On Saturday, 29th of November 2014, 7:00 AM (Pacific), Manchester United and Hull City will measure forces at the emblematic Old Trafford for the round 13 of the English Premier League, on a match of paramount importance for the Red Devils, who might finally clinch their third win a row for the first time this season, which would certainly offer them a great dose of motivation in such turbulent times as these.
Manchester United
After a narrow home win over Crystal Palace earlier this month, United walked into the Emirates Stadium with just four wins in eleven matches and with the ghost of mediocre past and present performances hanging over their heads.
Van Gaal did what he does best by assembling together all the pieces needed for a poisonous counter-attack based tactical system that ended up by being enough to overcome an uninspired Arsenal who fell into the Dutchman’s trap quite childishly.
The Gunners enjoyed plenty of ball possession and looked far more dangerous than United in front of the goal but, for one reason or another, they only managed to score once from 21 goal attempts. The Red Devils, on the other hand, used the highly criticized 3-5-2 system almost flawlessly with both wing backs providing all the necessary support to the three-man defence line and complementing the midfield quintet.
Carrick, who has been slowly recovering his pace, worked as some sort of Regista in front of the defensive trio and was of vital importance for the team to operate accordingly. United’s second goal was what one may consider an anthem on how to score from a quick counter-attack, with Di Maria waiting for the right time to deliver the ball to Rooney, who passed the ball over a hopeless Damían Martínez that had replaced Szczesny after the Red Devils’ first goal.
It is fair to say that United’s performance at the Emirates Stadium was deprived of brilliancy but the truth is that it was highly efficient and, at the same time, luck was on their side as well, something that has not happened on some of their previous matches.
There is still a long road ahead for United’s players and Van Gaal to restore the supporters’ full trust and to find once more the high motivation levels a team needs to overcome a difficult period such as the one they are facing. The match against the Tigers next weekend is an excellent opportunity for them to continue to make things right, otherwise, another home upset might drop them down into the abyss one more time.
For that particular match, the Dutch manager will have to deal, once again, with a considerable list of injured players, among which are important footballers such as Falcao, Jones, Rojo, Evans and Blind.
Hull City
As for Hull, the Tigers are one of those teams that can go from rags to riches over a considerably short period of time and, although they come from three consecutive defeats, they will certainly pose several problems to a restless team such as United.
Last weekend, Hull were surprised at home by Tottenham and lost for the fifth time this season. Such last minute defeat caused some damage in the team and has thrown Steve Bruce’s Hull into a dangerous position on the league table, just one point above the relegation zone.
Manchester United vs Hull City Probable Line-ups
Manchester United (3-5-2) – De Gea – Valencia – McNair – Smalling – Blackett – Young – Carrick – Di Maria – Fellaini – Rooney – Van Persie
Hull City (4-2-3-1) – McGregor – Elmohamady – Dawson – Davies – Robertson – Livermore – Huddlestone – Brady – Ben Arfa – Meyler – Jelavic
Manchester United vs Hull City Match Prediction
Although Manchester United are still miles away from their full potential, they should be considered firm favourites for the Old Trafford’s match next Saturday, as they will certainly do everything within their reach to extend this positive moment to the maximum extent possible.
Manchester United 3 – 1 Hull City
Manchester United vs Hull City TV Schedule
The Manchester United vs Hull City game will be televised on Directv, NBC Sports Extra, NBCSN on Saturday, November 29 at 7:00 AM Pacific Time.
