Manchester United are ready to play a repeat of the FA Cup semi-final when they travel to face Brighton & Hove Albion on Thursday. Last Word on Sports tries to put together a Manchester United Predicted Lineup for their key Premier League clash against an in-form Brighton side.
Manchester United Predicted Lineup vs Brighton
How Manchester United Have Lined-Up Recently
Erik ten Hag has already taken charge of over 50 games as United manager since joining the club last year and has been quite stubborn with picking his best set of players this season. However, certain injuries have forced changes and the Dutchman has been more open to rotating his team in recent weeks.
With that being said, the consistent backline of David de Gea, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot is performing well enough to keep their places. Casemiro and Christian Eriksen, who recovered from his injury earlier than expected, are key to maintaining a strong flow in midfield. Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford are the biggest influences in the attack with their impressive chemistry and are undroppable, while expensive summer signing Antony – once called a ‘one-trick pony’ by Paul Scholes – should return to the starting lineup for this after being benched against Aston Villa.
Manchester United Recent Form and Tactics
The Red Devils have won three of their last five games across all competitions, but have maintained a topsy-turvy away form in the Premier League this season – something they aim to improve against Brighton.
Read More: Manchester United Monitoring Tammy Abraham Ahead of Summer Window
Despite the unavailabilities in his squad, Ten Hag continues to persist with his 4-3-3 formation. His philosophy is still the same, which is to control the possession and move the ball from their backline into the opposition box.
That involves them quickly moving the ball through the wide areas, with the wingers often making inverted runs into central areas and opening up space for the wingbacks to overlap. The midfielders often keep inter-changing areas to keep opponents guessing, while the Red Devils have been very clinical on their rapid counter-attacks this season as well.
Manchester United Key Players
Rashford has been on fire for United this season and impressed in the no.9 role as of late too. He’ll aim to hit that 30-goal mark for the season against Brighton, making use of his clever off-the-ball run to get past his marker and finish chances clinically, while also using his pace to get the ball forward swiftly.
Read More: Manchester United Take First Steps to Harry Kane Signing Talks
Fernandes is the creative chief for the club and is responsible for setting up big chances with his smart final third passes as well as crosses. He can also score goals because of his clever movement and finishing ability too. Antony needs to use his pace to get the ball into the box for his side and also be more decisive with his final product.
The Red Devils can’t take Brighton’s goalscoring threat for granted, the team are in flying form and won their last game by a 6-0 margin! That means their backline needs to be at its best, maintaining utmost concentration and not leaving any empty space for the Seagulls to threaten them.
Manchester United Injuries to Consider
Lisandro Martinez is ruled out for the rest of the season after the injury he suffered last month. However, Raphael Varane and Scott McTominay are nearing their return from injuries – while Donny van Beek also works on his return. Alejandro Garnacho, who recently signed a new contract, could be on the bench for this.
Manchester United Predicted Lineup
David de Gea, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes, Antony, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford
