Manchester United take on Bournemouth this Saturday in a 5.30pm kick-off at the Vitality Stadium.
The Red Devils are left playing catch-up in the top-four race for the remainder of the season and as it stands, the odds are heavily stacked against them to claim a Champions League spot.
11 points separate United and Tottenham Hotspur in fourth and Aston Villa in fifth, although the latter has played one more game (32). None of the remaining contenders will face each other again from now until the end of the term, so Erik ten Hag and his men are left relying on other teams to do them favours.
However, Villa and Spurs potentially dropping points is only noteworthy if United win all their remaining matches. Based on their current form, you wouldn’t really expect them to do so, but fans will be holding out hope until it’s mathematically impossible.
Tavernier professes end-of-season mission statement
As for their upcoming opponents, Bournemouth also have targets of their own. Marcus Tavernier told reporters (BBC) after last Saturday’s defeat to Luton Town: “We all want to break the club’s record of points, we all know that’s our goal.”
The Cherries’ current Premier League points record stands at 46, which was achieved under Eddie Howe upon the culmination of the 2016/2017 campaign as the side finished ninth.
To break the feat, Andoni Iraola has to rally his squad and claim a minimum of five points from their remaining seven fixtures. Given that they beat United 3-0 at Old Trafford in December 2023, they’ll certainly have the confidence to see out a similar result on their home turf.
