Preview: Moyes the man to beat for the Swans
Robin van Persie offered Moyes an amazing start to his competitive career last weekend. The Dutch forward was the star man as the reigning EPL champions humbled FA Cup titleholders Wigan Athletic to lift the 2013 FA Community Shield. This piece of silverware has lifted spirits in the camp of Man United.
Filling the shoes of retired boss Alex Ferguson is not going to be an easy task for David Moyes whose challenge is to record instant success. A strong start to the campaign will be needed on Matchday 1.
However, the hosts are poised to make life hard for the Red Devils. The latter’s last two visits to Swansea were a matter of very close contests. In November 2011, an early goal from Javier Hernandez was enough for United to run away with three points in the bag. It was an historic result - a rare win against the current League Cup champions. Last season, Man United wanted to repeat this feat away from home but Michu denied Patrice Evra from being the hero on the day. The game ended 1-1.
Based on these stats, the Red Devils might need to call on the experience of their new manager to enjoy a straightforward win this Saturday. Indeed, Moyes has great memories from his last two games at the Liberty Stadium. He guided Everton to a 2-0 result in March 2012 and did even better six months later, triumphing 3-0.
So Swansea have not beaten Manchester United or David Moyes since their return to the Premier League. Their record against each is the same: a draw and three defeats.
The gap between Swansea City and Manchester United is clear, as Leon Britton affirmed on Thursday when he referred to his team’s upcoming opponents as “the champions who won the league by 11 points last year.”
But one would be wrong to write off the chances of Michael Laudrup’s men. They are in red hot form, clinching resounding victories during the pre-season before trouncing Malmo 4-0 in the UEFA Europa League qualifiers recently. The encounter against Manchester United surely comes at the right time for the Swans who, as underdogs, are not under huge obligation to win.
As Britton explained:
“The whole world will be watching this game, so if we can cause an upset that would be a massive achievement for us.”
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels
In the United States, NBC will kick-off their season-long coverage of the 2013/14 English Premier League with the Swansea vs Man United fixture. Arlo White will provide live commentary of this game in company of four-time league winner Lee Dixon.
Watch Swansea City vs Manchester United live on Saturday, August 17, 2013:
In Canada at 12:30pm ET on: NBC, Sportsnet Ontario / East / West / Pacific
In UK at 17:30 BST on: Sky Sports 3D, Sky Sports 1 Ireland, Sky Sports 1/HD, Sky Go
In USA at 12:30pm ET on: Mun2, SiriusXM FC (Radio), NBC, NBC Sports Live Extra
LiveSoccerTV has TV channel info of this late EPL kick-off for viewers in China, India, Indonesia and more than 40 other countries. Simply check the match page for details. There will be live scores right from kick off at 16:30 GMT on the homepage.
