Manchester United will lock horns with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening hoping to pick up a win away from home.
The Red Devils will be coming into the match on the back of an impressive 2-0 win over Granada in the UEFA Europa League, whereas Jose Mourinho’s men recorded a 2-2 draw against Newcastle United last week.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will probably opt for the 4-2-3-1 formation with a couple of tweaks from the last game. Dean Henderson might get the nod over David de Gea, whereas Fred looks likely to make his way back into the starting eleven.
4-2-3-1 Predicted Manchester United Line-up To Face Tottenham Hotspur
Defence
Dean Henderson is expected to replace David de Gea in goal for the upcoming home encounter. The English shot-stopper would be looking to put up a strong performance and secure a clean sheet on Sunday.
Victor Lindelof will continue to form the centre-half partnership with skipper Harry Maguire at the heart of United’s backline. Their main objective would be to keep Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min quiet throughout the ninety minutes.
Luke Shaw, who was taken off at half-time against Granada in midweek, should be fit for the weekend.
“I had to protect Luke, but I think and hope he should be okay for the weekend.” – Solskjaer stated.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka is a guaranteed starter at the right-back position, whereas Luke Shaw will start at the other flank as the left-back. The English duo would be expected to stay compact and keep their shape defensively.
Midfield
Paul Pogba is expected to start in the central midfield position, whereas Fred will slot in as the defensive midfielder.
Bruno Fernandes remains a sure-fire starter for United this week, and it’ll be an understatement to say The Red Devils will be highly dependent on the Portugal international’s creative work if they wish to pick up a positive result against the Lilywhites.
Marcus Rashford and Daniel James will take up the wide positions, playing on the left and right-wing respectively.
Scott McTominay will have to settle for a place on the bench but might be called upon in the latter stages of the game if needed.
Attack
Having picked up an unfortunate knee injury during the recent international break, it’s highly unlikely that Anthony Martial will feature again for Manchester United this season.
“Anthony has started his recovery and, if we see him before the end of the season, I will be very surprised.” – The Norwegian coach revealed.
“But, of course, he is determined to come back as quickly as he can. There are important games for us before the end of the season, and then there are the Euros [with France, in the summer].
“He has already come in [to the training ground], he is bright around the place. [He’s] disappointed he can’t help us now, but, of course, he wants to work to get back as quickly as possible.”
As a result, Mason Greenwood is expected to lead the line for the visitors against Tottenham Hotspur this weekend. The Englishman’s adept movement in front of the goal could be utilised as an asset against Mourinho’s side.
