Manchester United are scheduled to face Club Brugge on the road in the upcoming Europa League clash.
The Red Devils returned to winning ways following the winter break with a 2-0 league win at Chelsea and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be hoping for continuity with a victory in Bruges on Thursday night.
Solskjaer is likely to make a number of changes to the starting lineup but the club should still manage to overcome the Belgian outfit and score a few away goals to ease their qualification to the round of 16.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Predicted Lineup:
Sergio Romero has been the go-to choice for Solskjaer when he has opted to rest David de Gea for the Cup games. The Argentine has impressed as the deputy goalkeeper and has kept clean sheets in his previous six appearances. He is expected to start in goal.
In the defence, Solskjaer should revert to the traditional four-man backline. Aaron Wan-Bissaka is likely to be rested with Diogo Dalot taking his place at right-back. Likewise, Eric Bailly may be replaced by Victor Lindelof in the central defence. The Swede should partner Harry Maguire. At left-back, Luke Shaw may get the nod over Brandon Williams, who needs to be handed carefully in his breakthrough season.
Fred and Nemanja Matic have been the regular picks for Solskjaer in the centre of the park but the former may get a breather as part of the rotation policy. Andreas Pereira has looked far from impressive from a midfield role but the Brazilian remains the only senior option available in reserve with both Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba out of contention for fitness reasons.
Further forward, Daniel James will likely keep his place on the left wing but he has plenty to prove after managing just eight successful passes during the Monday night clash at Chelsea. On the opposite, Jesse Lingard may get the nod ahead of Juan Mata. The Englishman has hardly been in contention for gametime in the Premier League and he needs a big performance on Thursday night. Mason Greenwood won’t play any part in the game as he has been excluded from the travelling squad due to a minor injury.
In the number 10 position, Bruno Fernandes should continue to keep his place. The Portuguese has shown glimpses of his ability in the past two Premier League matches and he came up with a superb delivery on Monday night which contributed to Harry Maguire’s headed goal from a corner. Upfront, Ighalo may make his full debut ahead of Anthony Martial, who could be kept afresh for the Premier League clash against Watford on Sunday.
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