Manchester United will be looking to maintain our 100% winning record under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when we host Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
The caretaker manager is six out of six so far since replacing Jose Mourinho in mid-December, with five of those coming in the Premier League.
Victory over Tottenham Hotspur last weekend moved us to within seven points of third spot, still six off Chelsea in fourth. With the Blues facing Arsenal this weekend we can either close the gap on Chelsea or move above Arsenal with three points at Old Trafford.
Here is the team I expect to see facing the Seagulls:
Goalkeeper: David de Gea
11 saves at Wembley Stadium last weekend earned David de Gea a second consecutive clean sheet. The Spaniard will be hoping to be less busy this Saturday with the visit of Brighton as he goes in search of a third shut out in a row. Brighton have scored 24 goals in their 22 Premier League matches so far this season.
Defence: Ashley Young, Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw
No update on Antonio Valencia so Ashley Young should remain at right-back. Whilst we’ve had back-to-back clean sheets with Phil Jones partnering Victor Lindelof in the middle of our defence, I expect Eric Bailly to slot in next to the Swede as the centre-back returns from suspension. Spurs created chance after chance last weekend. Luke Shaw will start at left-back.
Midfield: Nemanja Matic, Ander Herrera, Paul Pogba
Nemanja Matic will protect the back four whilst both Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba have been excellent under Ole. The Spaniard will start as this is a game the boss will expect us to dominate possession in and Herrera can deliver just that. Paul Pogba was excellent at Tottenham last weekend and hopefully will continue his form under Solksjaer when we host Brighton this weekend.
Attack: Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has mentioned that he could start both Marcus Raashford and Romelu Lukaku up front but whilst the current tactics are working I think the Belgian international will have to make do with a place among the substitutes again on Saturday. Juan Mata should come back into the starting lineup to help unlock a defensive Brighton side, whilst Anthony Martial could do with a goal from out wide on the length. Alexis Sanchez is back in training after a recent injury but the Chilean won’t be expecting to start.
Here is how we line up on paper:
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