Manchester United may well have begun a huge eight-day period with FA Cup progress against Huddersfield Town and an away draw in the Champions League at Sevilla but they most certainly have a point to prove when hosting Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Jose Mourinho's side have turned in two less than convincing performances so far this week, most recently delivering a masterclass in underwhelming football on Wednesday in Spain, and while the three points are the number-one target this weekend the fans will be looking for their team to command the game more at the Theatre of Dreams.
MAN UTD INJURIES
Ander Herrera will be unable to repeat his Man of the Match performance in this fixture last season as he misses out due to the muscle injury which saw him leave the 0-0 draw with Sevilla less than 17 minutes in. Marouane Fellaini remains out after undergoing surgery on his troublesome left knee. The Belgian is likely to be absent until the end of March, ruling him out of at least nine fixtures in all competition.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has returned to training this week following a break from first-team football to help him overcome issues after his ACL surgery while Daley Blind is likely to miss out once more due to a muscle injury suffered in training in January. Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones both have knocks to shake off but could be available for Chelsea's visit.
MAN UTD SUSPENSIONS
United have no suspension issues, and the same is true of Antonio Conte's side.
MAN UTD POTENTIAL STARTING LINE-UP
Jose Mourinho has made a habit of matching up against three-man defences since arriving at Old Trafford, and he could well do the same on Sunday. While Rojo and Jones are not certain to return, Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof and Chris Smalling should be good to start if the manager decides that a centre-back trio is the way to go.
The big question, of course, will be whether Paul Pogba starts in midfield following the discourse of the last few weeks, but it is hard to envisage the Frenchman not being involved particularly in light of Ander Herrera's injury. Club captain Michael Carrick is on standby to fill a third midfield role, although Scott McTominay's performance in restraining Ever Banega in midweek may win him a starting shirt once more as the Portuguese looks to put a leash on Chelsea's more creative players.
A back three could potentially narrow down attacking options even more, but it would give Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku the chance to pair up for the first time without fear of stepping on other toes in the forward line.
Post A Comment:
0 comments so far,add yours