Patrick Rees
So the streak is finally over for Manchester United. After suffering three back to back humiliating defeats, the Red half of Manchester came right back on track as they defeated Northampton Town in the third round of the EFL Cup.
Well, there were incidents where the side was exposed by the League one outfit, but the Premier League giants dealt the pressure and qualified for the next round. The first goal came from an unexpected source, Michael Carrick, while the second one was the perfect example of a threatening counter-attack and the last one; well, that was a gift, to say the least.
The victory means we will get to witness three Manchester derbies, one of them is concluded, as the Devils will now face Manchester City in the next round of the competition. Before that, a visit of the reigning Premier League champions has been scheduled. The side will be facing Leicester City this weekend, who recently got outnumbered by Antonio Conte’s men in the same competition.
The last time the foxes travelled to Old Trafford, they played a 1-1 draw, but the result was overshadowed as Jamie Vardy marked his name on the record by scoring 11 consecutive goals in the competition. Well, it is fair to say that the match is going to be an interesting one and besides that, this will be a must-win encounter for Mourinho and co.
So here is the predicted lineup for Manchester United:
Goalkeeper: David De Gea-
The former Atletico Madrid man was dropped from the squad that faced Northampton, and clearly, that was to give him the much-needed rest. He has faced a real humiliation in the last three games, and this time around, he will be hoping to keep a clean-sheet.
Defence: Valencia; Bailly; Blind; Shaw-
The Ecuadorian too was dropped for the last game and he will be returning to the first team action this weekend. The 31-year-old defender has been performing really great this season, but he still needs to work on his defending skills as he leaves too much of space while rushing forward. A sure starter for the game.
The centre back pairing will most probably be of Eric Bailly and Daley Blind. Well, it is quite clear that Bailly and Smalling aren’t the best when it comes to the chemistry, and the manager will surely not risk it against the defending champs. Both Bailly and Blind have formed a formidable partnership so far and are looking confident as well.
The left side is a doubt as the current number one, Luke Shaw, sustained an injury against Watford, but the reports from BBC has suggested that chance of him playing is 50-50 . With no stiff options available, the manager might go with him.
Holding Pair: Carrick; Pogba-
This might not be it, but we personally believe that this pair might work for the squad. Michael Carrick, who scored the opener against Northampton, might get his first Premier League start of the new season. He was exceptional last night and literally showed that age is just a number. Or if not him, we’d prefer Ander Herrera ahead of both Fellaini and Schneiderlin.
With Carrick playing a much deeper role, Pogba will be given the licence of rushing forward. The 23-year-old hasn’t really impressed the spectators, but he has now a point to prove.
Attacking Trio: Mata; Rooney; Rashford-
Well, this could do the trick for the Devils. Mata can start the from the wings and could swap the spot with Rooney at times, which will make him the number 10 in the fixture. And if not that, he could play his part close to the touchline and could combine with Valencia to get a chip in the box.
Rooney has received a lot of criticism from the past couple of months and needs to step up to silence the critics. Even against Northampton, he wasn’t that effective; he missed the simplest of tap-ins that could well have been the opener.
On the left, the manager might bench Martial to make space for the in-form Marcus Rashford. The youngster has been performing with real intent in recent games and the games like these will only help his cause.
Striker: Ibrahimovic-
Absolutely no doubt about it. The Swede will be a total headache for Leicester’s back two for the entire 90 minutes. If the players manage to get some good balls inside the area, Ibrahimovic is very much capable of finishing it with super accuracy.
