With their 2-0 victory over West Brom last weekend, Manchester United have now won three consecutive English Premier League games, and they have won four in a row in all competitions. This winning streak has helped pull Manchester United within four points of a top four placement in the league, which would give them in a spot in Champions League for next season.
Here is a look at the possible lineup.
GK- David de Gea
De Gea helped Manchester United secure a shutout in the game against West Brom on Saturday. He has started all 17 EPL games for Manchester United this season, and I expect that streak to continue when Manchester United face Sunderland on boxing day.
LB- Daley Blind
Daley Blind and Darmian have both played at this position in recent games, and Darmian is coming off of a stellar performance against West Brom. However, Manchester United will likely need Blind’s superior passing and crossing abilities against Sunderland, since Manchester United will likely be on the attack for most of the match.
CB- Marcos Rojo and Eric Bailly
Eric Bailly returned to training on Wednesday, so it seems as if he should have a good chance to be ready for the match against Sunderland. Both Jones and Rojo have been solid at center back in Bailly’s absence, but I think Mourinho will switch to a Rojo-Bailly center back duo if Bailly does indeed return from his injury on boxing day.
RB- Antonio Valencia
Valencia has played well all season long, so he will certainly be in the starting lineup against Sunderland. Manchester United will need Valencia to make an impact for them going forward, as Sunderland will likely play a very defensive-minded game.
CM- Ander Herrera, Michael Carrick, and Paul Pogba
Mourinho has been switching between the 4-3-3 and the 4-2-3-1 recently, but I think the 4-3-3 is his best bet. Michael Carrick has played very well this season, and with both him and Ander Herrera in the lineup it really allows Paul Pogba to be more aggressive and play to his full potential.
AML- Wayne Rooney
Rooney has played at this position for the past two games, and he played extremely well in both matches. Mourinho should continue to play Rooney, as long as he is playing well, but Anthony Martial is waiting to earn his place back if Rooney does not maintain his great form.
AMR- Jesse Lingard
Henrikh Mkhitaryan may still be out with an ankle injury for this game, but if he is fit he should be in the starting lineup. However, I think Mourinho will be somewhat cautious with Mkhitaryan, and instead he will play Jesse Lingard here on Monday. Lingard had a beautiful assist to set up Zlatan Ibrahimovic for a goal against West Brom, and he is a more than capable of starting at this position for Manchester United.
ST- Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan scored two more goals over the weekend against West Brom, as he continues to be in incredible form for Manchester United. It would be impossible for Jose Mourinho to take Zlatan out of the lineup when he is in this type of form.
