Manchester United prepare for first match under new manager Rúben Amorim

Manchester United will finally move on from the Erik ten Hag era this weekend, when new manager Rúben Amorim coaches his first game for the club against Ipswich Town on Sunday.

The Portuguese’s arrival at Old Trafford had been delayed by his old club, Sporting Clube de Portugal, and due to United Kingdom visa issues.

Now that he is in England, let’s take a look at how Man Utd’s new manager could affect your EPL bets.

New manager bounce?

If you have read any EPL predictions for Sunday’s Ipswich Town vs. Manchester United match, you have seen the words “new manager bounce.”

Basically, Man Utd were so bad under Ten Hag that they have to do better under Amorim. This could happen, but there’s plenty of reason to doubt it too.

Unlike Ruud van Nistelrooy, who made basic changes to Man Utd’s tactics and put players in their more natural positions, Amorim’s tactics are a complete revolution compared to Ten Hag’s.

For one, Amorim plays with three central defenders and more central attacking midfielders than wingers. Man Utd do not have a lot of central defenders and have a lot of wingers.

This means we are sure to see some players playing out of position or in new roles this weekend. These players could hit the ground running, but they will more likely need some time to adapt.

Amorim’s first Man Utd lineup

Speaking of the players, Rúben Amorim will have to make a lot of big calls ahead of this weekend’s game.

Picking which three defenders will make up his back line and whether to stick with Rasmus Hojlund up front are the biggest issues. The role of club captain Bruno Fernandes is another one to watch.

The Man Utd number eight has played in a deeper role for Portugal in the past, but he’s almost always played as an attacker for United. Either could be possible this weekend.

Here is our predicted lineup for Amorim’s first game:

Onana; de Ligt, Evans, Martinez; Dalot, Fernandes, Ugarte, Mazraoui; Diallo, Hojlund, Rashford

Ipswich Town vs. Manchester United

While we have questions about how quickly players will adapt, the soccer betting sites are confident that the Red Devils will walk away from Portman Road with all three points.

PlayUp has Man Utd as $1.60 favourites, with Ipswich as underdogs at $4.85. We’re not convinced it will be this easy for Amorim’s side though.

Ipswich impressed before the international break with a 2-1 win over Tottenham. They’ve also gotten good results against better sides like Brighton and Aston Villa.

We could easily see the Tractor Boys setting up shop and making it very difficult for Man Utd to score this weekend.

Conclusion

In the end though, we can’t look past Amorim’s record in Portugal. If he is even half as good as a manager as he seemed with Sporting, he should win this match. We predict a 2-1 victory for Man Utd.