It's becoming very evident that Louis van Gaal isn't going to around Manchester United for all that much longer. A 2-0 loss at Stoke on Boxing Day likely sealed his fate once and for all, though at the publication of this article, he still had his job intact. With a game to be played on Monday yet against Chelsea, there's still plenty of time for LVG to be sent away from Old Trafford heading into Saturday's showdown with Swansea City.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
Swansea of course, has already had its share of woes this season. It pulled its way out of the relegation zone on Boxing Day by beating West Brom, and that gave interim manager Alan Curtis his first win replacing the sacked Garry Monk.
This though, is going to be a tall test even if United has failed to win its last seven league matches. The Red Devils are going to be odds on favorites at home in this one, though the margin probably won't be as high now as it might've been six or seven weeks ago had this fixture come up.
KEY INJURIES
Jesse Lingard has a good chance to return to the lineup on Saturday against Swansea if he doesn’t make it back for the Chelsea match. He's been battling a hamstring problem and would be a welcome reentry into the lineup for the Red Devils whether van Gaal is still managing the team at that point or not. Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo and Valencia are all long term absentees.
Swansea is merely without the services of Franck Tabanou, who has a thigh injury and has yet to return to the fold since the beginning of December.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"You saw in the last two games we played well, we have performed better. Players have confidence, so we are not worried about the situation." – Swansea striker Ki Sung-Yueng on whether the Swans are bothered by the threat of relegation from the Premier League this season
RECENT FORM
Swansea was beaten 2-1 by Manchester City on December 12, but that loss might've been what changed the season. The Swans weren't overmatched that day, and that might've bolstered them to a 0-0 draw against West Ham and a 1-0 win over West Brom. We'll see how things go against Crystal Palace on Monday, but one has to think that two points from that away match and this one would be considered a triumph.
As we mentioned before, Man U's woes were heightened again with a 2-0 loss at Stoke City. The Red Devils were badly outplayed, and they now have four straight losses overall across all competitions, three of which have come here in the Premier League.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
In the first meeting of the year, Swansea picked up a 2-1 win over Manchester United, as the Swans erased a 1-0 deficit at the interval by scoring twice in the second half for a much-deserved victory.
The key is going to be getting Bafetimbi Gomis out in open space. He can be such a great striker at the top of the formation, but he just isn't getting a lot of help right now from his midfield. If that changes, the Swans are going to have a shot of going on the road and adding more misery to Manchester United.
That said, we have a good feeling that the Red Devils are going to have a new boss by Saturday who can get something different out of the team that LVG hasn't been able to get in recent months. Maybe it's Wayne Rooney regaining his form after getting dropped from the lineup on Boxing Day. Maybe it's Juan Mata getting back to his scoring ways. Maybe it's letting Bastian Schweinsteiger do more creative things out on the wing. Whatever it is, we can't imagine that United isn't going to win this match with a new boss in charge.
Manchester United 3, Swansea 1
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