Manchester United welcome Liverpool in Saturday’s early Premier League kick-off at Old Trafford. The title race is almost done for the season, but there is still plenty of stake for Jose Mourinho’s side, who are aiming to finish as the second-best club in the division. United are currently two points behind Jurgen Klopp’s side, and a victory over the weekend would enhance their chances of cementing the runner-up position.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Lineup:
David de Gea produced a brilliant reflex save to deny Christian Benteke on Monday night, and it eventually proved crucial to United’s 3-2 comeback win over Crystal Palace. The Spaniard is certain to start between the sticks.
With a four-man backline, Antonio Valencia is probable the preferred pick to start on the right side of the defence, though we are fancying for a change on the opposite end with Luke Shaw coming in for Ashley Young.
Mourinho has been holding Eric Bailly from a start in recent weeks, and the weekend game could probably witness the Ivorian’s first league start since November. We are backing him to partner Chris Smalling at the heart of the backline.
The change in formation during the second period changed the team’s mentality against Palace, and Mourinho could potentially revert to the tested 4-2-3-1 formation for the weekend outing.
Should this be the case, Scott McTominay could be sacrificed from the starting lineup in order to compensate for Paul Pogba’s inclusion alongside Nemanja Matic in a two-man central midfield.
Juan Mata and Marcus Rashford were influential following their second-half inclusions against Palace, and we are anticipating the pair to feature on the left and right side of the attack.
Alexis Sanchez played way too deep on Monday night, but against Liverpool, Mourinho could probably opt for the Chilean in the number 10 role with a view to pushing himself into a striker’s position – while on the counter.
Romelu Lukaku continued his fine form with back-to-back goals against Chelsea and Crystal Palace, and this took his goal-tally to 14 for the Premier League campaign. The Belgian is assured to lead the line.
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