Manchester United should be feeling a bit better about themselves after defeating Manchester City 1-0 in the League Cup on Wednesday. Let’s take a look at how Jose Mourinho’s side could line up against Burnley over the weekend.
GK- David de Gea
De Gea has started every league game this year, so Saturday’s game should be no different.
LB- Luke Shaw
Luke Shaw played 90 effective minutes for Manchester United to help them earn a shutout victory over Manchester City in the League Cup on Wednesday. Considering how poor the defense was in the prior match against Chelsea, Shaw figures to get another crack at starting this weekend.
CB- Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo
Eric Bailly is reportedly out until around Christmas due to a knee injury, which is a major blow for Manchester United’s central defense. Blind played effectively at center back in the match on Wednesday, and Marcos Rojo did well enough next to him to help Manchester United get the shutout. Chris Smalling has been in poor form recently, and he is dealing with a muscle injury, so he is very much in doubt for this game.
RB- Antonio Valencia
Valencia has been one of Manchester United’s most consistent players all season, and he deserves to be in the lineup for every important match that Manchester United plays.
CM- Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera
Herrera had a bounce back performance against Manchester City after a so-so performance against Chelsea in the prior game. Herrera should be a staple in the starting lineup at this point. Pogba will certainly be in the starting lineup too, but it will be interesting to see if he plays in a more attacking or defensive role.
AML- Marcus Rashford
Rashford has started three out of four games for Manchester United since the international break, and I expect to see him in there again on Saturday. Anthony Martial missed the Manchester City match with an injury, and if he can’t play on Saturday then Rashford will almost certainly start.
AMC- Juan Mata
Mata scored the game-winning goal against City on Wednesday, so he is likely high on confidence. This is also a game where Burnley will likely play very defensively, so it will be good to have Mata in the lineup to provide creativity in the attack.
AMR- Jesse Lingard
I hope Mourinho gives Henrikh Mkhitaryan a chance to start on Saturday, but I think Mourinho turns to Jesse Lingard for this game. Lingard has scored one goal with 2 assists in four games this year as a right-side attacking midfielder, so he is more than capable of doing well at this position.
ST- Zlatan Ibrahimovic
The game against Burnley should be a good opportunity to get Zlatan out of his goal-scoring drought, as Manchester United will likely get many scoring chances. Zlatan did not score, but played pretty well on Wednesday, so that could be a sign that he is about to break out of his funk.
(4-2-3-1)
Via – Lineup Builder
