After struggling against Norwich in the FA Cup over the weekend, Manchester United will be keen to make amends as they face Brighton at Old Trafford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made eight changes to the team that beat Sheffield United in the Premier League last week, as Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Bruno Fernandes were the only survivors.
Jesse Lingard, Eric Bailly, Juan Mata, Sergio Romero, Diogo Dalot, Fred, Scott McTominay and Odion Ighalo all started at Carrow Road, but Solskjaer’s side needed extra-time to beat the Canaries and secure their place in the semi-finals (BBC).
The Red Devils will be looking to make a statement against Brighton, as United are currently in sixth place, five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, amongst the chasing pack of Wolves, Tottenham, Sheffield United and Arsenal.
Transfer Tavern have worked on a predicted starting lineup, which sees Solskjaer make eight changes to the team that faced Norwich.
Man United have started the past four fixtures in a 4-2-3-1 formation and it is hard to imagine Solskjaer will mess around with his favourite system.
Sergio Romero drops to the bench as David de Gea takes up position between the posts.
Meanwhile, Diogo Dalot struggled to make the most of the rare opportunity to prove himself, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka will slot back into his rightful place.
Similarly, Luke Shaw was exposed on the opposite wing on multiple occasions during the game against the Canaries, and this may be the perfect time for Brandon Williams to stake his claim in the starting lineup.
Fernandes is in the middle of developing a potent pivot with Paul Pogba in the midfield and it is unlikely Solskjaer will want to disrupt their burgeoning partnership.
Who should start for Man United?
Luke Shaw
Brandon Williams
The duo were instrumental in inspiring the 3-0 win over the Blades and will be looking to get more minutes under their belts, with Nemanja Matic coming back in to add some steel to the midfield trio.
Neither Jesse Lingard or Juan Mata managed to convince the critics, or the boss for that matter, as they were pulled off the pitch in the second half.
If anything, this has made the Norwegian’s job much easier, as he has a wealth of attacking talent to choose from.
Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, who are the club’s joint top-scorers this season, will be eager to add to their combined tally of goals against the Seagulls.
However, Solskjaer has a dilemma on his hands, as Mason Greenwood hasn’t scored since the the Premier League restart, while Daniel James has been inconsistent throughout the season so far.
Brighton staged a surprise victory over Arsenal last week, which will no doubt be playing on the Norwegian’s mind. He may turn to James to ping in crosses from the right wing, as the 23-year-old has supplied the second-highest amount of assists this season.
Man United fans, do you think this is how Solskjaer will lineup against Brighton? Let us know down below!
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