Amid all the hype surrounding the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to the club where he became one of the best players in the world, there is the small matter of a quite significant match for Manchester United before the international break. Win away to Wolverhampton Wanderers and seven points before the international break feels like a welcome return but further dropped points after the draw with Southampton would allow the leading pack to pull away from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.
Here is how you can watch the match and what you need to know:
Viewing information
- Date: Sunday, Aug. 29 | Time: 11:30 a.m. ET
- Location: Molineux -- Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
- TV: NBCSN | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
- Odds: Wolves +380; Draw +250; Manchester United -125 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
Wolves: Under new manager Bruno Lage, Wolves have cut loose from what had become a more conservative style under Nuno Espirito Santo. Two games into the season only Liverpool have more shots to their name than Wolves, Yet, so far, that has not translated into wins or even goals with back to back 1-0 defeats to Leicester City and Tottenham.
The question for Lage might be whether the time is right to scale down his side's ambition, particularly as there are few sides more adept at taking their opponents to task on the counter attack. It is much too soon for any worries about Wolves longer term prospects this season after such a brutish fixture list, but it might be nice to build some scoreboard momentum.
Craving even more coverage of the world's game? Listen below and follow ¡Qué Golazo! A Daily CBS Soccer Podcast where we take you beyond the pitch and around the globe for commentary, previews, recaps and more.
Manchester United: With Ronaldo to come, likely in the first game back after the international break at home to Newcastle, the fight is on for starting spots around him. Mason Greenwood will surely have to concede his spot as the starting center forward but it would be both cruel to remove him from the side entirely and a tough ask for him to displace Jadon Sancho on the right, assuming the new signing begins to get a run of games in the coming weeks.
There will be plenty more of these selection dilemmas that develop for Solskjaer over the next few months. He now has a group of Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, Greenwood and Marcus Rashford just to potentially play through the middle. Keeping all these players and many others happy and engaged will be a challenge that begins on Sunday.
Prediction
Early on this season Wolves have been much better than their results might suspect -- tomorrow could be the moment that their performances get rewarded. PICK: Wolves 1 Manchester United 1
