Manchester United are at Old Trafford for the Premier League opener against Chelsea this weekend. The Red Devils focused on bolstering the defence during the recently concluded transfer window but other than that, it was a frustrating period for the fans with no quality additions in the midfield, where there was the genuine need for a creative player.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Predicted Lineup:
In the goalkeeping department, there are no question marks regarding David de Gea’s pedigree despite the fact that he was struggling for form during the backend of last season. He is expected to start in goal.
In the backline, summer purchase Aaron Wan-Bissaka could be handed his debut on the right-back spot with Luke Shaw on the opposite end of the central defence.
Elsewhere, record signing Harry Maguire should be deemed fit for the game after his pre-season exploits with Leicester City and we are backing him to play alongside Victor Lindelof at the heart of the defence.
In the midfield, Nemanja Matic may not get the chance to start against his former employers, given he has been unimpressive with his slow decision-making which has drawn criticism from the fans.
As such, we are anticipating the young Scott McTominay to take up the defensive midfield role. Paul Pogba should be expected to occupy the other midfield spot, provided he has recovered from the minor back spasm, which saw him miss the AC Milan friendly earlier this month.
In the attack front, Solskjaer should prefer to go with a combination which can put pressure on the likes of Zouma and Christensen with their high pressing.
In this case, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and summer recruit Daniel James seem the perfect foil behind Marcus Rashford, who should lead the attack after the departure of Romelu Lukaku.
Young graduate Mason Greenwood has been one of the finds from the recent pre-season but Solskjaer may not want to put extra pressure on the teenager’s shoulders. He could come off the bench.
Predicted Manchester United lineup (4-2-3-1) to face Chelsea: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, McTominay, Pogba, James, Lingard, Martial, Rashford
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