Last updated & checked: 10/08/2021
It has been a momentous few days for Manchester United, who welcome Huddersfield Town to Old Trafford on Boxing Day. Last week, Jose Mourinho departed from the Old Trafford hot seat at last. The reign of the Portuguese coach seemed to take place under a constant cloud, with a much-publicised row with Paul Pogba being the focus of much of the press coverage of United.
Things changed on Saturday, in pretty dramatic fashion, for the Red Devils, though, in Old Gunnar Solskjaer’s first game as manager. United went down to Cardiff City, and battered the Bluebirds 5-1. Now the challenge for Solskjaer is to build momentum on the back of that victory.
For the Terriers, this looks like being a very tough trip across the Pennines from West Yorkshire. Their 3-1 home to defeat to Southampton on Saturday was Huddersfield’s fifth consecutive Premier League defeat.
Manchester United vs Huddersfield Town Prediction: Man Utd 3-0 Huddersfield
Huddersfield really struggle to score goals, which is something they are going to have to address if they want to stay in the Premier League this season. That makes it unlikely that they will trouble David De Gaea in the United net. United, in contrast, showed on Saturday that they know how to find the opposition goal well enough. We suspect that United, in what will be Solskjaer’s first home game in charge, might run riot on Boxing Day, and give their fans a festive treat when it comes to goals. We think that 3-0 looks a likely outcome.
Our recommended tip: United 3-0
Our featured tip for this game comes from Irish bookmaker Paddy Power. They are offering odds of 6/1 on our prediction of a 3-0 victory for Manchester United. All the bookies have made United strong favourites for this game. We suspect that the Red Devils might run riot in front of their own fans with Solskjaer now in charge at the club. Huddersfield have struggled to score goals and win games all season, despite their ability to graft and struggle. It will be a long afternoon for the Terriers on Boxing Day at Old Trafford.
Previous matches
These two times have played each other on just two previous occasions in the Premier League. Both of those games were last season. Each team won their home game. The first match was at the John Smith’s Stadium in October 2017. Huddersfield ran out as 2-1 winners, in the end, thanks to goals from Aaron Mooy and Laurent Depoitre. In February 2018 the two sides met at Old Trafford. This time, the Red Devils came out on top, winning 2-0. Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez scored the goals, both after half-time.
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Players to watch: Paul Pogba & Aaron Mooy
The saga surrounding the relationship between Jose Mourinho and star midfield man Paul Pogba was a recurring theme of Mourinho’s time in charge at Old Trafford. The French international and the Portuguese coach just did not seem to like each other. Mourinho’s departure seemed to have lifted a burden from Pogba’s shoulders in the weekend win over Cardiff. United fans will hope that he can play to his true potential now.
Going up against Pogba in the Huddersfield midfield is Australian international Aaron Mooy. The Terriers will need the Australian’s energy and combative qualities to prevent a heavy defeat at Old Trafford. He is also the club’s joint top scorer with two Premier League goals to his name in 2018/19. He has also made 36 tackles, at a success rate of 75%, which might well be a more relevant stat when it comes to Boxing Day’s Old Trafford clash.
