Chris Sutton has made his prediction for Ruben Amorim’s first game in charge of Manchester United.
The Red Devils travel to Portman Road to face Ipswich Town on Sunday as the Amorim era begins; the Portuguese coach taking over from Erik ten Hag following a brief interim spell under Ruud van Nistelrooy.
United have certainly improved since Ten Hag’s departure, winning three and drawing one of their last four matches, compared to just one win in their last eight under the Dutchman.
On paper, a match against a newly promoted side should be a great way for Amorim to start his reign. However, Ipswich have taken four points from their last two games and shocked Tottenham 2-1 away just before the international break; their first Premier League win since April 2002.
Amorim will hope he’s managed to get some of his early messaging through to his new squad, who will need to be at their best to take all three points.
Ruben Amorim to make stuttering start at Man Utd?
Chris Sutton has predicted this weekend’s clash for BBC Sport and it doesn’t make for good reading for United fans.
The former Blackburn and Celtic striker doesn’t foresee a defeat for United, which would represent a disastrous start for Amorim. However, he doesn’t think the Red Devils will be able to overcome their hosts.
“I am guessing this is Amorim’s first visit to Ipswich and he will probably be a bit underwhelmed, because there are much nicer cities in East Anglia to visit,” Sutton wrote.
“It’s not the ideal place for him to get started with Manchester United either.
“Ipswich’s win at Tottenham will give them real belief and they have had three draws already at home, so they will be competitive, especially if United are adapting to a new system – a lot of their players are coming back from international duty and haven’t had time to work with Amorim.
“United will have some defending to do because Sammie Szmodics is lively up front and Liam Delap is a handful too — his stats for goal involvements, including assists, is really impressive. Ipswich just need to stop being so careless defensively. If they do that, they could get something from this game.
“Everyone else is probably going to put Amorim to start with a win, but I am going for a draw.
“After all the excitement and the hype about the apparent upgrade, then it is unthinkable for United to lose to the Tractor Boys, but imagine if they do drop points?”
