Wolves vs Manchester United LIVE: Team news and line-ups ahead of Premier League clash

Wolves welcome Manchester United to Molineux on Boxing Day as two newly-arrived Portuguese managers look to instigate a turnaround in fortunes for their sides.

The Vitor Pereira era got off to a fine start on Sunday as Wolves produced one of their best performances of the season, a 3-0 dispatching of Leicester clearing up much of the chaos that had led to Gary O’Neil’s exit. The veteran manager has waited more than a decade for another Premier League opportunity having narrowly missed out on the Everton job in 2013 and is desperate to make the most of it, with victory here lifting the club out of the relegation zone with Leicester not in action until later.

The visitors, meanwhile, concluded their efforts before Christmas with a poor showing against Bournemouth. A seventh defeat of the season leaves Manchester United languishing in the bottom half and with tough fixtures against Liverpool and Newcastle to come over the next few days, Ruben Amorim may need a result here to generate some momentum heading into the back half of the season.

Follow all of the latest updates from Molineux in our live blog below:

Wolves vs Manchester United LIVE

Wolves take on Manchester United with kick off at 5.30pm GMT | Live on Amazon Prime
Victory would lift hosts out of the bottom three after brilliant start under Vitor Pereira
Ruben Amorim facing significant questions after early stumbles at Old Trafford
Wolves: Sa, Semedo, Doherty, Bueno, Toti, Ait-Nouri, Andre, J.Gomes, Guedes, Cunha, Larsen
Man Utd: Onana, Yoro, Maguire, Martinez, Mazraoui, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot, Amad, Fernandes, Hojlund

Manchester United team news

16:27 , Lawrence Ostlere

So Ruben Amorim makes two changes to his Manchester United team. Leny Yoro comes into the side for Tyrell Malacia, with Mazraoui presumably shifting from the back three to wing-back as a result, and Rasmus Hojlund returns to the starting line-up in place of Joshua Zirkzee up front. Matthijs de Ligt is back on the bench after a brief illness.

Confirmed line-ups

16:22 , Lawrence Ostlere

Wolves: Sa, Semedo, Doherty, Bueno, Toti, Ait-Nouri, Andre, J.Gomes, Guedes, Cunha, Larsen

Subs: Johnstone, Dawson, Meupiyou, Lima, Doyle, R.Gomes, Bellegarde, Forbs, Hwang.

Manchester United: Onana, Yoro, Maguire, Martinez, Mazraoui, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot, Amad, Fernandes, Hojlund.

Subs: Bayindir, De Ligt, Evans, Eriksen, Casemiro, Collyer, Garnacho, Antony, Zirkzee.

Team news

16:10 , Chris Wilson

The line-ups should be released in the next five minutes, so here’s a reminder of the early team news.

Wolves will welcome back Rayan ait-Nouri after he served his suspension in the win over Leicester, while Mario Lemina could also come back after suffering a calf strain. Boubacar Traore and Pablo Sarabia are unlikely to be back before the New Year, while long-term absentees Yerson Mosquera, Enso Gonzalez Medina and Sasa Kalajdzic remain unavailable.

For United, there are no new injury concerns after the loss to Bournemouth, with Luke Shaw, Mason Mount and Victor Lindelof out. Matthijs de Ligt has missed the last two matches with an unspecified illness, so he could make a return at centre-back.

It was a surprise for me, says Vitor Pereira after Wolves’ big win at Leicester

16:05 , Chris Wilson

Wolves boss Vitor Pereira admitted even he was surprised by his team’s display after his first game at the helm ended in a 3-0 triumph at fellow strugglers Leicester.

Goncalo Guedes, Rodrigo Gomes and Matheus Cunha were all on target in the first half to get Pereira, who arrived from Al Shabab on Thursday to replace the sacked Gary O’Neil, off to the perfect start.

“For a short time of work, what the team did in the game was a surprise for me,” said the Portuguese, whose 18th-placed team moved within two points of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Foxes. “We showed true spirit, the confidence and tactically I think we were intelligent.”

It was a surprise for me, says Vitor Pereira after Wolves’ big win at Leicester

Gary Neville calls for ‘cultural overhaul’ at Manchester United after latest embarrassment

15:55 , Chris Wilson

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has reiterated the need for a “cultural overhaul” at the club after Ruben Amorim’s side fell to another humbling defeat at the weekend.

Speaking on his podcast on Sky Sports, Neville said that United “are a mile away in every single way”, with several players who are “all very mediocre”.

United lost 3-0 at home to Bournemouth on Sunday, with a disjointed performance that was defensively poor and often lacking in attacking threat.

Gary Neville calls for ‘cultural overhaul’ at Man Utd after latest embarrassment

Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim questions ‘choices’ of ‘people around’ Marcus Rashford

15:45 , Chris Wilson

Ruben Amorim has questioned the “choices” of people surrounding Marcus Rashford while offering his support to the Manchester Unitedstriker.

Rashford sat out a third successive game on Sunday as United crashed to a 3-0 Premier League home defeat to Bournemouth, the 27-year-old having also been omitted for a 2-1 derby win at Manchester City and Thursday’s 4-3 Carabao Cup quarter-final loss at Tottenham.

Two days before that Spurs defeat, Rashford had said in an eye-catching interview that he was “ready for a new challenge and the next steps” of a career which began in the United academy.

Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim questions ‘choices’ of ‘people around’ Marcus Rashford

Is Wolves vs Man Utd on TV?

15:35 , Chris Wilson

When is Wolves v Manchester United?

The match kicks off at 5.30pm GMT on Boxing Day, Thursday, 26 December at the Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton.

How can I watch the match?

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Amazon Prime Video, with the streaming service showing every Boxing Day fixture in the Premier League.

If you want to stream major sporting events while you are travelling or watching from abroad you’ll need a VPN. Get the best VPN deals in the UK. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.

Predicted line-ups

15:25 , Lawrence Ostlere

Wolves XI: Sa; Doherty, Bueno, Gomes; Semedo, Andre, Gomes, Ait-Nouri; Guedes, Cunha; Larsen.

Man Utd XI: Onana; De Ligt, Maguire, Martinez; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot; Diallo, Fernandes, Hojlund.

Team news

15:20 , Chris Wilson

Team news

15:15 , Chris Wilson

Wolves vs Manchester United LIVE

15:10 , Chris Wilson

Wolves host Manchester United in the Premier League on Boxing Day, with new boss Vitor Pereira looking to build on what was a perfect start last weekend.

Wolves beat fellow strugglers Leicester 3-0 away last time out, and they are now just two points behind the Foxes, though they are still just about in the relegation zone.

However, three points against United could take Wolves above Leicester – who face Liverpool today – and they will be more confident of getting a result after watching United lose 3-0 to Bournemouth last weekend.

Ruben Amorim’s side were humbled by the Cherries in a performance that’ll worry both fans and the manager, and they sit in 13th – the first time that they have spent Christmas in the bottom half since 1989.

United are nine points off Nottingham Forest in fourth, and they need a win here to relieve some of the pressure on the squad and their new manager.

Wolves vs Manchester United LIVE

15:01 , Chris Wilson

Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of this evening’s match between Wolves and Manchester United at the Molineux.

New manager Vitor Pereira is looking for two wins from his opening two matches after an impressive 3-0 victory in his first game in charge, while Ruben Amorim has just two wins in the league since taking charge in early November.

We’ll have all the latest news, build-up and updates here.

Read the full article here