On Thursday, March 28, Manchester United announced the permanent appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the club's manager. Since the former Red Devils player took over the reins at Old Trafford, the team managed to come out of the rut that they had found themselves in.
This weekend, Solskjaer's charges will host Watford as they continue their fight to earn a spot in the Top Four.
Former Mpumalanga Black Aces midfielder, Lehumo Itshegetseng gets in on the matches that will be taking place this weekend and gives his predictions. Do you agree with his picks?
Manchester United v Watford (English Premier League)
Match 4 Soccer 6 Pool 30 March S6 V2 P1
League Rankings: Manchester United 5th Watford 8th
Useful facts: The resurgent Red Devils are odds-on favourites to walk away victorious from this one, this even despite the disappointment of being knocked out of the FA Cup by Wolverhampton in what was a surprise result. Watford, meanwhile, are in high spirits, after getting the better of Crystal Palace in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup with a scoreline of 2-1, so they will give it a good fight. A win for Manchester United will ensure they surpass the 60-point mark and edge closer to third place, especially if results concerning Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal go in their favour. The last time the two sides met, in September 2018, it was the home side that registered a victory and 2-1 it was.
Lehumo Itshegetseng: Manchester United win
Middlesbrough v Norwich City (Championship)
Match 5 Soccer 6 Pool 30 March S6 V2 P1
League Rankings: Middlesbrough 5th Norwich City 1st
Useful facts: Norwich City have been very impressive this season and look set for a return to the English Premier League, but with only four points separating them and second-placed Sheffield United, they cannot afford any slip-up, which makes this fixture incredibly important to their promotion hopes. Middlesbrough have not been doing too badly themselves, although they are too far behind the top three teams on the league table in terms of points accumulated and the best they could hope for is fourth place. Playing at home, they will look to give the visitors a tough time. They will also be out to bounce back in style, as they suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa before the international break. Norwich City have scored a whopping 77 goals in 38 league matches, though, and they will surely pose a real attacking threat on the day.
Lehumo Itshegetseng: Middlesbrough win
Bidvest Wits v Chippa United (Nedbank Cup)
Match 6 Soccer 6 Pool 30 March S6 V2 P1
League Rankings: Bidvest Wits 2nd Chippa United 14th
Useful facts: Bidvest Wits at home are a tough nut to crack and they should be no different this Saturday evening against a Chippa United side that perhaps should be focusing more on their league struggles. The Chilli Boys should not be taken lightly though, especially in light of the fact that they knocked out a giant, in Mamelodi Sundowns, in the last round. On their day, they are exciting to watch, but their tendency to concede what appear to be silly goals been their biggest let-down. Against the Students, who boast an array of talented attackers like Gift Motupa, Simon Murray, Lehlohonolo Majoro and Gabadinho Mhango, they cannot afford to let their guard down, or else they will be punished. Wits themselves have 'bigger fish to fry' in the form of the league title chase and it will be interesting to see what sort of line-up Gavin Hunt comes up with, as they have a vital league game against Orlando Pirates a week later. Either way, this promises to be quite a game.
Lehumo Itshegetseng: Bidvest Wits win
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