Manchester United will play the second leg of their Round of 32 Europa League matchup against Saint-Etienne in France on Wednesday. United won the first leg by a convincing 3-0 scoreline, so barring a disaster they should be able to advance to the next round of the tournament.
Since Manchester United already have a 3-0 lead, and since they will be playing in a Cup Final on Sunday, I think Jose Mourinho will decide to rotate the squad a little bit.
GK- David de Gea
Sergio Romero has started the last two games for Manchester United, but David de Gea is still clearly Manchester United’s number one goalie. I think he will return to the lineup here, as Jose Mourinho will not want him to get rusty.
LB- Luke Shaw
I keep waiting for Jose Mourinho to put Luke Shaw back in the lineup, but he has still not played in a game since late January. This should be a relatively low pressure game for Manchester United, since they already have a 3-0 lead, so I think it would be a good time to start Luke Shaw at left back.
CB- Chris Smalling and Eric Bailly
Smalling and Bailly started together in leg one against Saint-Etienne, and they did very well together. I think Jose Mourinho will stick with what worked last time, and start this duo once again as his two center backs.
RB- Ashley Young
Jose Mourinho said that Ashley Young was Manchester United’s man of the match against Blackburn on Sunday, and I think he will reward his good performance by giving him another start against Saint-Etienne on Wednesday.
CM- Paul Pogba, Michael Carrick, and Marouane Fellaini
Ander Herrera and Michael Carrick started in the central midfield for Manchester United in their FA Cup game on Sunday, but I think Jose Mourinho will allow Herrera to rest for this game. Paul Pogba did not start on Sunday, so he should be fresh for Wednesday’s game. Fellaini and Carrick will provide a defensive presence as Manchester United are attempting to preserve a 3-0 lead.
AML- Anthony Martial
Martial did not play well on Sunday, but hopefully Jose Mourinho will give him another chance to prove he deserves to be in the lineup. I think Martial is United’s best option at this position, so I think Jose Mourinho should give him a consistent run of games.
AMR- Jesse Lingard
Jesse Lingard performed poorly on Sunday against Blackburn, but I still think he will start again on Wednesday. Starting Lingard would allow Mkhitaryan to rest, as he will need to be fresh for the League Cup Final against Southampton later in the week.
ST- Marcus Rashford
Rashford scored a goal as a striker against Blackburn, and I think he will get another opportunity to start at striker on Wednesday. Starting Rashford would allow Zlatan to rest up for the League Cup Final, and it would give Rashford more valuable playing time.
