United players make Super Bowl LVIII predictions
Manchester United’s players have joined the growing conversation about who will win Sunday's ultimate annual American football game, known as the Super Bowl.
This year’s showdown for the right to be crowned champions will be contested between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, where you may remember United faced Borussia Dortmund in a pre-season friendly last summer, during our Stateside visit for Tour 2023.
Ahead of the big fixture, which is due to get under way at 23:30 GMT, stars of our men’s and women’s teams have been predicting the winner, and you can see who they have gone for via the gallery below.
49ers or Chiefs?
GalleryWe asked several United stars who they think will triumph in Super Bowl LVIII - here are their responses...
As you may notice when flicking through the responses, there is certainly a theme, with seven of our eight Reds picking Kansas City to come out on top.
The Chiefs have been involved in three of the previous four Super Bowls, winning two, including last year's encounter with the Philadelphia Eagles. The reigning champions have one of the NFL’s elite stars at the quarterback position, in Patrick Mahomes, as Christian Eriksen gives a nod to in his reply.
If you follow United Women defender Hannah Blundell on social media, you might know that our no.6 is a big KC fan, and the full-back is getting behind the team she supports with her pick.
Hannah’s team-mate Mary Earps, as well as Diogo Dalot, Jonny Evans, Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw from the men’s side, also think the Chiefs will triumph, while Tom Heaton is our sole representative backing the 49ers.
Sunday’s game will be a first return to the Super Bowl for San Francisco since February 2020, when Kyle Shanahan’s outfit were beaten by the Chiefs in Miami.
The Niners are one of the sport's most storied franchises and could hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy for a joint-record sixth time this weekend.
One United great who will certainly be hoping that is the case is former Reds captain Roy Keane, who is a self-professed 49ers supporter.
Roy made it out to the team’s Levi’s Stadium home in January to watch their play-off victory over the Green Bay Packers, although he thinks his Niners may just come up short on Sunday.
“I’ve gone against the Chiefs the last couple of games and it’s backfired on me,” he says, in this Sky Sports predictions video.
“I’m a 49ers fan but I think the Chiefs have world-class players obviously and a great coach.
“As a 49ers fan, I’d love to see them win it but I’m going to go with the Chiefs to win it.”
Before the Super Bowl, both our men and women are in action on Sunday afternoon, and we will keep you across the matches via our official channels.
At 14:00 GMT, United Women face Southampton in the fifth round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, with live radio coverage from the Silverlake Stadium available on ManUtd.com, along with regular updates in the United App.
That’s before Erik ten Hag’s side take on Aston Villa in the Premier League at 16:30 GMT, and you can follow the action with MUTV commentary from Villa Park, plus more matchday offerings, via the aforementioned platforms.