Darren Moore will want his side to take plenty of positives from their draw against Swansea City last weekend but West Bromwich Albion are still struggling at the bottom of the points table, 10 points away from safety. They cannot afford to drop any more points if they are to keep their top-flight status intact but they face a tough task this weekend, when they travel to Old Trafford, to take on Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United, who are fresh from a terrific victory in their local derby last weekend.
The Baggies have picked up just two points from their last 10 league games while United dropped points just twice in that time. There is only one winner on paper but West Brom have nothing to lose and have the mettle to cause an almighty upset this weekend. Moore will want his side to be at their best and here is the predicted lineup he might field for this tie:
Team News:
In early team news, the Baggies are still without the services of Gareth Barry, James Morrison, and Daniel Sturridge, all of who are still nursing injuries. Nacer Chadli is back in training and is expected to be up for selection while Hal Robson Kanu and Jonny Evans are still doubtful and will have to undergo a late fitness test ahead of this game. Sam Field has also recovered from his injury and is available.
Expected lineup (4-4-2):
Defence:
Ben Foster remains the first choice for Moore under the bar and is expected to keep his place in the side this weekend. With Evans not fully fit, Craig Dawson should continue at CB and could be partnered with Ahmed Hegazy, who has been in decent form recently.
Kieran Gibbs and Allan Nyom both had decent outings against Swansea but will be under pressure against the likes of Sanchez and Lingard on the wings.
Midfield:
Chris Brunt did not have the best of outings against Swansea in the middle of the park. He might be pushed to the left flank while Matt Philipps will try to add some width to the midfield on the right flank.
Claudio Yacob was an unused substitute in the last round and could be back in action to add some mettle to the midfield while Jake Livermore will have to take the responsibility of keeping the likes of Paul Pogba quiet.
Attack:
Jay Rodriguez scored the only goal for West Brom in the last round and should lead the attack alongside Salomon Rondon, who scored a week before.
Here is how they might line up:
