Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's Premier League showdown between two sides struggling for form as Manchester United host Swansea City in their first match of 2016. Uncertainty surrounds both clubs going into the new year, but victory for either today would give them a much-needed boost in their attempts to start climbing back up the table. First things first, though, let's have a look at the two teams on show...

MANCHESTER UNITED STARTING XI: De Gea; Young, Jones, Smalling, Blind; Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger, Mata, Herrera, Martial; Rooney

MANCHESTER UNITED SUBS: Romero, Darmian, McNair, Carrick, Pereira, Fellaini, Memphis

SWANSEA STARTING XI: Fabianski; Rangel, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor; Britton, Ki Sung-Yueng, Cork, Sigurdsson, Routledge; Ayew

SWANSEA SUBS: Nordfeldt, Naughton, Amat, Grimes, Montero, Barrow, Gomis

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, there is another start for Wayne Rooney up front for the hosts after the skipper was dropped a couple of games ago but returned with an improved performance in the goalless draw against Chelsea last time out. He has been directly involved in three goals in his last four Premier League appearances against Swansea (one goal, two assists), and we be hoping that his display last Monday is the start of a turnaround in fortunes this season.

Van Gaal only makes one change from that side that started at Stamford Bridge in the final game of 2015, and that comes in defence as Phil Jones returns to the XI in place of Darmian, who drops to the bench. That is likely to see Blind move back out to the left, while Jones joins Smalling in the middle and Young continues at right-back. De Gea, as ever, guards the goal for United despite renewed speculation over his future.

Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger continue to partner each other in the middle of the park, with those two bringing more control to the game against Chelsea than United have had recently. Both have been criticised for their performances at times this season, with Schweinsteiger in particular accused of being one of the main problems behind United's slow tempo and negative play, but they certainly look like a more solid outfit with those two in the middle.

In front of them, and just behind Rooney, Van Gaal keeps faith with Herrera, Mata and Martial, the latter two of whom both hit the crossbar in the first half against Chelsea. Martial in particular looked like a threat and gave Ivanovic the runaround at times, although that trio behind the striker did fade as the match wore on and were ultimately unable to find a breakthrough. Memphis and Fellaini are left on the bench, while Lingard is still not fit enough to return from a hamstring injury.

As for Swansea, Curtis makes a few changes to the team that drew with Crystal Palace last time out, but that was expected after his rotation at Selhurst Park. Perhaps the most notable name to return to the fold is Andre Ayew, who scored in the reverse fixture back in August and has been his side's most potent attacking threat for much of the season. He is expected to lead the line today, with Gomis, who has scored the winning goal in the least two meetings with United, dropping to the bench.

It is pretty much all change in the Swansea midfield as only Jack Cork keeps his place in the starting XI, with Grimes, Emnes, Barrow and Shelvey among the names to drop out. Shelvey has recently been linked with a move away from the Liberty Stadium in January, and despite Curtis claiming that he is going nowhere, he is left out of the squad entirely for the trip to Old Trafford. The likes of Sigurdsson, Routledge and Ki all do start, however.

Leon Britton is another of the seven changes overall made by Alan Curtis, and he is expected to sit deeper alongside Cork, allowing Ki, Sigurdsson and Routledge to get up in support of Ayew - himself not an out-and-out striker in the mould of Gomis. It could be seen as a defensive option compared to the formation they played against Palace, but they certainly have the tools to hurt United.

Only two players keep their place in defence despite another clean sheet at Selhurst Park last time out, with Naughton and Amat both dropping out to accommodate Rangel and Fernandez, who has overcome a heel injury to start here. Ashley Williams continues at the heart of the defence, meanwhile, while Taylor at left-back and Fabianski in goal make up the Swansea rearguard.

Today is another huge match for Louis van Gaal, who many expected to be out of a job by this stage following the club's recent form. All reports suggested that defeat over the festive period against either Stoke City or Chelsea would have cost him his job, but he survived the 2-0 loss to the Potters and has seemingly been given a stay of execution following an improved display in the goalless draw with the defending Premier League champions.

Whether Van Gaal would survive another defeat this afternoon remains to be seen, but he would perhaps be wishing that he wasn't playing a his "ghost team" in such a crucial encounter. Swansea ran out 2-1 winners in Van Gaal's first ever game in charge of United, and a similar scoreline today could well see it be his final game in charge of the club too. The performance is almost as important as the result - should their be any failure to build on their display against Chelsea then it could end up being the last we see of Van Gaal in the Old Trafford dugout.

Despite that display against Chelsea, in which they hit the woodwork twice in the first half, it was yet another match without a win for United, making it eight on the bounce. Their last victory came all the way back on November 21, and that was only via a late own goal from Troy Deeney against Watford. It is their worst run since January 1990, while they haven't gone nine in a row without a win since November 1988.

That is how bad things have got for the Red Devils right now, with that run also including a Champions League exit from what should have been a fairly routine group to get through. In the Premier League alone United are winless in six, which is their worst run in the top flight since the very early days of the Premier League back in 1992. They have picked up just three points from the last 18 available, leaving them level with Aston Villa and Sunderland at the bottom of the form table.

United's wait for a win at Old Trafford stretches back even further, to November 7 when they ran out 2-0 victors over West Brom. However, their overall record at home this season is at least a little more promising having only been beaten once in 15 outings in front of their own fans this season (all competitions). They also have the best defensive record at home having conceded just three league goals at Old Trafford all season.

However, the problem comes at the other end of the field, where only Swansea, Aston Villa and Sunderland have scored fewer home goals than United. For fans used to exciting, attacking football, United's record of five 0-0 draws in their last eight home games - including three of the last four ending goalless - is really not good enough. They have scored just two goals in their last five Premier League games and only one in their last four at home.

It was, of course, another goalless draw against Chelsea last time out, but fans would have felt a lot better after that match than many of United's recent outings. It was one of the team's best performances of the entire season, and the way they played certainly suggested that the players are still behind Louis van Gaal. They looked to attack, which has been all too rare this season, although ultimately they did fire another blank.

Swansea, then, will go into this match wary of perhaps an improving United but still confident that they can get something from the game. Aside from their recent record against United, which I will come to later, they have improved in recent matches despite still being embroiled right in a relegation battle. Garry Monk's sacking was considered by some as harsh, but caretaker manager Alan Curtis has done a good job during the prolonged search for a replacement so far.

Indeed, it is perhaps the job that Curtis has done which is allowing chairman Huw Jenkins to take his time over appointing a new boss. Marcelo Bielsa appeared to be in line for the role, but that talk has since cooled while Carlos Carvalhal quickly distanced himself from the role when he was linked. Frank de Boer is the latest name to be tipped to take over, which would be something of a coup for Swansea, but right now they are looking like a solid outfit under Curtis.

This will be the caretaker manager's fifth match in charge of the team, with his first also coming against a Manchester club as City escaped with the narrowest of victories courtesy of a deflected goal in the final minute. Since then, Swansea are unbeaten in three, and more promisingly they have kept clean sheets in all of those games - the first time they have kept three in a row in the Premier League since March 2012 and the same amount as they had kept in their previous 19 league games.

The concern, much like United, comes at the other end of the field, though. Swansea have only scored once in that three-game run and have just 16 in total for the entire season - Aston Villa are the only side with fewer at the halfway stage of the campaign. Swansea have conceded fewer goals than title challengers Leicester City, but it is putting them in the back of the net that seems to be their biggest problem.

While the performances, and indeed the results, have improved under Curtis, Swansea have still only won one of their last nine matches and two of their last 16 in all competitions, since beating United in the reverse fixture at the end of August. That result had some tipping the Swans for a top-six place, or at least a European challenge, but it really has been downhill since then, with their only victories coming against bottom-of-the-table Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion.

Some of their biggest problems have come on the road, where only Aston Villa and Swansea have amassed fewer points than the six managed by Swansea so far. Their only victory in their last 10 away league games came against lowly Aston Villa in October, and with United, Everton, Tottenham and Arsenal in four of their next five league trips, that record does not look like improving any time soon.

The goalless draw at Palace on Monday also means that only Newcastle and West Brom have scored fewer away goals than Swansea's seven this season, while the last four trips in the Premier League for today's visitors have only seen them hit the back of the net once. Their goalscoring record must improve both home and away, although today's match is perhaps not the best place to do it considering United's defensive record this season.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Old Trafford, which means that it is time for a prediction! These two sides have not exactly been laden with goals this season, particularly recently, so I am expecting another low-scoring affair today. We're still in the must-win realm for Louis van Gaal, and despite Swansea's recent improvement, I can see United ending their hoodoo against the Welsh outfit and running out 1-0 winners.

That recent hoodoo has seen Swansea win each of their last three league meetings with United, all of which came with Van Gaal in charge of the Red Devils. It is no surprise, therefore, that the Dutchman describes Swansea as his "ghost team", but Swansea also beat United shortly before Van Gaal took over. Indeed, the Swans have won four of the last five meetings with United in all competitions - all by a 2-1 scoreline.

Their record at Old Trafford in recent years is impressive too, with two victories from their last three visits to the stadium - one in the FA Cup and one in the league. That included Louis Van Gaal's first game in charge of United as they fell to a 2-1 defeat on the opening day of last season.

United's last two Premier League defeats from winning positions have both come at the hands of Swansea, in February and August of last year, with the latter of those seeing goals from Ayew and Gomis overturning a Mata opener earlier this season. United have, however, scored in all of their 12 home league games against Swansea down the years, winning nine of those and losing just one.

We're just a couple of minutes away from kickoff at Old Trafford now on what is a huge match for the home side in particular. Can they end their eight-game winless run and perhaps keep Van Gaal in the job, or will this prove to be the Dutchman's final game in the United dugout?

KICKOFF: Swansea get us underway here, but it is United who are immediately on the front foot and almost have a chance to score in the opening seconds as Herrera finds space inside the box, but his shot is quickly blocked.

The very early signs are good for United here. They began quickly against Chelsea and look eager to do a similar thing here. Van Gaal appears to have recognised the importance of getting off to a good start when the fans have been so frustrated by recent performances.

Two bright pieces of play from Martial as he picks up the ball and, on both occasions, runs directly at the defence. He almost bundles his way through with a bit of luck on the second attempt, but it breaks into the keeper's arms.

It has been pretty much one-way traffic in these opening minutes. Swansea have barely been able to get out of their own half, while United are doing a good job of pressing the visitors high up the field.

Better from Swansea as they begin to get their foot on the ball a little, enjoying a decent spell of possession to just settle themselves into the game. It all comes in their own half, but they are starting to gain a bit of a foothold.

Swansea have their first chance to get the ball into the United box as they win a free kick in a good crossing position, but Sigurdsson's delivery is disappointing and runs all the way out for a goal kick.

Painful one for Schweinsteiger here as he gets caught by a high challenge from Cork with the ball bouncing around. There was nothing malicious in Cork's challenge, but his studs did connect with the knee of Schweinsteiger.

Mata has a shooting chance just inside the box, and he opens his body up as if to curl it towards the far corner, but instead tries to slip a pass in towards Rooney that is cleared away.

United's promising start has subsided a little here. They aren't playing with quite the urgency that they showed in the opening few minutes, with Swansea making things difficult for the hosts at the moment.

Still no big chances to speak of so far, with the closest to an opening coming in the first few seconds when Herrera's effort was blocked.

That's more like it from Rooney. He picks the ball up and drives at the defence, during a foul from Fernandez which hands the hosts a free kick in a very promising position...

...but it is a very disappointing effort from the skipper as he plants his shot straight into the wall.

CHANCE! The clearest chance of the match so far falls to Rooney as Young's cross takes a touch on the way through, finding the skipper unmarked at the back post. His first touch isn't the best, but he still has space to get a shot away, drilling a low strike into the side-netting when trying to catch Fabianski out at his near post.

Swansea's front men of Routledge and Ayew have shown one or two glimpses of being able to threaten United, although their pace has so far been matched by the likes of Young and Smalling. De Gea has been little more than a spectator so far.

Decent spell of pressure from Swansea as they play some good football inside the United half. It comes to nothing, but Alan Curtis's game plan appears to be working so far - they would be fairly content with another goalless draw here.

The fans are beginning to show their frustration here after another 27 minutes of pretty aimless football. Jose Mourinho's name rings around Old Trafford, although that may well have come from some mischievous away fans.

SAVE! The first piece of action for De Gea here as Routledge fires a bobbling shot towards goal, but the Spaniard is down to make a relatively comfortable stop.

Nervy moments for United here as Swansea have a period of pressure and the hosts survives a penalty appeal. Schneiderlin was looking to clear a cross into the box over his own head, but his volley hit his hand while doing so. It would have been a very harsh one.

CHANCE! Good chance for the hosts to break the deadlock as United win a free kick in a good position but take it quickly to set Mata clear inside the box. He looks destined to tuck it away, but Taylor is alert and comes across with a brilliant block before Mata's tame rebound rolls into the arms of Fabianski.

Good intent from Ki as he picks the ball up on the left and cuts inside, only to fire a fairly weak low effort a few yards wide of the near post.

CHANCE! Another opening for United as Rooney pings a pass out wide to Young before charging into the box to meet the right-back's lofted ball into the middle. He climbs brilliantly and directs his header downwards, but an unwitting Cork makes a vital block when not even looking at the ball.

Interesting moment here as Fabianski controls the ball with his chest after it was knocked back to him by his own man, but after seemingly asking the referee whether he was clear to pick it up, he does exactly that with Rooney closing in. The United skipper wants a back-pass, but Jonathan Moss allows play to continue.

Five minutes remain in this first half and, up to this point, United fans will not be particularly pleased with what they have seen. There has been a lack of ambition and quality so far and it would be a surprise to hear some disgruntled fans at the break if it stays goalless.

SAVE! Mata looks to change that as he collects Young's cut-back, but he has Williams straight in his face and has to snatch at the shot quickly. He still gets enough behind it to trouble Fabianski, who is down quickly to make a good stop.

YELLOW CARD! Smalling becomes the first name in the book today for a block on Ayew, although that is a rather soft caution.

The ball almost breaks for Martial fortuitously in a promising position, but his first touch just shows too much to the defender, who is able to make a strong challenge.

There will be just the one minute of added time at the end of this first half.

CHANCE! Good chance to end the first half for United, and again it comes from an Ashley Young cross. The ball is slightly behind Rooney, but he still directs a header towards goal that Fabianski has to save.

The first half comes to an end at Old Trafford, which is the cue for the home fans to vent their frustration at the team. Goalless at Old Trafford is nothing new this season and was entirely predictable considering these two sides' attacking struggles this season, but it is no easier for the home supporters to take.

It was the hosts who created the best chances of that first half, with Mata in particular coming close to breaking the deadlock when he collected a quick free kick inside the area. His first effort was brilliantly blocked by Neil Taylor's last-ditch challenge, however, while his rebound was far too tame and comfortable for Fabianski to gather.

The Spaniard was denied by Fabianski again later in the half, although this effort did cause the keeper more problems. Ashley Young was the creator down the right - as he has been for most of United's chances today - making his way to the byline before pulling the ball back to Mata, who had to rush his effort when being closed down by Williams. He still got a shot away, but Fabianski was down smartly to make the save.

Rooney has also had a couple of sights of goal, hitting the side-netting with the game's first real opening before threatening with two headers later in the half. The first came when he climbed highest in the box, only to see his effort hit the back of an unwitting Cork when it looked like causing Fabianski problems, while the second was well saved by the Swansea keeper.

There hasn't been much for Swansea to shout about at the other end aside from a Routledge strike that brought a save from De Gea, but the onus is not really on the visitors to attack here. They would happily take a goalless draw at Old Trafford in their current situation, but that may not be enough for Van Gaal. His side have not been good enough despite dominating the ball and creating the better chances.

It has not been the best game overall, in truth. We were expecting a tight, low-scoring affair, and it looks set to be exactly that at the halfway stage. Surely, though, Van Gaal will throw caution to the wind a little more in the coming 45 minutes.

KICKOFF: The hosts get us back underway for the second half at Old Trafford, and Louis van Gaal has made a change at the break. On comes Matteo Darmian in place of the injured Jones.

Just as in the first half, United make a promising start to the second period as Rooney spins away from one and creates a shooting chance just inside the box, only to see his effort blocked behind for a corner.

That is exactly what United needed at the start of this second half! The hosts take the lead less than two minutes after the restart, and yet again it stems from down the right. Young lifts a cross into the middle, and Martial sends a downward header zipping off the turf and past Fabianski.

That goal has lifted the mood around Old Trafford for sure. There were jeers at half time but the home fans are chanting for the team now. It has been a much more encouraging start to the second half.

That goal should help the game from a neutral point of view too. Swansea were quite happy to sit back and only hit United on the break at 0-0, but they have little option but to open up a little now.

Ashley Young is the main danger man for United today. He has caused havoc down the right flank, and while there have been criticisms over his end product in the past, he has put some decent crosses into the box today.

Almost a chance for Swansea as they make a rare break forward, with Sigurdsson striding into space down the right channel. He looks for a pass inside which deflects off Darmian and threatens to loop in, but De Gea is there to pluck it out of the sky.

CHANCE! Good opportunity for United to double their advantage as Rooney shows decent strength to work a yard of space inside the box, but his strike is tame again and easy for the keeper.

Positive play from Martial as he beats his man while cutting inside from the left, but his eventual effort is truly terrible, ending up going out for a goal kick.

It is all United at the moment. Young is giving Taylor a torrid time down that flank, with the Swansea full-back backing off and having no idea what the United man is going to do next. The hosts are getting the ball to Young whenever possible, and it is working at the moment.

CHANCE! Again Young is involved here, although this time he plays an early pass in to Rooney down the right channel. He cuts back and tees up Herrera, but the Spaniard can only put it over the top from the edge of the box.

SWANSEA SUB: Curtis has seen enough of that and brings more cover on in the wide areas, with Modou Barrow replacing Britton.

OFF THE POST! Swansea are inches away from levelling things up out of nothing. Sigurdsson clips a lovely pass over the top of the defence for Ayew, who has ghosted between the centre-backs and plants his header against the post with De Gea beaten! Rangel picks up the rebound but then throws himself to the floor in search of a penalty and is rightly booked for diving.

At the other end Swansea nearly shoot themselves in the foot, giving the ball away deep inside their own half and allowing Mata to cut inside. The finish is wild from the Spaniard, though, and is never threatening Fabianski's goal.

CHANCE! Martial looks to add to that goal, driving forward with direct running before exchanging a one-two with Rooney. That puts him into the good position inside the box, but he tries to stab at the ball with his right foot rather than going across goal with his left, and subsequently puts it wide of the near post.

We're all square once again at Old Trafford! Swansea level things up through Sigurdsson, who expertly steers a header over the keeper. Barrow was the creator, with Darmian not doing enough to stop the cross from the Swansea sub. Sigurdsson still had a lot to do, though, and he looped his header over De Gea and into the far corner.

These are nervy times for United! Once again Barrow breaks down the right and picks out Sigurdsson, who has a few chances to go for goal from the edge of the box but sees his shots blocked. It almost falls for Ayew too, but United eventually scramble it clear.

United win a free kick in a promising position, but it is once again a disappointing effort from Rooney, who goes for power this time and again drills it into the wall.

Well, he's taken his fair share of criticism this season, but this is a magnificent strike from Rooney as he overtakes Denis Law in second place on the all-time United goalscoring list. Martial is the creator from the left this time as he drives to the byline before cutting the ball back into the middle. It is behind Rooney, but he pulls off a brilliant flick to send it into the far top corner.

MAN UTD SUB: United made a change in the immediate aftermath of that goal, with Paddy McNair replacing Young at the back.

SAVE! United still need to be wary here as Barrow continues to look dangerous. This time he takes on Blind, cutting inside before getting a shot away, but it is straight at De Gea, who makes the save.

SWANSEA SUBS: Two changes for Swansea as Curtis looks to salvage this one, with Bafetimbi Gomis and Jefferson Montero replacing Ayew and Routledge.

YELLOW CARD! Blind goes into the book for a cynical block on Barrow as the winger looked to power past him.

Swansea have a really good chance to put the ball in the box from the resulting free kick, but Sigurdsson's low ball is easily picked off by Blind in the wall. There was a plan there, but Blind saw through it.

If it stays like this then this will be a big, big win for Van Gaal. The performance has not been perfect - indeed the one against Chelsea was arguably more encouraging - but they are at least on course to end that eight-match winless run.

MAN UTD SUB: Van Gaal makes his third and final change of the match as Michael Carrick comes on to replace Herrera.

We are now into the second of four minutes added time at the end of this match.

SAVE! Big save from De Gea late on! Williams is thrown up front for the visitors and the ball falls to the centre-back around 20 yards from goal. He swings a boot at it and gets a good connection, but it is a nice height for De Gea and he makes a flying save.

CLOSE! Oh my word, Swansea are so close to grabbing a late equaliser through Fabianski of all people. The keeper is up for the corner and rises highest in the area to plant a fine header narrowly past the post.

United just about hang on for the victory, then, despite Fabianski's late chance at the death to create what would have been the story of the weekend. Rooney proved to be the match-winner with a lovely flick into the far corner after Sigurdsson had earlier cancelled out Martial's opener. It ends United's winless run of eight games to take them within two points of the top four, while Swansea remain just outside the relegation zone.

That is all we have time for this afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for what could well be a job-saving result for Van Gaal as his side finally overcome Swansea 2-1. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!