Manchester United will lock horns with Brighton at the Old Trafford on Sunday night as the teams look set to resume their Premier League campaign.
The Red Devils will be coming into the match on the back of a disappointing 3-1 loss against Leicester City in the FA Cup, whereas Graham Potter’s men recorded an impressive 3-0 win over Newcastle United in gameweek 29.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will probably opt for the 4-2-3-1 formation with a couple of tweaks from the last game. Bruno Fernandes might get the nod over Donny van de Beek whereas Luke Shaw looks likely to make his way back into the starting eleven.
4-2-3-1 Predicted Manchester United Line-up To Face Brighton
Defence
David de Gea is expected to replace Dean Henderson in goal for the upcoming home encounter. The Spanish shot-stopper would be looking to put up a strong performance and secure a clean sheet on his return.
Victor Lindelof will continue to form the centre-half partnership with skipper Harry Maguire at the heart of United’s backline. The latter stole the headlines yesterday as he scored a late goal to help the Three Lions seal their third win from three games in World Cup Qualifying Group I.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka is a guaranteed starter at the right-back position, whereas Luke Shaw will replace Alex Telles on the other flank at the left-back position. 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 Scott McTominay 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 would be highly dependent on the Portugal international’s creative work if they wish to pick up a positive result against the Seagulls.
Mason Greenwood was due to represent England at the European Under-21 Championship finals but stayed back at United because of an unspecified injury. Besides, Marcus Rashford joined up with the England squad but returned almost immediately without featuring in a single match.
‘Rashford reported to St. George’s Park with an injury that ruled him out of the 5-0 win against San Marino and, following further assessment, it has been decided he will continue his rehabilitation with Manchester United.’ – The official website stated.
As a result, the 23-year-old remains a major concern ahead of the weekend clash. Nonetheless, one can expect Daniel James to fulfil the right-wing role if Rashford fails the late fitness test.
Fred 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
Anthony Martial limped off during France’s 2-0 win over Kazakhstan due to a knee issue.
“Anthony has a small issue on his knee. Nothing is decided yet [as to whether he can face Bosnia-Herzegovina].” – Didier Deschamps revealed.
“He won’t be taking part in the training session a bit later. We’ll see tomorrow (Wednesday).”
“We’ve run some tests, but there’s still the pain, and having travelled as long as we have, that hasn’t helped.”
As a result, Edinson Cavani is expected to lead the line for the hosts against Brighton this weekend. The Uruguayan’s adept movement in front of the goal could be utilised as an asset against Graham Potter’s side.
