Confidentiality maintains the winning streak! Manchester United will not disclose whether the three Africa Cup players can participate, while Bournemouth’s key player is absent.

According to English media reports, before Monday night’s home match against Bournemouth, Manchester United will keep undisclosed the status of the three internationals participating in the Africa Cup. Ruben Amorim stated on Friday that the club is uncertain if Mbemou, Amad Diallo, and Mazraoui will be available for the game. He mentioned a final decision would be reached on Saturday, but the Red Devils have kept the negotiations secret without releasing any information.

These three players have already been called up by their respective national football associations to participate in the biennial Africa Cup tournament. Manchester United has been negotiating with the football federations of Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Morocco, hoping to allow them to complete the Premier League match against Bournemouth before heading to Morocco. In the last two matches, Mbemou, Amad, and Mazraoui all started as first-choice players.

Insiders within the club revealed that they do not want to disclose the players’ participation status before the match. The secrecy is primarily intended to affect Bournemouth’s preparation. The "Cherry Army" recently achieved two 3-0 away victories at Old Trafford and remains unbeaten in four matches against Manchester United. Amorim hopes to keep the opponents in the dark about the lineup they will face.

The three Africa Cup internationals continued their regular training on Saturday, and Manchester United will hold a final practice session on Sunday before the match. Amorim disclosed at the pre-match press conference that the team practiced two different starting lineups during the week’s training. If Mbemou, Amad, and Mazraoui are absent, Zirkzee, Patrick Doku, and Lenny Yaro are likely to replace them. In this scenario, Portuguese fullback Diogo Dalot will return to the right flank, with Doku playing as the left wing-back.

The 20-year-old academy rising star Kobe Meno is also eager to earn his first Premier League start since May, and his first this season. He could compete with Dutch striker Zirkzee for the number 10 position, partnering with Cunha and Mason Mount to form a strikerless formation.

If Manchester United manages to avenge their loss by defeating Bournemouth, they will secure back-to-back Premier League wins again. The opponent’s form is not ideal; Andoni Iraola’s team has gone six games without a win, while Manchester United has lost only one of their last nine matches. With Crystal Palace facing Manchester City this round, a United victory could see them enter the top five. However, breaking into the top four seems unlikely unless they achieve at least an eight-goal win to match Chelsea’s goal difference…

Iraola revealed before the match that Bournemouth’s key defender Marcos Senesi may be sidelined due to injury. He has been one of the team’s best performers this season, even outperforming their star player Antoine Semenyo.

Iraola said, "I think the situation is similar to last week. Marcos (Senesi) experienced muscle cramps at the end of the match and is still troubled by this issue, but there is no serious muscle injury. So we hope he can participate on Monday, but it is still uncertain. This situation is a bit strange because we still have three days left, so it’s hard to predict what will happen ultimately. However, it should be similar to last weekend’s condition."

If Senesi cannot play at Old Trafford, Bournemouth will face the challenge of missing five players. Veljko Milosavljevic, Ryan Christie, and Ben Gannon-Dock are all sidelined due to injury, while Lewis Cook is suspended.

Manchester United’s predicted starting lineup against Bournemouth: Sène Ramens / Mazraoui (Yaro), Eden Haven, Luke Shaw / Amad (Doku), Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Dalot / Mbemou (Zirkzee or Meno), Cunha, Mount.