Manchester United are looking to make it two wins from two to start the 2017-18 Premier League season when we travel to the Liberty Stadium to take on Swansea City in Saturday’s lunchtime kickoff.
The Swans failed to hit a single shot on target during their 0-0 draw at Southampton in their opening game of the new season which should give us great confidence in picking up all three points on the road.
Here is the team I think Jose Mourinho will start:
David de Gea
The Spaniard is one of the first names on the teamsheet and was forced into only one save over 90 minutes against West Ham last weekend. David de Gea may even expect an easier game in Wales based on Swansea’s performance versus Southampton.
Antonio Valencia
Despite constant reports linking us to one right-back after another, Antonio Valencia will remain our first choice this season and rightly so. The Ecuadorian is a top defender and bombs forward to offer support in attack. We can expect him to spend a lot of time in Swansea’s half on Saturday.
Phil Jones
Whilst I think this is a good opportunity to give Victor Lindelof his first taste of Premier League action the boss seems to be waiting on him to settle into English life first. Phil Jones was solid last weekend and should otherwise maintain his place in the first team. Chris Smalling is the backup option.
Eric Bailly
Eric Bailly is our first-choice centre-back and one who should be competing for a place in the Premier League Team of the Season come May. Best of luck to the Swans attack getting the better of the Ivorian!
Daley Blind
Even with Luke Shaw struggling for fitness Mourinho has a lot of options at left-back. Daley Blind got the nod ahead of Matteo Darmian last weekend and after a good showing versus West Ham I think the Dutch defender will maintain his starting spot.
Nemanja Matic
All eyes will be on Nemanja Matic this weekend particularly from the rest of the league after the praise he received following his performance on his debut. The Serbian doesn’t have to worry about Gylfi Sigurdsson now that the Icelandic playaer has departed for Everton and can expect himself and the team to see a lot of possession.
Paul Pogba
The French midfielder was another star last weekend and given that Mourinho will be expecting to dominate possession once more I think we’ll see Paul Pogba start in a 4-2-3-1 formation instead of reverting to a 4-3-3 which could include Ander Herrera in the starting lineup.
Juan Mata
Should the boss rotate any of his players Juan Mata may be top of the list to drop from last weekend’s starting XI. The Spaniard hasn’t been much of a regular under Mourinho. However, I think Mata will start ahead of Jesse Lingard again this weekend after a good showing at Old Trafford. Jose does like Jesse Lingard though.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
His best performance in a Manchester United shirt last weekend should guarantee Henrikh Mkhitaryan a place in this weekend’s starting lineup. The Armenian registered two assists and was a real threat to the West Ham defence. Don’t forget that the former-Borussia Dortmund star scored a lot of goals in Ukraine and Germany before coming to the Premier League so don’t be surprised if he gets on the scoresheet.
Marcus Rashford
Anthony Martial made an impact in coming on to replace Marcus Rashford and bagging himself a late goal in the 4-0 victory over West Ham to start the season. However, I think the England international retains his place in the starting lineup this weekend because he tore Pablo Zabaleta apart for 70 minutes whilst he was on the pitch.
Romelu Lukaku
After enjoying a dream Premier League debut for us last weekend Romelu Lukaku will lead the line once again looking to get on the scoresheet versus Swansea City. Whilst I rate Alfie Mawson in the home side’s defence I expect the Belgian to still get the better of the youngster and most definitely have the beating of Federico Fernandez.
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This is how I see us lining up:
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