Man Utd vs Bournemouth preview: Carrick’s side winless in six matches

← Back to Match CentreMan Utd v Bournemouth

Manchester United host Bournemouth in Matchweek 8 of the Premier League at Old Trafford on Sunday 25 October 2026. Kick-off is at 2pm and the referee is Jarred Gillett.

United are 13th with 7 points from 7 games (won 1, drawn 4, lost 2), with 10 goals scored and 10 conceded. Bournemouth are 15th with 6 points (won 1, drawn 3, lost 3), with 9 scored and 13 conceded. The sides are separated by a point, so a win would take either team to 9 or 10 points.

Recent form

United have not won in their last six matches, with three draws and three defeats. They scored 6 goals and conceded 12 in that run, which included a 2-3 home loss to Brighton, a 1-1 draw with Tottenham at Old Trafford, a 0-2 defeat at Atlético de Madrid and a 1-4 loss at Como on Wednesday 21 October. In the league, they have won none of their last five (drawn 4, lost 1).

Bournemouth have won four of their last six matches and lost two, scoring 11 and conceding 7. Their last three games were all home wins without conceding: 3-0 against Sturm Graz, 2-0 against Sunderland and 3-0 against AC Milan on Thursday 22 October. Their two defeats in that run were 0-1 at home to Liverpool and 1-5 at Chelsea. In the league, they have won one of their last five (drawn 2, lost 2).

Team	Last six (oldest first)
Man Utd	LDDLDL LDDLDL
Bournemouth	WLLWWW WLLWWW

Man Utd: last six results

Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
Wed 21 Oct	Away	Como	1-4	L
Sun 18 Oct	Away	Leeds	1-1	D
Tue 13 Oct	Away	Atlético de Madrid	0-2	L
Sat 10 Oct	Home	Tottenham	1-1	D
Sun 20 Sep	Away	Fulham	1-1	D
Wed 16 Sep	Home	Brighton	2-3	L

Bournemouth: last six results

Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
Thu 22 Oct	Home	AC Milan	3-0	W
Sun 18 Oct	Home	Sunderland	2-0	W
Thu 15 Oct	Home	Sturm Graz	3-0	W
Sat 10 Oct	Away	Chelsea	1-5	L
Sun 20 Sep	Home	Liverpool	0-1	L
Thu 17 Sep	Away	Real Sociedad	2-1	W

What the managers said

Michael Carrick

The United manager spoke about the team’s recent performances and the standards he expects.

“We’ve kind of lost our way a little bit, if I’m totally honest. We will get it back – I’m totally convinced we’ll get it back. Respect this football club, respect what it takes, because it’s very, very important to me.”

“My responsibility is to get a team on the pitch that represents this football club, represents the supporters and is one they can be proud of with the identity that we show. We have gone away from that just recently in certain games, which I’m fully aware of and definitely doing something about.”

“It’s pretty obvious how we’re all feeling. The responsibility for me, in this position, is to lead. I’ll hold that umbrella for me to stay wet and everyone else stay dry.”

“Tough discussions are going on to get the players organised to put in a good performance on Sunday.”

“Entitlement cannot be at this football club.”

“We are doing a lot of work to support Bruno and his family.”

Marco Rose

The Bournemouth head coach commented on the atmosphere around United, the style of game he expects and his selection.

“It should not affect us and our work. I hear the voices and the noise around the club, but I don’t know if it helps us because everyone in Manchester seems to know now what to do and how to do it. It’s up to us to go there, be focused, bring our football on to the pitch and react well to situations.”

“I think they’re going to be angry, they’re going to be intense. We have to face it, make an open game of it and, at the end, we want to win it. You always get to a point where you have nothing to lose any more, sometimes as a manager, as a club, as players. That’s why it’s always difficult.”

“It will not be so difficult because I can play with only 11 players – one goalkeeper and 10 others, and I’m going to pick 11. I’m quite happy that I see everyone wants to show that he belongs to this team, and this is the only thing I demand.”

Rose also pointed to Bournemouth’s next fixture, a Carabao Cup tie against Aston Villa on Wednesday.

“If you do it and maybe you don’t play on Sunday, then you play on Wednesday against Aston Villa”

Team news

United are without Manuel Ugarte (cruciate ligament tear) and Noussair Mazraoui (back problems). Bournemouth have Julián Araujo and Alex Scott out with hamstring injuries, and Alex Tóth is out for some weeks with what Rose called a bigger muscle injury after he was forced off against AC Milan. Junior Kroupi is listed with a foot injury, but Rose said he is back in training and the plan is to take him to Manchester and give him some minutes. Veljko Milosavljević is listed with a knee injury, but Rose said he is match-fit with the under-21s, and Evanilson is fine after a midweek knock. The line-ups are predicted, not confirmed.

Where Man Utd can hurt Bournemouth

ANALYSIS: Bournemouth have conceded 13 goals in 7 league games and 12 of the 7 goals-against figure does not apply here; the relevant figure is 13 in the league. They also conceded 5 at Chelsea in their last six matches. United have scored 10 league goals in 7 games, and Bournemouth’s defence is the area where the figures give them most to work with.

ANALYSIS: Bournemouth are without Araujo, Scott and Tóth, and Rose has said he is picking from a squad where he is still working on selection. Rose also expects United to be “angry” and “intense”, which suggests an open game at Old Trafford, where United have taken one point from two of their recent home fixtures against Brighton (2-3) and Tottenham (1-1).

Where Bournemouth can hurt Man Utd

ANALYSIS: United have conceded 12 goals in their last six matches, including 3 against Brighton, 2 at Atlético de Madrid and 4 at Como. They have also scored one goal or fewer in five of those six games, and Carrick has said the team has “lost our way a little bit”. Those numbers give Bournemouth a base to work from.

ANALYSIS: Bournemouth have scored in five of their last six matches, with 8 goals across their last three, all at home. Their away results in the run were a 2-1 win at Real Sociedad and a 1-5 defeat at Chelsea. United are also without Ugarte and Mazraoui, and Carrick has said tough discussions are going on to get the players organised for Sunday.

How to watch

Man Utd vs Bournemouth kicks off at 2pm UK time on Sunday 25 October, live on Sky Sports Main Event, NOW. Subscribers can stream it on Sky Go, NOW.

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