Manchester United will be aiming to return to winning ways when they host Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup fourth round tonight.
The Red Devils suffered a disappointing 3-0 loss to Manchester City in the Premier League at the weekend. Andre Onana made seven saves to avoid further embarrassment for the club.
Erik ten Hag will want a strong response from his players against the Magpies. The game will be a repeat of last season’s Carabao Cup final where United came on top with a 2-0 scoreline.
We expect plenty of changes to the starting XI. The likes of Raphael Varane, Sergio Reguilon and Mason Mount are likely to feature from the off against Eddie Howe’s side.
Formation: 4-3-3
Predicted Line-up:
Onana had his best performance of his United career last weekend despite the heavy loss. The Cameroonian star has started to find form and we don’t see Ten Hag resting him. He is likely to continue in goal ahead of Altay Bayindir, who may have to wait longer for his Red Devils debut.
In defence, a couple of changes are on the cards. Ten Hag highlighted City’s high pressing as a reason behind dropping Varane at the weekend. He also mentioned that Reguilon was dropped from the XI due to tactical reasons. We anticipate the duo to return to the line-up tonight.
Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof should drop to the bench. Diogo Dalot and Harry Maguire are likely to retain their respective positions in the back four. In midfield, Sofyan Amrabat could continue in the number six role with no update on Casemiro’s recovery from an ankle issue.
The Brazilian twisted his ankle on international duty last month and it was badly swollen. United have not taken a risk with him thus far. He was not in the matchday squad for the Manchester derby and we don’t see him returning for a high intensity game against the Magpies.
Elsewhere, we anticipate Scott McTominay dropping to the substitutes’ bench alongside Christian Eriksen. There could be starts for Mason Mount and Hannibal Mejbri in midfield. Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford have not been playing at their best this term and should be given a breather.
Antony and Alejandro Garnacho could start on the right and left wing respectively on the back of their cameos in the derby. Up front, Ten Hag could persist with Rasmus Hojlund over Anthony Martial in our view. The Dane has yet to find his scoring touch outside of the Champions League.
How Man Utd could line-up vs Newcastle
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
