Manchester United will look to continue their recent turnaround on Saturday afternoon as the Red Devils travel to the Vitality Stadium to take on AFC Bournemouth.
Both teams go into the game on the same amount of points but have seemingly had vastly different seasons due to previous expectations.
United have looked much improved in recent weeks, and they picked up another solid result during the week, beating Chelsea in the round of 16 of the Carabao Cup.
Both sides did name a weaker starting lineup than usual, but it was still another heated affair between the two rivals.
Just like last weekend, Daniel James would win a penalty for the Red Devils, as he was taken down by Marcos Alonso in the area. Unlike last weekend, Marcus Rashford stepped up and converted the resulting spot-kick, sending Willy Caballero the wrong way.
Chelsea would equalize at the hour mark courtesy of a wonderful solo goal by Michy Batshuayi. Picking up the ball at the halfway line, the Belgian forward simply drove up the pitch through the United defense. Eventually getting to the top of the box, Batshuayi drilled a low shot into the bottom corner, past the outstretched arms of Sergio Romero.
Rashford managed to upstage him, however, scoring an even better goal to win the game for United. Standing over a freekick from about 30 yards out, he absolutely unleashed a shot that swerved through the air before finding its way into the top corner.
The Red Devils held on to secure the victory and their spot in the quarterfinals.
Bournemouth, on the other hand, have struggled to excite as of late, with their 0-0 draw away to Watford summing up the situation quite well.
They came close to taking the lead early on, but a header from Steve Cook only rattled off the crossbar and out of play. The Cherries would be denied once again at the half-hour mark, but instead of the woodwork, it would be Ben Foster who stopped them, making an incredible save to keep out a volley from Diego Rico.
Watford did create a few chances themselves and would have likely scored one or two if not for Bournemouth keeper Aaron Ramsdale.
Both teams had to settle for a point at the end of the afternoon, which still wasn’t a bad result for the Cherries, but fans were left wanting more.
Last time out
United were just starting out under then-interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when these two sides last faced off, and they made it three wins out of three with a win over the Cherries.
The Red Devils opened the scoring after only five minutes, with Rashford breaking down the wing and playing a low cross into the area, where Paul Pogba was on hand to tap it in from close range.
Pogba would make it two at the half-hour mark, heading home a superb first-time cross from Ander Herrera. Rashford would get on the scoresheet before halftime, getting free at the back post to get on the end of a clever pass from Anthony Martial.
Bournemouth managed to pull one back moments later, however, with Nathan Ake pouncing on a corner that was poorly defended by United.
Any thoughts of a comeback for the Cherries would be put to bed in the 72nd minute, as Romelu Lukaku grabbed the Red Devils' fourth and final goal of the contest. Pogba dinked a lovely ball in behind, and the Belgian made no mistake with the finish, hitting a volley into the back of the net.
It was another dominant performance from United under Solskjaer, who came across as unbeatable at the time.
Teams news
Things aren’t as bad for United on the injury front as they were earlier in the year, but it’s still a tough situation.
Pogba has been out of action for a while with a foot injury, and it’s unclear just when he’ll be back in the team. The same can be said for Luke Shaw and Nemanja Matic, with there only being a slim chance either of them feature on Saturday.
Youngsters Diogo Dalot and Axel Tuanzebe are dealing with injuries of their own, but neither should be out for much longer. However, the game against Bournemouth might just come too soon.
The home side have had similar issues when it comes to injuries, as they’ll also be without a few key names. David Brooks hasn’t recovered from his ankle injury just yet, and Dan Gosling will also miss out versus United.
Junior Stanislas is still dealing with a knee problem and is unavailable for the Cherries, while Charlie Daniels was ruled out for the foreseeable future after picking up a nasty knee injury of his own at the start of the campaign.
Predicted lineups
Bournemouth: Ramsdale, Smith, Cook, Ake, Rico, Wilson, Lerma, Billing, Fraser, Wilson, King
Manchester United: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Young, Fred, McTominay, Andreas, James, Martial, Rashford
What to watch out for
Can Rashford keep the good times rolling?
After a really rough start to the campaign, many United fans were calling for Marcus Rashford to be dropped from the team. He was playing without confidence on the field, overthinking every situation and usually making the wrong decision. That led to the Red Devils failing to create anything going forward, and not winning games as a result.
Solskjaer stuck with the Englishman, and it’s paid off. Rashford grabbed a crucial early goal versus Liverpool, and his well-taken finish against Norwich was ultimately the game-winning goal.
His performance at Stamford Bridge was even better, as he was the main reason why United went on to beat Chelsea.
The Red Devils need Rashford to be at his best if they want to be effective going forward, and Saturday will be another chance for him to prove why he’s so highly rated by United management.