Manchester United v West Brom: Inside track on the Red Devils
West Brom face a tough trip to Old Trafford this weekend, get to know their opponents here.
We spoke with Dom Booth, United writer for the Manchester Evening News, to get a proper look at them.
See what he had to say here.
How has the start of the season treated United, it seems to have been a tad inconsistent so far for them?
Inconsistent has certainly been the word. They can veer dramatically from excellent performances (PSG and Leipzig in the Champions League, Newcastle and Everton in the Premier League) to games where they completely switch off and are too easily beaten.
There's a sense that they are steadily improving after they clearly looked short of match sharpness at the start of the season. It's all about stringing results together now and getting up the table.
It's a bit unusual seeing the Red Devils in the bottom half of the table, is there serious pressure building on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - and what could a defeat to Albion mean for him?
There is always pressure on a United manager, but Solskjaer retains the support of the club's hierarchy despite Mauricio Pochettino's name being bandied about.
A defeat at home to West Brom would be very damaging for the Norwegian and would see that pressure ramp up a notch or two.
What kind of football can we expect from United at Old Trafford this weekend?
Given they are at home to one of the league's strugglers, they will look to attack.
That has always been Solskjaer's priority, so it should be a fairly attacking 4-2-3-1 formation with most of the main attacking players on the pitch.
Are there any injury or Covid worries for United heading into the game?
Luke Shaw hobbled off against Everton just before the international break, so he's out, along with Eric Bailly and Jesse Lingard.
There's a worry over another left-back, in Alex Telles, after a covid-19 outbreak in the Brazil international camp. United will be hoping Telles is okay, otherwise Brandon Williams will be forced to step in at left-back.
Marcus Rashford pulled out of England duty with a shoulder problem but he's expected to be fine.
What's your predicted XI?
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Williams; Fred, McTominay; Mata, Fernandes, Rashford; Martial.
Albion have often had some joy taking on United at Old Trafford in previous Premier League seasons. Are the Baggies a bit of a traditional bogey team for them, and why?
Lots of teams appear to be bogey teams for United at Old Trafford these days!
Their home form has been really poor, in contrast to some fantastic away form.
The challenge for United under Solskjaer is to swat aside these kind of teams at home.
What have you made of the Baggies from afar, do you think they have what it takes to survive in the PL this season?
They seem to have a decent set-up under Slaven Billic and obviously played brilliantly in that Chelsea game, which they should have won.
I think they'll be in the relegation battle along with the likes of Fulham, Burnley, Sheffield United and perhaps a couple of others.
Your match prediction?
3-0 to United.
I think this will be the game where they produce a convincing home display.
