Manchester United will be looking forward to building on their momentum when they host a struggling Swansea City at the Old Trafford. The Red Devils kept alive their hopes of finishing in the top four as they held onto a goalless draw against their archrival Manchester City.
Key Battles
Marcus Rashford vs Federico Fernandez
After the injury to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marcus Rashford has become Jose Mourinho’s preferred choice in the centre forward position. The youngster already showed his antics in the breakthrough last season and this season too his performance so far has spoken volumes about his quality. As the season progresses further Rashford has become sharper with time.
The teenage striker was the lone forward against a mighty team like City and although most of the time he was isolated from the whole team he showed a couple of brilliant moves which describes his passion for the game. One of the hottest moments of the game when Rashford got past Nicolas Otamendi with a swift back heel as the Argentine defender seemed absolutely clueless about that.
Swansea have an awful defence as the Wales-based club have so far conceded 68 goals. Federico Fernandez has been the lone defender who has been the shining light for then in what has been the darkest season so far. Fernandez needs to keep his feet on the ground as he will be up against a dazzling Rashford who could be very dangerous if given a chance.
Eric Bailly vs Fernando Llorente
Swansea’s season might be in deeper concern but the arrival of Fernando Llorente has somehow given them a boost as they are looking towards to survive a drop to the Championship. The Spaniard was injured for a long time which proved to be a fatal blow to the Swans as they were on a losing spree. Llorente scored in the last match against Stoke City to give his side a very rare win. Swansea need to start fast and have to feed Llorente with more crosses to utilise his aerial ability.
The performance of Eric Bailly in the United defence has been huge in terms of the recent conditions. The Ivory Coast defender’s role cannot be ignored during this injury crisis and he has impressed his gaffer with his performances so far. He made a few important blocks and interceptions in the last match as United kept their defensive shape intact to keep a goal hungry City at bay. Bailly will have a huge role to play as he will be given the role in marking Fernando Llorente.
