The football world eagerly awaits the kick off of yet another highly-anticipated English Premier League edition as Manchester United take on Swansea City at Old Trafford in the first game of the upcoming 2014-15 season.
All eyes will be on Dutch boss Louis van Gaal who took over the helms at the Theatre of Dreams from Welshman Ryan Giggs, who was named caretaker manager after the club decided to call an end to David Moyes' disastrous reign as Manchester United boss. The experienced, former Bayern Munich coach will be looking to start life in England with a win as the Red Devils set out on their new campaign, led by newly-appointed captain Wayne Rooney.
The 28-year-old Three Lions attacker replaces Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic, who left Manchester United for Inter Milan, as Manchester United skipper after being handed the armband by Louis van Gaal.
The 20-time English Premier League champions, who missed out on European football after ending last term in seventh place, will host Swansea City without Dutch striker Robin van Persie. The 31-year-old attacker, who captained his nation at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, resumed training with his club too late to be in contention for the game on Saturday.
When asked by reporters whether the former Arsenal striker will feature for the Manchester side in their opening game, Van Gaal responded with: "No chance. He has to train."
Another star player to miss out on Manchester United's season opener is English left-back Luke Shaw, signed for £27m from Southampton, after the club revealed the 19-year-old suffered a hamstring injury in training, ruling him out for up to a month.
Swansea City on the other hand will be hoping to repeat their unforgettable 2-1 triumph at Old Trafford in the FA Cup last season as Garry Monk's men look to improve on their 12th place finish.
Manchester United vs Swansea City team sheets
Manchester United's lineup: De Gea; Jones, Smalling, Blackett; Lingard, Fletcher, Herrera, Young; Mata; Rooney (c), Hernandez
Manchester United's subs: Amos, James, M Keane, Fellaini, Kagawa, Nani, Januzaj
Swansea City's lineup Fabianski, Rangel, Amat, Williams (C), Taylor, Ki, Shelvey, Dyer, Sigurdsson, Routledge, Bony.
Swansea City's subs: Tremmel, Bartley, Richards, Tiendalli, Montero, Sheehan, Gomis.
Where to watch the match -- LIVE stream, TV listings, Start time
Watch Manchester United vs Swansea City live on Saturday, August 16, 2014:
In USA at 07:45 EST: Deportes Telemundo En Vivo, SiriusXM FC, Mun2, NBC Sports Live Extra, NBCSN
In Canada at 07:45 EST: Sportsnet West, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet World Now
In UK at 12:45 BST: BBC Radio 5 Live, BT Sport 1
In Australia at 21:45 AET: Fox Sports 1 Australia
Visit the Manchester United vs Swansea City match page for worldwide live broadcast information.
