Standing 16 points away from Manchester City at the top of the table, 2nd placed Manchester United will travel to Etihad this weekend in a Manchester derby that will mean more to the visitors than the hosts. Manchester City lost 3-0 at Anfield in the 1st leg of the quarterfinals of the Champions League this week and Pep Guardiola seems happy fielding a weakened squad for this clash.
City can lift the league title with six games to spare if they can beat United but the Red Devils have lost just two of their last 10 league games and will believe they can take something from this game. With bragging rights up for grabs, United can move five points clear of Liverpool with a win, depending on the result in the Merseyside derby and Jose Mourinho will want his side to settle for nothing less than three points. Guardiola will have his plans but here is the predicted lineup United might field for this tie:
Team News:
In early team news, Mourinho is still without the services of Sergio Romero and Daley Blind, both of who are out injured. Phil Jones is back on the field training but is not expected to be risked for this weekend.
Expected lineup (4-2-3-1):
Defence:
David de Gea is currently among the best shot-stoppers in Europe and is one of the first names on the team sheet for the Red Devils. With Jones absent, Mourinho is expected to stick with Eric Bailly, who was not used in the win against Swansea City and the experience of Chris Smalling for this crunch tie.
Antonio Valencia is the best option at right back and will start there while Ashley Young is expected to retain his place at left-back.
Midfield:
Nemanja Matic has been a crucial part of the plans for Mourinho this season and should keep his place at the heart of the midfield this weekend. Paul Pogba has very little time to turn this season into a successful one and will start as the partner to Matic in the midfield.
Attack:
Alexis Sanchez is slowly finding his feet at Old Trafford and this game will be his biggest test yet. He will start on the left flank while Marcus Rashford, who also came on as a sub last weekend, will start on the right flank.
Jesse Lingard has been effective in a no.10 role and will be crucial for United’s chances while Romelu Lukaku, who scored against Swansea, will continue to lead the line.
Here is how they might line up:
