Manchester United are scheduled to face arch-rivals Liverpool on the road in Tuesday’s Premier League encounter.
The Red Devils recently returned to winning ways with a 3-2 win over Norwich City at Old Trafford, but the defensive display was far from convincing.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s second hat-trick in as many months made the difference, and he will be key to United picking up a positive result at Anfield.
United are three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with six games to play. They face a must-win situation to keep their Champions League hopes alive.
Ahead of the game, it has been already confirmed that Luke Shaw, Fred, Scott McTominay and Edinson Cavani are unavailable, but Raphael Varane may return.
Formation: 4-3-3
Predicted Line-up:
David de Gea has played every minute of United’s league campaign. He was pivotal to the Canaries win at the weekend, pulling off a spectacular stop on Milot Rashica when the scores were level at 2-2. He was hailed by Ralf Rangnick after the game.
In front of him, Diogo Dalot and Alex Telles should be undisputed starters in the full-back positions. Dalot’s attacking intent sees him ahead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the pecking order. Meanwhile, Telles has sealed his spot at left-back with Luke Shaw ruled out for the rest of the campaign.
At the heart of the backline, we fancy Varane to return to the fold following a brief injury. Rangnick was optimistic of his involvement. If the Frenchman is fit, he should be drafted straight into the line-up alongside Harry Maguire tomorrow. Victor Lindelof will drop to the bench.
Rangnick preferred a midfield three of Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes and Jesse Lingard at the weekend, but he should prefer a more defensive-minded player against the Reds. With McTominay and Fred unavailable, Matic is an automatic choice to replace Lingard.
Further forward, no changes are likely. Rangnick was full of praise for Anthony Elanga’s versatility. The club graduate played the full 90 minutes on the right wing against Norwich. He capped the performance with the assist for Ronaldo’s opening strike.
Jadon Sancho has made the left wing position his own. He has six goal contributions since February, and has fared well in the big games lately. The England star netted against Manchester City last month, though the result was not in the Red Devils’ favour.
Up front, Ronaldo is expected to start, barring any fitness issues. The Portuguese netted his 50th club career hat-trick at the weekend. He now has 21 goals for the campaign. The 37-year-old will be hoping to guide his club to their first win at Anfield since 2016.
How Man Utd could line up against Liverpool
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
