Patrick Rees
After that disappointment in China, where the game was cancelled due to the issues on the ground, Manchester United will now be travelling to Sweden to play their last game of the pre-season tour.
Manchester United, who faced a humiliating defeat at the hands of Borussia Dortmund, will now be challenging the Turkish side Galatasaray. The good news for Manchester United is; their star men have returned to the training and will available for the next game, and that includes, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as well as Anthony Martial, Morgan Schneiderlin, Marouane Fellaini, Matteo Darmian and Bastian Schweinsteiger.
Manchester United have only met the Turkish giants six times in the history and that includes, an entertaining 3-3 draw in the 1993 European Cup second round. The latest encounter between the sides was in the 2012-13 Champions League, where Manchester United won the game with a strike from Michael Carrick and two months later, the Turks completed their revenge as the Reds lost 1-0 at the Turk Telecom Arena.
Here in this article, we give you a strongest Manchester United lineup that could face Galatasaray:
Goalkeeper: David De Gea-
The Spaniard hasn’t played in the pre-season yet, so might mark his return in Sweden. Jose Mourinho used Sam Johnstone, but the English shot stopper was full of blunders against Borussia Dortmund, hence, the manager might start with David De Gea.
Defenders: Darmian; Smalling; Bailly; Shaw-
The Italian defender Matteo Darmian has recently returned to training after his vacations, hence, he might get lucky to feature against the Turks in the fixture. The Italian had a torrid season last time out, yet many believe that he might revive his career under Mourinho as his work rate on the field makes him a perfect Mourinho type player.
A centre back pairing will most probably be of Manchester United’s number one defender Chris Smalling and the new arrival Eric Bailly. Smalling hasn’t played a single game in the pre-season and with Phil Jones failing to do anything concrete, we might see him starting the game for the Reds. On the other hand, Eric Bailly, who was one of the brightest spots in the game against Dortmund might get his chance yet again.
United have many options for the left spot in the following fixture, but we might see the 21-year-old Luke Shaw doing his running against the Turks.
Holding midfielders: Schneiderlin; Schweinsteiger-
Both Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger have not resumed training with the side as of Tuesday, but it is expected that they might feature in the game. Both the midfielder had horror times in the last campaign, but they will be looking for a fresh start. With Schneiderlin playing as a defensive midfielder, the German midfielder can drive himself forward to join the attacks and dictate the tempo of the game.
Attacking Trio: Mkhitaryan; Rooney; Martial-
The Armenian international Henrikh Mkhitaryan has played a great football so far for the side, and he even scored against his former club few days back, and so, he will be looking to replicate the same form in the last pre-season fixture. With him playing on right, our new number 11, Anthony Martial, might mark his return in the fixture and will most probably be playing on the left flank to do his usual job. On the other hand, the skipper, Wayne Rooney, who is no longer a central midfielder, will be looking to exploit Turks’ defence as an attacking midfielder.
Striker: Zlatan Ibrahimovic-
Maybe this will be the day when every United fan will see Zlatan wearing that famous Red Jersey. He will mark his return to his country. The big Swede, known for his wonder goals will be supported by one of the most creative players in the sport, hence, we might see him scoring his first goal for Manchester United.
