Manchester United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers preview, team news, tickets & prediction
As they prepare for their curtain-raiser against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Manchester United fans will do well to realize that their club will be one of the most scrutinized in the 2023/24 season.
The Red Devils will be one of the most followed teams in the 2023/24 Premier League season, not because of their status as a club globally but because of the promise of then becoming title contenders once more.
There is also their peculiar transfer activity which many analysts have tried to dissect on several broadcasts and web articles.
The club have signed Mason Mount to a midfield that, on paper, does not look like it needs a player of his profile. The 24-year-old left a future captaincy role at Chelsea to work under Erik ten Hag, who has made sure to play him in every single pre-season game leading up to their opener against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Many will be interested in seeing how the Dutch manager will handle Mount and where the English midfielder will play.
Having played with Wout Weghorst for the second half of last season, they have brought in Danish striker Rasmus Højlund in a bid to stabilize their attack. The 20-year-old striker is being compared to his fellow Scandinavian at Manchester City, Erling Haaland. A battle for supremacy is expected between both players who are of a similar build and have a similar playing style.
A lot is going on at Manchester United but Wolves have their own drama as well.
They let go of Julen Lopetegui only a few days before their trip to Old Trafford to open their 2023/24 season. Backroom drama involving transfers is cited as the reason and now, former Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil has been handed the reins to the club. He has less than a week to get to know his players ahead of a baptism of fire at Old Trafford.
It will be an interesting game to follow and an interesting season for both sets of fans, who are already crafting their critiques of the way their clubs have handled (and will handle) situations thus far.
There is also a lot to look forward to as Wolves will be hoping to find their feet early in the season to prevent a repeat of the near-catastrophe which almost saw them relegated to the EFL Championship for the 2023/24 season.
Read on for more match information.
Match Tickets
The Manchester United vs Wolves match is scheduled for 13 August 2023 at 8 PM.
It is a fitting end to matchday 1 of the 2023/24 Premier League season which kicks off on Friday 11 August 2023. The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports and on other broadcast partners around the world.
Tickets for the match are on sale on the official websites of both teams. They are fast selling out. Many traveling fans will have to resort to resellers for their Manchester United vs Wolves tickets.
Some home fans will also need the services of these resellers because the opening day of the 2023/24 season is projected to do big numbers across all 20 teams and the broadcasters who will be beaming the games straight into the homes of over 100 million people worldwide.
As implied earlier, both Manchester United tickets and Wolves tickets will be highly sought after among the fans of both clubs and the neutrals who have chosen to follow the games of both clubs.
Gary O’Neil and Erik ten Hag will have to put on a show to close out the first matchday of the new season as we welcome the Premier League back into rotation.
Team news
Manchester United look to have reinstated Mason Greenwood after his domestic abuse scandal that saw him miss a full year of football action. The 21-year-old is back on the club’s website in their first-team squad list but he is far from returning to the team.
His return to the club continues to divide opinion. However, he has been omitted from the team’s provisional squad list which was submitted to the Premier League administration by Manchester United on Thursday 10 August 2023. This could change in a few days or by the next transfer window.
Until then, fans who have hoped for the number 11’s return against Wolves in their 2023/24 curtain raiser will have to wait longer for news.
André Onana will move straight into goal to replace David De Gea. This is the most significant change that the club has experienced in their squad.
Fans will also have to wait for their Højlund VS Haaland comparisons to begin as the Denmark international is ruled out of United’s next few games due to an injury.
His return date is unknown, leaving United without a striker as Antony Martial is still on the sidelines. The Frenchman has an earlier return date, however.
Wolves have officially bagged Matheus Cunha for €50 million after taking up their option to buy in the player’s loan deal from Atlético de Madrid. He is not a new addition but he will give the team a big boost, especially in the absence of Raul Jimenez, who left for Fulham earlier in the transfer window.
Wolves have also welcomed back Goncalo Guedes and Matt Doherty, and have signed Boubacar Traoré to reinforce their midfield after captain Ruben Neves departed for Al-Hilal.
Transfer issues led to the departure of Lopetegui which means that O’Neil may only have these players at his disposal until January.
Their season will be interesting to follow for neutrals.
Lineups
Onana will be in goal for Manchester United and he will be guarded by ten Hag’s trusted generals Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.
On the wings of defence will be Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, if Erik ten Hag chooses to go a little more defensive. Else it will be Portugal international Diogo Dalot taking up the right side of the defence.
The midfield will have new club captain Bruno Fernandes marshaling it, with Casemiro and Christian Eriksen. This is why it will be interesting to see how Mount is used.
Without a striker, Rashford will have to take up points as the centre forward as they look for an opening-day win against Wolves.
Wolves will be playing without Ruben Neves and Raul Jimenez for the first Premier League season since their return in 2018. New signing Traoré could come in to take the Portugal international’s place while Cunha will play in the striker role.
Matt Doherty is back to the club and he could slot right back into the right-back role he occupied before he left for Tottenham Hotspur in 2020.
With the departure of fast-rising centre-back Nathan Collins for Brentford, O’Neill will have to field a new pairing in the Premier League.
Guedes is back, however, which gives the team an extra bite in attack.
Manchester United: Onana; Shaw, Varane, Martinez, Wan-Bissaka; Casemiro, Eriksen; Fernandes, Mount, Antony; Rashford
Wolves: José Sá; Kilman, Dawson, Aït-Nouri, Semedo; Traoré, Nunes, Gomes; Guedes, Cunha, Neto
Prediction
Manchester United will win their opening match and it will be a comfortable victory. This is because O’Neil will not have enough time to prepare even though he recently managed a Premier League team.
The game will see a few chances created by Wolves, who have attackers that are quick on their feet and able to craft goalscoring opportunities. However, the defensive capability of Varane and Martinez, which helped David de Gea keep the most clean sheets in the league last season, will come to play.
Manchester United 2-0 Wolves.
