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2024/25 English Premier League
Matchday 18
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United
Molineux Stadium
Wolverhampton, England
Thursday, 26 December 2024
Kick-off is at 19h30
Manchester United will be targeting some consistency when they head to the West Midlands for a clash with Wolves at Molineux on Thursday, December 26.
The Red Devils have lost three of their last four games under Ruben Amorim after going down 3-0 to Bournemouth at Old Trafford on December 22.
Amorim has only picked up seven points from his opening six matches at the helm, but became the first United manager to win his maiden derby against Manchester City since Sir Alex Ferguson.
Amorim's side failed to take advantage of Brentford (12th) and Tottenham (11th) losing on matchday 17 as they remain a point behind both clubs in 13th place.
The Old Gold halted a worrying four-game losing streak with a 3-0 triumph over fellow strugglers Leicester at the King Power Stadium on December 22, although it was not enough to lift them out of the relegation zone.
Vítor Pereira kicked off his tenure on a positive note after replacing Gary O'Neil on December 19 and his team are just two points shy of the Foxes (17th) in 18th position, level with Ipswich (19th) on 12 points.
Image Source: Alamy Stock Photo
Rayan Ait-Nouri returns from suspension for the hosts, who continue to be without Yerson Mosquera, Enso Gonzalez, Sasa Kalajdzic, Boubacar Traore (all knee) and Pablo Sarabia (calf), while Mario Lemina (calf) is rated doubtful.
Matthijs de Ligt (illness) could come back into contention for the visitors, but Mason Mount (thigh), Luke Shaw (calf) and Victor Lindelof remain unavailable for selection.
Pereira only had three days to work with his players ahead of the trip to the East Midlands and insisted they showed "true spirit" against Leicester.
"It was very good spirit. A true spirit, which is what I want from this team. What I asked from them, is that at the end of the game we must feel proud about the work that we did and make proud our supporters, and I'm very happy for this," the Portuguese said.
"Of course, we need to improve a lot of things, but the true spirit was there, and this is most important for me.
"I understand that we didn't have much time for my training, but we directed the training with tactical organisation, and then tried to give confidence to them - my confidence, the confidence that I have. I think the team performed well, and I'm happy."
Amorim will continue to try and get his ideas across to the players as he looks to build up some momentum, but admits the job is easier when results go their way.
"It's so much easier to pass on an idea when you're winning and you're scoring and you're not conceding. But it's also a great privilege to be here, so we have to continue now," the Portuguese said.
"Nothing bad lasts forever and nothing good lasts forever, so we have to continue again and be very strong in our ideas, especially in the bad moments. We will do it and try to win the next game."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Wolves wins - 1
Man United wins - 4
Draws - 0
Premier League Matchday 18 fixtures:
Thursday, December 26
14h30: Manchester City v Everton
17h00: Bournemouth v Crystal Palace
17h00: Chelsea v Fulham
17h00: Newcastle United v Aston Villa
17h00: Nottingham Forest v Tottenham Hotspur
17h00: Southampton v West Ham United
19h30: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United
22h00: Liverpool v Leicester City
Friday, December 27
21h30: Brighton & Hove Albion v Brentford
22h15: Arsenal v Ipswich Town
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