Mourinho optimistic as he faces old friend Karanka

Man U eye 5thstraight win

MANCHESTER, Dec 30, (AFP): Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is in optimistic mood as he prepares to face an old friend in Middlesbrough handler Aitor Karanka, despite facing the prospect of being without his captain.

Wayne Rooney was absent with a minor thigh problem as Manchester United recorded a fourth successive Premier League victory by beating Sunderland 3-1 on Boxing Day, and Mourinho admitted immediately after that match a quick recall may be unwise.

United are not short of attacking options even without Rooney who, in any case, has become an increasingly peripheral figure at Old Trafford this season. Mourinho has made sure of saying all the right things with regards to the England forward’s value to his club, but the fact is he has started just eight of United’s 18 league matches under Mourinho, and has not scored in the English top division since the opening weekend.

United, though, can count on goals from elsewhere as they seek to defeat opponents led by Karanka, who was Mourinho’s assistant at Real Madrid.

Swedish veteran Zlatan Ibrahimovic, having endured a mini-drought in the autumn, has well and truly put that behind him.

His neat finish against Sunderland brought his 11th goal in the last 10 matches, and took his LEICESTER, United Kingdom, Dec 30, (AFP): Claudio Ranieri admits victory is a must for Leicester City against West Ham United on Saturday, and the Italian is ready to turn to his struggling big guns in his moment of need.

Ranieri is set to recall Riyad Mahrez after dropping the Algerian star for the Boxing Day defeat to Everton.

Danny Drinkwater is expected to make his first Premier League start since November 22 after a threematch suspension and then a knee injury halted his campaign.

The pair will return with leading striker Jamie Vardy still suspended for a game Ranieri believes is pivotal to his side’s prospects of avoiding a relegation battle.

The defending champions have lost nine of their 18 league games so far, leading

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“West Ham is a must-win game,” said Ranieri, whose side reach the halfway stage of their season against the Hammers. “We have to get to ‘the turn’ at 20 points -- now we have 17. We have to win.

“We are unhappy. No-one is happy, but everyone -- the chairman me, players, sporting director -- we have to react as soon as possible and be a strong dressing room and show all the good things on the pitch. “The match versus Everton was very even then they scored twice.

“It was unbelievable but that’s football. Must concentrate, because when we concentrate we can show fantastic football.”

Mahrez is set to return after a public rebuke from Ranieri in the wake of the Everton defeat, in which he figured as a second-half substitute.

Ranieri claimed after that game the Algerian was left out to ‘stimulate’ him after below-par displays in training and, while he backtracked on his criticism ahead of the West Ham game, the manager admitted he wants more from the reigning Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) player of the year.

“I hope he has reacted well,” said Ranieri. “I watched him during training last week and he was a little tired.

“I decided to give him a rest. He will play the next match and I want to see a reaction.

“Drinkwater could be ready to start. He played 45 minutes against Everton and has worked well.”

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total in all competitions to 50 for the calendar year, a period that takes in his final months at Paris Saint-Germain and his last few games with Sweden before his summer international retirement.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan, seemingly unwanted during the opening months of the season, has hit form too. The Armenian international may be in line to start after coming on as a substitute to score with a spectacular ‘scorpion kick’ on Boxing Day, although he was a touch fortunate his third goal in three matches was not ruled out for offside.

“The team spirit I see is just fantastic,” Mourinho said.

“It is getting better every single day and I think that is showing in the way we are playing, because some of the football we have produced in recent weeks has been very good.”

Karanka has thanked Mourinho for giving him the confidence to pursue a career in management as he prepares to go up against his mentor for the first time.

The Middlesbrough manager was assistant to the Portuguese at Real Madrid for three years from 2010, and has added to his growing reputation during a three-year reign on Teesside, guiding the club back into the Premier League in May after a seven-season absence.

“It never really crossed my mind to go into management after I finished playing,” said Karanka.

“But after working with Jose for those three years, I realised that any fears you might have about taking the plunge aren’t important.

“He has a great way about him, a manner with the players and I learned so much from him about how to make things work.” Manchester United’s Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho leaves the field at the end of the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Sunderland at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England

on Dec 26. (AFP)

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