Sports Mole previews Sunday’s Premier League clash between Ipswich Town and Manchester United, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Portman Road is the venue for Ruben Amorim‘s Manchester United baptism on Sunday afternoon, as the Portuguese takes his Red Devils side to face Ipswich Town in his first game as head coach.
A couple of weeks after being officially sworn in as Erik ten Hag‘s successor, Amorim pits his wits against Kieran McKenna, who was also touted as a potential Man United manager over the summer.
Match preview
In with the Portuguese and out with the Dutch, the upbeat Amorim has not only inherited the torch from Ten Hag, but also Ruud van Nistelrooy, who oversaw a four-match unbeaten run as interim head coach before it was decided that he would not be continuing at Old Trafford under the new regime.
Despite being just 39 years of age – making him Man United’s youngest head coach since a 31-year-old Wilf McGuinness in 1969 – Amorim arrives with title-winning experience on his juvenile CV from his much-lauded time at the Sporting Lisbon helm, not to mention a recent 4-1 destruction of Manchester City in the Champions League.
Having already endeared himself to the Red Devils faithful by masterminding the pummelling of their biggest rivals, Amorim now seeks to achieve something that none of Ten Hag, Louis van Gaal or Sir Alex Ferguson himself managed; win their first game as Man United manager.
Before packing his bags, Van Nistelrooy oversaw successive wins over PAOK in the Europa League and Leicester City in the top flight, although the 3-0 beating of the latter was not enough to propel Man United out of the bottom half; they currently reside in an unlucky 13th place in the Premier League table.
Furthermore, each of Van Nistelrooy’s three successes as Man United boss came on Old Trafford turf; the Red Devils have gone winless in their last five away matches across all competitions and still have just the one road victory to their name in 2024-25, the 3-0 triumph at Southampton in September.
© Imago
Amorim’s nemesis for the weekend could give the Portuguese a pointer or two about life in the Man United dugout, as Ipswich head coach McKenna served as a scout and youth team coach for Man United before being a right-hand man for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Jose Mourinho, Michael Carrick and Ralf Rangnick.
When Ten Hag’s future was clouded in uncertainty over the summer, McKenna was among several names tipped to take the reins, only to pen a new contract with an Ipswich side who finally posted their first Premier League win at the 11th attempt two weekends ago.
Rocking up to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and astonishingly leaving with three points in the bag, the Tractor Boys struck through Liam Delap and Sammie Szmodics in the first 45 minutes before holding out for the final 20 after the now-banned Rodrigo Bentancur cut the deficit in half.
Ipswich’s upset of the Lilywhites not only gave them their first victory of the top-flight season, it also lifted them out of the demotion zone and into the relative safety of 17th place, although Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers are both within touching distance.
McKenna’s team are still the only Premier League side with no home victories to shout about in the 2024-25 campaign, though, and history does not bode well for their chances of ending that hoodoo; Man United have beaten Ipswich in each of their last four showdowns, most recently a 3-0 EFL Cup triumph in 2015.
Ipswich Town Premier League form:
Manchester United Premier League form:
Manchester United form (all competitions):
Team News
© Imago
Expected to implement his 3-4-3 system from the start, Amorim could be boosted by the returns of Kobbie Mainoo, Leny Yoro and Luke Shaw from various afflictions, as all three were involved in the Portuguese’s first training session earlier this week.
Yoro and Shaw may be held back given their lengthy layoffs, though – the same goes for the unfit Tyrell Malacia – while Harry Maguire (calf), Lisandro Martinez (back) and Victor Lindelof, who picked up a groin injury with Sweden, are all doubts.
Jonny Evans and Matthijs de Ligt should therefore take up two spots in Amorim’s three-man defensive wall, and it would not be a total shock to see Casemiro shoe-horned into a centre-back role if the visitors cannot recover any of their stricken defenders for Sunday.
As for Sunday’s hosts, on-loan Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips is eligible to play again after a ban, but McKenna has revealed that he is also struggling with a knock and is not a guarantee for the weekend.
Nathan Broadhead (groin), Wes Burns (knock), Jacob Greaves (thigh), Jack Taylor (unspecified) and Omari Hutchinson (foot) are also on the touch-and-go list, but Achilles victim Chiedozie Ogbene and George Hirst – who has suffered a new knee problem – are definitely out.
With Hirst missing and Hutchinson doubtful, Conor Chaplin should be on standby to operate just off Delap, while ex-Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe is set to start at right-back against his former employers.
Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:
Muric; Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Burgess, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste; Johnson, Hutchinson, Szmodics; Delap
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Onana; De Ligt, Casemiro, Evans; Dalot, Ugarte, Mainoo, Mazraoui; Fernandes, Hojlund, Garnacho
We say: Ipswich Town 1-2 Manchester United
The new manager bounce worked its magic for Man United during the short-lived Van Nistelrooy reign, and Amorim’s first match in charge comes against the Premier League’s worst-performing home side, even if the Red Devils’ exploits on the road have left a lot to be desired.
Do not expect the visitors and their depleted defence to storm to maximum points – the players will no doubt need ample time to adapt to Amorim’s system – but with a fully-fit selection of attackers, the Red Devils should possess the firepower necessary to make the perfect start to their new era.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
