Manchester United vs Swansea City Match Preview

Article by Tony Gillies
How times have changed since the last time Swansea visited Old Trafford for a league fixture, we were saying our farewells to the greatest manager in history, we were presented with the Premier League Trophy for the 13th time and life as a United fan was good. Now fast forward 7 months, we have a new manager, new backroom staff, sitting 7th in the league table with hardly any chance left of regaining the title and Swansea who have already knocked us out of the FA Cup this season have the chance of beating us twice in 6 days at Old Trafford. Football really is a funny old game at times.

United go in to this match on the back of 3 straight defeats, the first time this has happened in nearly 14 years, in fact the last time we lost 3 in a row, we'd already wrapped up the title. A fourth straight defeat is unthinkable; you'd have to go back 53 years to 1961 for the last time we lost 4 in a row.

Swansea are struggling this season, maybe the cost of winning the Carling Cup last season and playing in this seasons Europa League is catching up with them but after winning at Old Trafford last week this would no doubt have boosted morale and maybe they will kick on and finish the season stronger than they started.

Hopefully, Wayne Rooney will return to the starting line-up this weekend and with Robin van Persie a week away from full fitness things might just starting getting a little easier. Swansea themselves are missing a host of players through injury but after last week’s result shouldn't be taken too lightly.

Last 5 meetings (in all competitions)

Jan 2014: Man Utd 1-2 Swansea

Aug 2013: Swansea 1-4 Man Utd

May 2013: Man Utd 2-1 Swansea

Dec 2012: Swansea 1-1 Man Utd

May 2012: Man Utd 2-0 Swansea

My starting 11 - De Gea, Rafael, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Valencia, Carrick, Kagawa, Januzaj, Rooney, Hernandez.

My prediction is a 1-1 draw, I think we'll stop the run of defeats but I don't quite think the confidence is there for us to win it, I believe our form will return soon enough but at the minute I think we'll all have to be patient and wait for it to all click into place again.

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