiger is that he
is a player who can lead or guide a team.
That is important – not only his football
qualities – but that he can lead and
guide a team on the pitch.

"I believe that every match that he plays
he can play better because until now we
have not seen the best Schweinsteiger
that I have seen at Bayern Munich, but
he can guide the team."

Wolfsburg suffered a dramatic 2-1 home
loss to Borussia Dortmund in the
Bundesliga on Saturday and are not on a
strong run of form domestically, winning
only one of their last four.

But Luiz Gustavo (back) has returned to
training after missing three matches,
Julian Draxler is fit again after an
adductor injury and Robin Knoche
(ankle) was fit enough for the bench
against Dortmund.

http://m.goal.com/s/en-ng/match/wolfsburg-vs-manchester-united/2146791/preview

CLICK LIKE FOR WESTHAM UNITED WIN

CLICK LIKE FOR MANCHESTER UNITED WIN

West Ham could set a Premier League first with victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.

No team has ever won at Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and United in the same Premier League season, but the Hammers are three quarters of the way there.


They also beat champions Chelsea in late October, although their form has dipped since that result, with two defeats and two draws in their last four games.

United have drawn their last two matches against PSV Eindhoven and Leicester and their playing style has continued to come under scrutiny.
Premier League questions

We take a look at 10 questions that could be answered this weekend

However, they start the weekend just one point behind league leaders City and face three sides in the bottom half of the table before Christmas.

Team news

Wayne Rooney misses out for United due to an ankle injury and defender Marcos Rojo is also unavailable after dislocating his shoulder in training.

Phil Jones and Ander Herrera have not overcome the ankle and hamstring injuries they suffered at Watford a fortnight ago while Luke Shaw (leg) and Antonio Valencia (foot) are also out, but Jesse Lingard has recovered from a hamstring injury.

Andy Carroll is set to start for West Ham after Diafra Sakho was ruled out for around three months with a thigh injury sustained against West Brom last Sunday.

Sakho joins Dimitri Payet and Enner Valencia (both ankle) on the sidelines but skipper Mark Noble and defender James Collins are available after completing suspensions.


United are unbeaten in their last 13 Premier League meetings with West Ham, winning 11 and drawing two.

West Ham have lost seven successive Premier League games at Old Trafford and have won only twice there in the Premier League era (W2 D0 L17).

Indeed, of teams United have faced 10+ times at Old Trafford, the hosts' best Premier League points-per-game rate has come against West Ham (2.70).


http://www.skysports.com/football/man-utd-vs-west-ham/341330

Come on you RED!!!

Let stop VARDY from scoring in every matches played

#GGMU👑👑👑

[size=30pt]Match preview[/size]






Claudio Ranieri is looking forward to a "great challenge" for his Leicester City team when Manchester United visits this weekend.

Premier League leader Leicester City welcomes second-placed Manchester United to the King Power Stadium on Saturday and Claudio Ranieri is intrigued to see how his players cope in the spotlight.

Star striker Jamie Vardy is hoping to break Ruud van Nistelrooy's goal scoring record by netting for an 11th consecutive Premier League game when he faces the Dutchman's former side.

Vardy's performances have gone a long way to securing a dream start to 2015-16 for the preseason relegation candidate, with 28 points and the same number of goals scored from the team's opening 13 games.

Leicester boss Ranieri is still insisting the initial target is to reach 40 points and secure safety but feels his players deserve their current position at the top of the pile and looks forward to seeing how they cope with the test of facing United, who they beat 5-3 in the corresponding fixture last year.

"I am very curious about how we respond to these big matches," he said. "We know that sooner or later we will lose but we just want to show our great character. The spirit of our group is so strong. Saturday is a great challenge for us to improve. We have had good matches but we also have weaknesses and we have to cover them. We are top of the table and in this moment I think we deserve it, but this is another match to understand where we can improve.

"I think we are building a very big construction. I believe in the next year Leicester will grow. We are very happy. Some people say Leicester can remain at the top, others say it is just a moment. I am glad for the fans but we are just focused. It is an open season but our goal is 40 points."

United dramatically won 2-1 against Watford last time out in the league, but was held to a disappointing 0-0 home draw by PSV in the Champions League on Wednesday to leave its qualification hopes hanging in the balance.

Ashley Young is eager to rebound from that setback with a victory against the table-topper, which would see his side end the weekend in first place.

"Leicester are the leaders, so this is a top-of-the-table clash," he told MUTV. "We will be looking to keep up the good form we have shown in the league over the last few weeks, and hopefully get the three points. There is a lot of disappointment around the place, we have just got to pick ourselves up now and go again at the weekend.

"With the chances we created against PSV, we felt we should have won the game."

Matty James (knee) is Leicester's only injury concern. United is without long-term absentees Luke Shaw (leg) and Antonio Valencia (foot), while it will check on the progress of Michael Carrick (foot), Ander Herrera (hamstring), Phil Jones (ankle) and James Wilson (knee) ahead of the game.

http://m.goal.com/s/en-ca/match/leicester-city-vs-manchester-united/2043189/preview

CLICK LIKE FOR PSV EINDHOVEN WIN

CLICK LIKE FOR MANCHESTER UNITED WIN

[size=30pt]Match preview[/size]

[img]http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSVNumEsV0v-UEHiASctSF_Wfdn0qF09GtdLjkjMVTlFIVLnnw8afHf0JE[/img]

Louis van Gaal's men go into the game at Old Trafford in pole position in the pool with seven points from four matches, although PSV and Wolfsburg are close behind on six, with CSKA Moscow bottom on four.

That means a win for United over PSV would seal qualification for the knockout rounds.

United lost 2-1 in Eindhoven in the first game of the pool - a match marred by the horrendous leg break suffered by fullback Luke Shaw.

Since then, United's strong Champions League home form has been vital, with wins over Wolfsburg and CSKA boosting its hopes of topping the group.

PSV has struggled on its travels having already lost to Wolfsburg and CSKA in this campaign as it looks to end a run that has not seen the club win a pool-stage Champions League away game since 2007.

The Dutch champions are not ideally placed domestically either. They trail Eredivisie leader Ajax by four points and scrambled to a 2-2 draw at Willem II on Saturday, which prompted an angry warning from coach Phillip Cocu after his men lost a lead for the fifth time this season.

"It is deteriorating further," said the head coach on his side's concentration. "We went 1-0 ahead we had to make more things happen. It is really important that we now go and look at this problem. It has happened too many times. If we want to win any prizes this season we are going to need to change it."

United has been struggling with injuries, although Van Gaal hopes to have captain Wayne Rooney back from illness. Late checks will be made on Anthony Martial, Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini, but Phil Jones and Ander Herrera are expected to miss out.

http://m.goal.com/s/en-us/match/manchester-united-vs-psv/2146790/preview?

During his exclusive interview with MUTV at the Aon Training Complex on Friday, the manager confirmed Anthony Martial and Michael Carrick both picked up injuries while playing for France and England during the international break, which rules them out of contention this weekend.
Wayne Rooney is ill and has been deemed unfit for action, while Antonio Valencia will miss out after undergoing surgery on a foot injury. Marouane Fellaini has not featured since the 1-0 win over CSKA Moscow and the Belgian is still injured, with long-term absentee Luke Shaw also on the sidelines.

cescky:
The only reason manu may win is cos roney isn't playing!

I wish Rooney tarry recovery

ANAMBRA11:
Chelshit 0- 6 norwich

hahaha this will be the end to J.M career

dotcomnamename:
[size=15pt]No Rooney ❌
No Fellaini ❌
No Martial ❌

A draw or win for Watford.

Come on you Watford [/size]

all d player mentioning above na waste except Martial meanwhile, wait till the 90mins ends

[size=30pt]CLICK LIKE FOR MANCHESTER UNITED WIN[/size]