Starting last weekend, with a victory over Southampton and a mid week thrashing of Ipswich Town in the Capital One Cup, Manchester United’s form is starting to heat up with their upcoming fixture against Sunderland at the Theatre of Dreams.
Louis van Gaal will look to keep the momentum going with a win before their all important Champions League Group stage fixture against Wolfsburg next week.
Goalkeeper
David De Gea
After proudly wearing the captains arm band for the final minutes of the Capital One Cup win, De Gea will resume his role in net for the Red Devils. De Gea pulled off some miraculous saves last weekend against Southampton, which has been accustomed from the Spanish keeper.
Right Back
Matteo Darmian
Darmian may not be pulling off man of the match performances as he initially did earlier in the season, but with United back home, he should have the freedom to push forward in attack. Although he was subbed at halftime last weekend, the Italian remains the strongest option at right back.
Center Backs
Chris Smalling and Daley Blind are not your Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand of the late 2000’s, but the current duo are continuing their unlikely, yet, formidable partnership at the center of the defence. Look for Smalling and Blind to continue this partnership in front of De Gea on Saturday.
With the current injuries and lack of options at center back, the diminutive Blind will increasingly rely on his tactical awareness to aid him against the physical forwards of the Premier League.
Left Back
Ashley Young
The 30-year-old Englishman has been the utility man for much of the season for van Gaal, coming off the bench and helping out in attack or defence for much of the year. With Luke Shaw out for most of the season and Marcos Rojo not fit for Saturday, van Gaal will look to the ever reliant Young to fill the gap. Young’s natural attacking instincts and flair for crossing into the box will surely be relied upon at Old Trafford.
Center Midfielders
With the all important Champions League fixture next week, Bastian Schweinsteiger, should be rested. That means the rotation of Michael Carrick and Morgan Schneiderlin will be the pairing in front of the back four. The 34-year-old legs of Carrick may be rested at some point in the second half, which may lead to some crucial minutes for Ander Herrera.
Attacking Midfielders
Left to right: Memphis Depay, Wayne Rooney, and Juan Mata will aid in the attack that has yielded six goals over the past two matches. Depay and Rooney will still be looking to open their goal scoring accounts in the Premier League, however, both have scored multiple goals in the Champions League.
Forward
Anthony Martial
Although van Gaal claimed the signing of Martial would be for the next United manager, his scoring has forced his way into the starting XI. If Martial’s form and goal tally continue, the Frenchman will soon be considered undroppable, if he hasn’t already.
4-2-3-1
Via – Lineup Builder
