Manchester United had a pretty disappointing season in the last term, as they had to settle for a sixth position finish in the Premier League. However, their triumph in the UEFA Europa League final ensured that they were eligible for a place in the Champions League despite their lowly finish.
The Red Devils have been going well so far this season in the Premier League though, having won three and drawn one of their first four games of the campaign so far. They have also brought some new players into the side keeping in mind their participation in the Champions League, which includes the likes of Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku and Swedish defender Victor Lindelof.
There was, however, a major surprise when they announced the squad for the Champions League this season that kept English youngsters Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard out. Both of the forwards, especially Rashford have looked in ominous touch so far this term.
The controversial decision might be due to the fact that the man in charge at Old Trafford, Jose Mourinho, is looking to use them more in the domestic competition and doesn’t want to overburden the young souls. They welcome FC Basel in their first game of the group stage of the Champions League. Here is how Jose Mourinho might line his troops for this tie:
Defence-
The usual four man defence, with Eric Bailly and Phil Jones at its heart, has been performing well so far in the Premier League for the Red Devils and helped their goalkeeper David De Gea to keep clean sheets in the first three games of the campaign. The two men to guard the right and left flank might be team captain Antonio Valencia and Daley Blind, who are a part of their Champions League squad, as they do in the Premier League.
Midfield-
The inclusion of Nemanja Matic from Chelsea this summer has turned out to be a masterstroke from the Portuguese mastermind Mourinho, as the Serbian enforcer has been bang in form and has helped his new team to keep possession of the ball as much as possible.
Frenchman Paul Pogba has also stepped up in his role and has already scored twice this season in the Premier League. They have been well supported by Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Juan Mata and Ander Herrera, who are all in the squad as well.
Attack-
In absence of Rashford and Lingard, the onus will be on the French forward Anthony Martial, who is looking in good form so far and has scored twice already. Lukaku has also shown his class with four goals in the Premier League for his new club so far and is going to be a telling factor in the Champions League lineup for them. Also, the fact that the legendary striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has rejoined the club is going to be a huge boost for the Red Devils in their European venture.
Predicted line-up-
De Gea, Valencia, Jones, Bailly, Blind, Herrera, Matic, Pogba, Mkhitaryan, Martial, Lukaku.
