The 2015-16 Premier League season draws to a close on Tuesday evening as Manchester United and Bournemouth face off in a rearranged match at Old Trafford.
Sunday's original fixture was abandoned due to a bomb scare, which later turned out to be a false alarm, meaning that league officials had to make an unprecedented decision in moving the match back two days.
Manchester United
© Getty ImagesHeading into that originally-scheduled fixture at the weekend, United still had an outside hope of rescuing a place in the top four of the division if results went their way.
For that to happen, rivals Manchester City needed to slip up in their meeting with Swansea City in South Wales but, after picking up the point they required, the picture now looks bleak for the Red Devils and manager Louis van Gaal in particular.
Only a 19-goal victory will now do for United against Bournemouth if they are to contest in the Champions League next season which, barring a miracle at the Theatre of Dreams, will not be the case for disgruntled home supporters.
A recent run of one defeat in 11 was enough to see rumours over Van Gaal's future move aside for a few short weeks, but a costly 3-2 reverse at West Ham United a week ago soon saw the Dutchman return to the back pages.
Incredibly, despite what is widely considered to have been a terrible season for the club, the 13-time Premier League champions still had their fate in their own hands heading into the closing stages of the campaign.
That was largely down to Man City's inability to find any sort of consistency, although United could not take advantage and soon allowed momentum to swing back in their rivals' favour with that dramatic setback in the final match to be staged at Upton Park.
Now all Van Gaal and his men have to fight for is a fifth-place finish, realistically speaking, which can be secured on Tuesday night with just a single point against the Cherries.
It is not all doom and gloom at Old Trafford, of course, with that point being enough to at least secure an automatic passage into the Europa League, while the Red Devils also have an FA Cup final to look forward to next weekend.
You certainly would not bet against United getting the job done on home soil, either, having won six of their last seven games in front of their own supporters and taking 38 points from their 18 games there so far.
That is a tally only champions Leicester City (42) can better, but a serious lack of goals both home and away - finding the net just 46 times all term - is likely to cost the club a place in Europe's showpiece competition for just the second time in 25 years.
Should that be the case, and United fail to score the 19 goals required in their final outing, then it will reportedly set them back around £100m in lost revenue - surely enough for many fans to get their wish in seeing the back of Van Gaal.
Recent form in Premier League: LWWDWL
Recent form (all competitions): WWWDWL
Bournemouth
© Getty ImagesIf staying up in their maiden campaign in the English top flight was seen as a major achievement for Bournemouth, then repeating that feat a second time around will be equally admirable.
Their season may not yet have officially ended due to Sunday afternoon's security blunder, but already two of the Cherries' top performers have been heavily linked with moves away from the south coast.
Both Callum Wilson and Matt Ritchie have reportedly been targeted by West Ham in a £25m swoop, suggesting that the Premier League minnows have plenty of work to do this summer to keep their playing party fully intact.
Had things gone to plan this week, then Howe would have spent Monday afternoon speaking to each member of his squad and making the call on whether to stick or twist heading into next season.
As it is, the impressive English coach has had to wait a few extra days for those one-to-one chats, which he himself admits will leave many of his players feeling anxious.
Howe also claimed that motivating his group for the rearranged match will not be easy in itself, particularly after so much initial confusion in the hours following the decision to abandon Sunday's game.
The good news for the Cherries, if you can call it that, is they now know exactly what a win will do for their final league position after the conclusion of the other fixtures at the weekend.
Should they pull off a league double over the Red Devils, Bournemouth will climb two places into 14th - marking what would be a fine achievement for a side that so many backed for an immediate return to the second tier.
Their recent form, in which the south coast outfit have taken just four points from a possible 21, may suggest that the wheels have fallen off slightly, but that is largely down to survival essentially being secured a long time ago.
Shoring up at the back will now be the big summer target for Everton-linked Howe, who has seen his side concede 64 times so far this season - the second-highest tally in the division in that regard.
For those expecting a straightforward home victory in this midweek tussle, however, it is worth pointing out that Bournemouth have in fact won more games on their travels this term (6) than they have at the Goldsands Stadium (5).
Recent form in Premier League: LWLLLD
Team News
© Getty ImagesBoth managers are allowed to alter their starting lineups should they wish, having named their respective sides prior to the match being called off 20 minutes before kickoff on Sunday.
Marcos Rojo and Matteo Darmian are not expected to be fit enough to play a part for the Red Devils, despite the two days of extra rest, with Van Gaal initially making three changes to his team.
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Michael Carrick and Jesse Lingard were the men to come back into the fold and, unless the Dutchman decides on a further reshuffle, they will each be given the nod on Tuesday night.
Howe has had no injury problems to contend with, meanwhile, but that did not stop him from making five changes when naming his original starting lineup.
Sylvain Distin and Adam Smith will certainly both be absent for this final fixture of the Premier League season, though, as they nurse back and hernia injuries respectively.
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, Blind, Borthwick-Jackson; Carrick, Rooney; Mata, Lingard, Martial; Rashford
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Federici; Francis, Elphick, Cook, Daniels; Ritchie, Arter, Surman, Pugh; King, Wilson
Head To Head
Bournemouth won the reverse meeting 2-1 on the south coast in what was the first ever league encounter between these two sides.
Junior Stanislas and Joshua King scored either side of Marouane Fellaini's goal in that December clash to earn the Cherries a famous victory.
The Red Devils have won all four previous meetings at Old Trafford in cup competitions, however, scoring 12 times and conceding none during that run.
We say: Manchester United 2-0 Bournemouth
This really is a bizarre situation, with Premier League chiefs being given a real headache after being forced to fit this match into a tight end-of-season schedule. As it turns out, the top four is effectively out of reach for the hosts, while Bournemouth are merely jostling for position in the lower half of the division. That said, defeat really could provide the final nail in Van Gaal's coffin, regardless of events at Wembley next Saturday, so he will be desperate for a final-day victory.
