The Premier League’s draw specialists Bournemouth welcome Manchester United to Vitality Stadium on Friday night (20:00 GMT) with both sides seeking a positive result to take into the international break.
An uneventful 0-0 draw at second-bottom Burnley last week extended the Cherries’ unbeaten run to 10 league games, the longest in the division, but it felt like an opportunity missed in terms of the chase for a European place.
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Cherries drawing lots
The 14 draws recorded by Andoni Iraola’s side this season are two more than any other team in Europe’s top five leagues and five of those have finished 0-0 – again, a league-high tally.
Another stalemate on the Dorset coast would be their fifth in a row. No top-flight side has drawn as many consecutive matches since Fulham in December 2020-January 2021.
Bournemouth, in 10th place, are unbeaten in their last five against United and the teams played out a thrilling 4-4 draw at Old Trafford in November, when eight different goalscorers played their part in one of the most entertaining games of the season.
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Since then, star man Antoine Semenyo has departed. He remains their top scorer and the Cherries have lacked a cutting edge in attack recently, drawing blanks in three of their last four.
They had 22 shots against Burnley without finding the net – the most they’ve ever had in a top-flight game without scoring – prompting Iraola to admit: “It’s costing us a lot of points.”
The Spaniard will be hoping the 500-mile round-trip takes its toll on the visitors. His side have won three of their four Friday night games in the league, while United have won just one of their five.
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United’s Champions League charge
Manchester United opened up a three-point gap between themselves in third and Aston Villa in fourth with a solid, if unspectacular, victory when the two sides met on Sunday.
A strong second-half showing gave head coach Michael Carrick five wins from five at Old Trafford in his second spell in charge, but he has found things a little trickier on the road, suffering his sole defeat against Newcastle United and relying on a late equaliser to hold West Ham United.
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Portuguese playmaker Bruno Fernandes set up two goals in the Villa game to surpass David Beckham’s club record of 15 assists in a single Premier League season. Now, with eight games remaining, he has the overall record in his sights.
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The United captain, who has created six or more chances in each of his last three league games, has been involved in eight goals in his eight appearances against Bournemouth. He will need all his creative nous to unlock a home defence seeking its third clean sheet in a row.
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With a 24-day wait until their next fixture, United and Carrick will be desperate to keep the feelgood factor going at a ground where they have lost just two of their eight away games in this competition (won four, drawn two).
