This weekend’s match up between Manchester United and Hull promises to be a nail biting affair. With Hull third from bottom and currently in the relegation zone and United being pushed down to third in the table behind the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea there clearly will be a lot at stake this Saturday as The Tigers visit Old Trafford. iSporter Chirag Mansukhani previews the action.
United started the New Year just behind the then league leaders Chelsea and Sir Alex Ferguson had said they could win the title if they were within touching distance of Chelsea at the New Year. United clearly have a good opportunity to win a record fourth consecutive Premier League title but that’s definitely going to be easier said than done considering Chelsea’s hammering of Sunderland this past weekend and Arsenal striking form at the right time, lead from the front by their captain, “The Fabulous” Fabregas.
Hull will be looking to climb out of the bottom three with a result; although going to The Theatre of Dreams and coming back with even a point is something that few teams can boast of. However, they will be buoyed by the addition of Phil Brown’s newest recruit Amr Zaki. Things look difficult for Hull at the moment but there is good news in the form of Jimmy Bullard as he looks set to make his return by the end of this month.
Manchester United have problems of their own with the midweek loss to their rivals Manchester City in the Carling Cup semi-final first leg and the controversy surrounding Gary Neville and his seemingly one fingered gesture to Ex- United man Carlos Tevez . But that’s something they will have to put behind themselves if they are to stake their claim for a fourth consecutive Premier League title.
United have shown character this season especially with the scores of injury problems that have left the back line exposed. Their lack of defensive options has left them vulnerable at the back and they have not been able to take advantage when Chelsea have occasionally slipped up. However, they have still managed to stay within touching distance of Chelsea.
The Red Devils have quite frankly been short of options up front as well, with all the pressure falling on the shoulders of Wayne Rooney. Berbatov has not quite lived up to the expectations of the fans or the 30 million pound price tag that he has come with. Despite what Sir Alex Ferguson says it is quite clear that United are missing the likes of Ronaldo and Tevez. The holy trinity, as they were known as, caused havoc amongst defenses and that is something that United continue to miss as they have failed to score at will this season. Even against Burnley they were frustrated for more than an hour before they had their opening goal. However, things are looking up for United with their defensive unit somewhat coming back into shape and their striking options seemingly improving with Berbatov scoring the opener against the Clarets and young gun Mame Biram Diouf adding to Burnleys’ woes.
United will be looking to get back on top of the Barclays Premier League this weekend with a strong win against Hull to send a clear statement of intent to their title rivals. However I would not write Hull off just yet as stranger things have known to happen in football, especially against clubs fighting for Premiership survival. After all, football is a strange game, isn’t it? All said and done this weekend’s match is all set to be a scorcher as it pits sides at opposite ends of the table against each other with both clubs having lots to play for.
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