Manchester United are in search of their second consecutive win as they visit Ipswich on Sunday.
Life in the Premier League has been far from easy for Ipswich (W1, D5, L5). However, they finally managed to secure their first win of the season before the international break by defeating Tottenham 2-1 away from home. This victory is a positive sign for The Tractor Boys, as their last consecutive top-flight wins occurred during their previous Premier League campaign in 2001/02, starting with a 2-1 triumph over Tottenham!
Unfortunately, Ipswich is the only team in the Premier League that has yet to win on their own turf this season (D3, L2). This puts Kieran McKenna’s team in desperate need of better performances at Portman Road. History shows that all five newly-promoted teams who failed to win any of their first six home games ended up being relegated. Therefore, Ipswich will be determined to turn things around as soon as possible. However, their upcoming match against Manchester United, a team they haven’t defeated in any competition since the beginning of this century (D1, L4), is unlikely to boost confidence.
United is set to embark on another new chapter with the appointment of Ruben Amorim as their sixth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Amorim, at a young age, follows in the footsteps of Wilf McGuinness, becoming the youngest person to lead the Red Devils since 1969. Despite their current position in the bottom half of the league, Amorim joins a team that is on a four-match unbeaten streak under the interim guidance of Ruud van Nistelrooy (W3, D1).
During the international break, several key players have recovered from their injuries and are now back in training. Kobbie Mainoo, Leny Yoro, and Luke Shaw’s return brings United close to full strength for the first time in 18 months.
This will undoubtedly benefit them as they aim to extend their impressive unbeaten run of 19 matches against newly promoted teams (W17, D2). Notably, United has also triumphed in their last nine away fixtures against such teams – a feat only previously achieved by Chelsea with 21 consecutive wins from 2002-08.
