Preview: Manchester United v Swansea The return of the Barclays Premier League is finally upon us and, this season, Manchester United will kick things off against Swansea City. Heres what we can expect from Saturdays match at Old Trafford... Date, time and coverage: Saturday 16 August, 12:45 BST. The match is live on BT Sport in the UK. Follow ManUtds live blog and Twitter feed throughout the 90 minutes. Team news: Luke Shaw will have to wait for his debut after picking up a hamstring injury while Jonny Evans, Rafael, Antonio Valencia, Michael Carrick and Danny Welbeck all missed the friendly with Valencia. Robin van Persie is behind with his fitness after his World Cup exertions but Adnan Januzaj and Marouane Fellaini came off the bench in midweek and promoted their claims. Nathan Dyer and Wayne Routledge have recovered from injury and the visitors look in good shape. Betting: Official betting partners bwin have priced United as strong favourites to win at odds of 1.36 with the draw at 4.60 and an away win at 8.50. The Reds are 2.00 to be winning at half time and full time while new skipper Wayne Rooney is a 4.25 shot to score the first goal. Opposition view: Swansea have become synonymous with fast, free-flowing football in the last few years, the likes of which we could witness again on Saturday. The Welsh side have strengthened this summer, with new additions Bafetimbi Gomis, Jefferson Montero and Gylfi Sigurdsson giving Garry Monks men a more potent threat going forward. Recent Meetings: The opening day of the 2013-14 season saw the sides meet at the Liberty Stadium, as two goals apiece from Robin van Persie and Danny Welbeck inspired the Reds to a 4-1 win in David Moyes first game in charge. Swansea ran out 2-1 winners in Januarys FA Cup clash at Old Trafford, but that was their only ever victory at the Theatre of Dreams. In the dugout: Club legend Monk was named interim player-manager when Michael Laudrup left the Swans in February, and confirmed his status among the players and fans with a 3-0 win over rivals Cardiff City just four days later. Monk took full-time charge of the club in May and has added some steel to the squad ahead of the new season. Star Man: Wilfried Bonys goals were vital to Swanseas campaign last year, as the Ivorian netted 25 times in all competitions during his first season in English football. Last seasons top scorer already has a couple of strikes against United to his name and keeping hold of him could be Swanseas best piece of business all summer. Last Season: With the unfamiliar weight of European football on their shoulders, Swansea couldnt replicate the top-half finish they achieved in 2012-13, eventually taking 12th place. There was less to shout about on the domestic front as the Swans defence of their League Cup title was brought to a premature end by Birmingham City. Quote/unquote: “The fans have given me a lot of support since I joined the club and I hope we can play a good match for them today. We are all focused on winning this game because to start the season with three points is very important.” - Ander Herrera Did you know? Exactly 11 years ago on Saturday, a certain Cristiano Ronaldo made his United debut as a second half substitute during the Reds 4-0 win over Bolton Wanders. In just 29 minutes, the Portuguese youngster dazzled Old Trafford with his repertoire of flicks and tricks, impressing everyone in attendance. “It looks like the fans have a new hero,” explained Sir Alex Ferguson afterwards - and he was not wrong. Whistle-blower: Experienced referee Mike Dean takes charge of affairs for the season opener. The Wirral-based official had the whistle for three of Uniteds matches last term - the 2-2 draw at Tottenham, coincidentally, Swanseas FA Cup win at Old Trafford, and also the final-day fixture at Southampton. Did you know? Exactly 11 years ago on Saturday, a certain Cristiano Ronaldo made his United debut as a second half substitute during the Reds 4-0 win over Bolton Wanders. In just 29 minutes, the Portuguese youngster dazzled Old Trafford with his repertoire of flicks and tricks, impressing everyone in attendance. “It looks like the fans have a new hero,” explained Sir Alex Ferguson afterwards - and he was not wrong. Whistle-blower: Experienced referee Mike Dean takes charge of affairs for the season opener. The Wirral-based official had the whistle for three of Uniteds matches last term - the 2-2 draw at Tottenham, coincidentally, Swanseas FA Cup win at Old Trafford, and also the final-day fixture at Southampton. manutd/sitecore/shell/~/media/6CB94D2814454862A1D47EFAFA69E978.ashx?w=480&h=270&rgn=0,0,1280,720
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 13:44:17 +0000
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