Manchester United will travel to Jan Breydel Stadium to face off against Club Brugge on Thursday night looking to pick up a win in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League knockout stages. The Red Devils will come into this game on the back of an impressive 2-0 win over Chelsea, so they will be the heavy favourites to emerge victorious in this midweek showdown in Europe.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could be inclined to stick with his 3-4-1-2 formation and is expected to make a few changes to his first-team for this trip to Belgium.
3-4-1-2 Manchester United Predicted Lineup Vs Club Brugge
Defence
Sergio Romero could get the nod to start in goal for the Red Devils as he has been in excellent form in the UEFA Europa League so far this season. Solskjaer might opt to play a back three once again following his side’s recent success at Stamford Bridge. We can expect Phil Jones to feature alongside Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw at the heart of the Man United backline. Eric Bailly played the full 90 minutes against Chelsea on Monday so he will likely get some rest in midweek.
Victor Lindelof is a major doubt for this game after missing out against the Blues due to illness. Only time will tell whether he will be able to recover in time to face Club Brugge on Thursday night.
Midfield
Both Nemanja Matic and Fred will look to anchor the midfield and provide adequate protection for the backline. They will be instructed to sit deep and break up the opposition’s rhythm so that they can feed some inviting balls to the front players on the counter.
Diogo Dalot could get a rare chance to shine for the Red Devils down the left flank. Aaron Wan-Bisska might retain his place on the other side as the right-winger. The ex-Crystal Palace defender earned an assist in his last start when he set-up Anthony Martial with an accurate cross. Solskjaer would expect him to put in a similar kind of attacking display away in Belgium later this week.
Bruno Fernandes will operate just in behind the Man United strikers and will carry most of the creative workload up top. The Portuguese playmaker will look to be a constant menace for the opposition and could turn out to be the player to watch out for in this tie.
Juan Mata and Andreas Pereira will have to settle for a place on the bench.
Attack
Anthony Martial could lead the charge alongside the new January recruit, Odion Ighalo, up top. Solskjaer decided to introduce the Nigerian forward off the bench versus Chelsea so he should be well-rested for this upcoming Europa League clash. Martial got his name on the scoresheet in his last start so he will be full of confidence heading into this match.
Mason Greenwood will be available for selection on Solskjaer’s bench and might come on to make an impact if required.
