Manchester United return to Old Trafford this weekend where they host West Ham in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. United will be missing another key player as Juan Mata will be serving his suspension for the red card he received against West Brom.
West Ham enter this match in good form, having won their last three Premier League matches, including a 1-0 win over title contenders Tottenham. Louis van Gaal will need to have his squad ready and firing as their next two matches come against Liverpool in the Europa return leg and then the Manchester Derby next weekend.
Here is United’s strongest possible lineup in the FA Cup clash with West Ham –
Goalkeeper
David de Gea will once again be the starting keeper when the Red Devils return home this weekend. Backup Sergio Romero remains a steady alternative just in case the world-class Spaniard cannot fulfill his duties.
Defence
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, who has been nursing a knock for the last few weeks, could return and feature at left back. The impressive Guillermo Varela remains a steady option on the opposite side and we could see the Uruguayan on this occasion.
Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo will have to contend with the impressive and in-form Dimitri Payet, who leads all West Ham goal scorers this season. Payet’s superb dribbling skills may keep Daley Blind out of the lineup on this occasion with van Gaal opting for going for more speed with Smalling and Rojo to battle the Frenchman.
Midfield
With the Mata suspension, van Gaal will have to do some lineup shuffling within the midfield and on this day the pairing of Michael Carrick and Morgan Schneiderlin could feature in front of the back four. Both Carrick and Schneiderlin are great tacticians but with Schneiderlin the better tackler, we could see him sit a bit deeper while Carrick shows off his playmaking abilities further up the pitch.
Ander Herrera will get his chance as the starting central attacking midfielder with his fellow Spaniard suspended and he’ll be joined by Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial on the wings. With United at home, Van Gaal should feature this electric attack that should give West Ham fits, especially with the pace of Memphis and Martial on the wings.
Attack
Marcus Rashford will look to continue his good form as he’ll be at the tip of the United attack on the day. Rashford will have to take it to the West Ham defence that has been impressive this season, especially center back, Angelo Ogbonna.
