Manchester United v Bournemouth preview: kick-off time, team news and form

Manchester United host Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday 25th October, with kick-off at 2.00pm UK time in the 2026-27 Premier League.

It's a meeting of two sides struggling for consistency near the wrong end of the table. United sit 14th with just seven points from seven games, while Bournemouth are 16th on six points from their seven matches, so there's plenty riding on it for both as they look to kickstart their campaigns.

United go into the weekend without a win in their last five Premier League outings, a run reading DLDDD, with draws against Everton, Fulham and Spurs sandwiched around a home defeat to Manchester City and a share of the spoils at Leeds last time out. Bournemouth's recent league form has been patchier still, DDLLW, including a heavy 5-1 loss at Chelsea, though Michael Carrick's opposite numbers will take heart from a 2-0 win over Sunderland in their last outing. Widen the lens to all competitions and the Cherries arrive full of confidence, having won three on the bounce including Europa League victories over Sturm Graz and AC Milan, the latter a 3-0 thrashing in which former United boss Ruben Amorim endured a difficult return to English football as his Milan side had a keeper sent off, as reported by The Sun (The Sun) (The Sun) and the Mirror (Mirror).

Michael Carrick remains in the United dugout despite the pressure on him, with talkSPORT reporting he "will be on the touchline" against Bournemouth this weekend (talkSPORT). Sports Mole reports that Carrick is set to receive a boost with Ayden Heaven expected to return to his squad (Sports Mole), while there has also been talk of friction behind the scenes, with goalkeeper Senne Lammens giving his view on Bruno Fernandes' reported frustration over tactics, according to Sports Mole (Sports Mole).

For Bournemouth, Sports Mole's predicted lineup suggests goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic will return between the posts after sitting out the win over Milan, while captain Adam Smith was also among those left out of that European tie (Sports Mole). The Bournemouth Echo notes that rotation is likely to continue as the Cherries head to Manchester (Bournemouth Echo), and AFC Bournemouth's own site previews the game with a quote on involving youngster Junior Kroupi, saying "the plan is to give Junior some minutes" (AFCB.co.uk). The Bournemouth Echo also previews the trip as a chance for the Cherries to "compound United misery and continue" their own improving form (Bournemouth Echo).

Pundits have been weighing in too, with Football365 reporting that Jamie Carragher and Alan Shearer have both given their predictions for how the game at Old Trafford will go (Football365).

You can follow the match from kick-off at 2.00pm UK time on Sunday 25th October.

Written with the help of AI, using the match facts and the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.