MANCHESTER UNITED team news - what starting XI will take to the field against Barcelona this evening?
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has the difficult task of selecting a team capable of overturning a 1-0 deficit at the Camp Nou tonight.
Manchester United thwarted Barcelona well in the Champions League quarter-final first leg but was unable to punish a deep-lying defense.
A team built for the counter-attack, United should have more success going forward in Catalonia - but will also have more work to do in defense.
Solskjaer’s best results have come away from home - think Tottenham (0-1), Arsenal (1-3), Chelsea (0-2), Paris Saint-Germain (1-3) - and that has been because of his team’s ability to spring forward quickly after absorbing attacks.
In two of those wins, against Tottenham and Arsenal, Jesse Lingard played behind a front two, who would sometimes split to the wings, effectively making the energetic England international a false nine.
Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford did the business in the memorable comeback against PSG, from which Solskjaer is drawing inspiration, and you would expect the manager to stick with those two, despite it meaning Anthony Martial’s absence.
Solskjaer may well use Lingard similarly against Barcelona because he is as positionally-aware and hard-working defensively as he is offensive.
That would mean operating with the 4-3-1-2 formation which brought early success on the road.
Alexis Sanchez and Nemanja Matic are back from injury and with the squad but will surely not be thrust into a game of this magnitude without a minute’s preparation, despite the latter’s otherwise secured place at the base of midfield.
Fred has emerged as a trusted player under Solskjaer since Matic’s injury and played well as the holding midfielder against Barcelona last week.
He could anchor a three-man midfield with Paul Pogba on his left and Scott McTominay, who made a standout performance in the first leg, on the right.
McTominay was rested against West Ham on the weekend, presumably priming the academy graduate for tonight. Ander Herrera remains sidelined.
In defense, Luke Shaw is suspended, opening up a spot at left-back.
The forgotten Marcos Rojo played 75 minutes in that position on the weekend, and it looked a practice-run before the main event tonight.
He is left-footed and, despite lacking the offensive threat of Shaw or Diogo Dalot, will be aggressive with Barcelona’s wide men, whatever degree that is to.
Taking all into account, Express Sport expects four changes from Saturday's Premier League match against West Ham, and two from the first leg.
Man Utd predicted line-up vs Barcelona: De Gea; Young, Smalling, Lindelof, Rojo; McTominay, Fred, Pogba; Lingard; Lukaku, Rashford.
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