Manchester United made a return to winning ways after claiming a fine 3-1 victory over Newcastle United on Boxing Day and the result allied by the good performance would have surely pleased manager Louis van Gaal.
The victory has strengthened United’s grip on third place but the Red Devils most certainly cannot afford to rest on their laurels as they now have a couple of tough away fixtures coming up in the next few days over the Festive period.
First up for United is a clash against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane and it looks set to be a tricky encounter for the Red Devils.
Spurs have been showing resurgent form in the last few weeks and considering the fact that they have not suffered a single defeat at the hands of United in their last four meetings, van Gaal’s men will have to play well in order to continue their good run of form.
Here is the Strongest Possible Lineup for Manchester United on the day –
Goalkeeper
David De Gea did not have much to do during the clash against Newcastle United and acquitted himself very well whenever called into action on rare occasions.
Up against Tottenham this weekend, De Gea will probably have more work to do than he did against Newcastle and it will be of paramount importance for United that their star goalkeeper performs well on the day.
Defence
The Manchester United backline is now close to full strength for the first time this season as Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw have returned to contention following their injury lay off.
Despite the return of the duo though, it looks like van Gaal will stick to the same backline which started against Newcastle United.
As a result, Paddy McNair should slot in alongside Jonny Evans and Phil Jones in a three man central defence while the wing back positions looks set to be occupied by the duo of Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young.
Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind are still recovering from their respective injuries and will not feature in time for the clash on Sunday.
Midfield
The Manchester United midfield worked wonderfully in tandem to plot the downfall of Newcastle United on Boxing Day and with Ander Herrera, Angel Di Maria, Marouane Fellaini and Adnan Januzaj all missing with injuries, van Gaal will see no reason to shuffle his pack at the middle of the park.
Michael Carrick will be the man pulling the strings from a deeper role while Juan Mata, who was fantastic against Newcastle United, will be providing the creative spark a bit further up the pitch.
And the man who will undoubtedly be crucial to United’s chances against Tottenham will be captain Wayne Rooney. Rooney was simply sensational on Boxing Day and if he can replicate such form on Sunday, United will certainly stand a great chance.
Attack
While it may have been a long time coming, the partnership of Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao is finally starting to click and the duo were in fine nick against Newcastle United.
With van Persie and Falcao showing such wonderful form, van Gaal is surely set to continue with the two strikers for the clash against Tottenham and the superstar front men will be looking to cause more damage this weekend.
(5-3-2)
Via – Lineup Builder
