Manchester United begin their Carabao Cup defence on Tuesday evening when they welcome Crystal Palace to Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag won the Carabao Cup competition as the first piece of silverware in his debut season at Old Trafford, beating Newcastle United 2-0 in the final at the Wembley Stadium last term. He will want to retain the domestic cup and will want to build some momentum ahead of a busy period of fixtures, having started the 2023/24 season slowly.
The Red Devils ended their three-game losing run in all competitions with a 1-0 league win over Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday evening, which will give them an injection of confidence heading into the game against Crystal Palace.
Manchester United have been boosted by the return of Mason Mount to training after a five-week injury absence. Harry Maguire also took part in Sunday’s session, after missing the games against Bayern Munich and Burnley.
However, the Red Devils suffered a fresh injury blow at the weekend when Sergio Reguilon was forced off with a suspected hamstring problem against Burnley, although Ten Hag said after the game that the left-back was ill. Lisandro Martinez missed out on the game with a foot problem and wasn’t pictured in training on Monday.
Ten Hag has a few selection decisions to make for the upcoming Carabao Cup clash. Due to injuries and fixture pile-up, he may opt to shuffle his pack against the Eagles.
Goalkeeper
The cup game against Palace could be the perfect chance to hand Altay Bayindir his debut, after the Turkey international signed as Andre Onana’s back-up in the summer.
Bayindir, if given the nod, will be raring to keep a clean sheet on his first outing at Old Trafford.
Defence
Harry Maguire was involved in team training on Monday and could be trusted to do the job in defence. He is expected to partner Victor Lindelof in central defence in the Man United lineup, with fit-again Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans on the bench as cover.
Sofyan Amrabat is expected to make his full debut after coming off the bench and filling in at left-back for Reguilon in the final minutes against Burnley. The Moroccan, however, could start at right-back in the Man United lineup against the Eagles with Diogo Dalot swapping positions, as Ten Hag looks to not risk Reguilon in midweek.
Midfield
The likes of Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes will certainly be rested, meaning Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay should come in and be supported by Hannibal Mejbri, who was impressive in his first start for United against Burnley on Saturday.
Mason Mount could feature from the bench, having just returned from a hamstring injury.
Attack
Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund, who both started over the weekend, are likely to drop to the bench.
A new-look attack with Facundo Pellistri and Alejandro Garnacho on the right and left wing in the Man United lineup is on the cards. The two South Americans will lend pace, flair and dynamism to Ten Hag’s side and support Anthony Martial, who is likely to replace Hojlund in the No.9 role.
Donny Van de Beek, Dan Gore, Mount and Fernandes could get opportunities in the second half.
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