Swansea City vs Man Utd - Match Preview

By Kyle Gammon /

Rafael misses out, plus Jonny Evans is a doubt for the United back line. Michael Carrick, Ashley Young and Javier Hernandez are also doubts whilst midfield duo Nick Powell and Darren Fletcher are definite exclusions due to injury. As for Swansea, Pablo Hernandez is expected to make a recovery from the injury that ruled him out of the Swans' trip to Sweden last Thursday but Jonathan de Guzman will miss out after suffering a concussion on international duty with Holland. After a rocky start to his tenure as Manchester United manager, David Moyes suffered an indifferent pre-season but secured his first trophy as a manager with a two-nil victory over Wigan Athletic in last week's Community Shield tie. One player that started exactly where he left off last season is Robin van Persie. The Dutchman scored both goals in the Community Shield victory and will be looking to secure yet another Golden Boot trophy this season. Despite spirits being lifted due to this quick addition to the trophy cabinet, the new United boss has been far from impressed with their upcoming schedule. The impending trip to Swansea kicking things off, followed by games against Chelsea, Liverpool and local rivals Manchester City make up the majority of their opening five games. Whilst Moyes may not be happy with his opening fixtures, Swansea have a busy August with games coming in thick and fast due to the club's Europa League commitments. After hosting United on Saturday, Romanian side Petrolul Ploiesti face Swansea over two legs plus ties against Tottenham, West Brom and Liverpool all await the Jacks. Swansea had to rely on top goalscorer Michu to secure a one-all draw in this tie last season, cancelling out Patrice Evra's opener, but the Spaniard will now have the assistance of record signing Wilfried Bony. The pressure is on Moyes to start his career as United boss with three points but Michael Laudrup and his Swansea team will see this as a golden opportunity to snatch points off the reigning Premier League champions. Swansea City expected line-up: Vorm; Rangel, Davies, Chico, Williams; Britton, Shelvey, Routledge, Dyer, Michu; Bony Manchester United expected line-up: de Gea; Smalling, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic; Giggs, Jones, Valencia, Kagawa, Rooney; van Persie

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