Manchester United head to France on Wednesday for the second leg clash of their Europa League Round-of-32 against St. Etienne. Jose Mourinho’s side have a great advantage heading into the encounter after Zlatan Ibrahimović’s hat-trick handed the Red Devils a 3-0 victory at Old Trafford last week.
With the EFL Cup final against Southampton coming up next, Mourinho is most likely to rest some of his key players for this game but would look to field a strong backline to ensure that his team’s healthy lead isn’t under threat.
United will be without the services of captain Wayne Rooney and defender Phil Jones while Timothy Fosu-Mensah has a minor knock but can feature if need be. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see key men Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimović rested, keeping in mind the match at Wembley in the weekend. Paul Pogba could come on from the bench for few minutes just to stay sharp and gain some confidence. With all this in mind, here is how we expect United to line up on Wednesday evening.
Manchester United expected line-up:
Formation: 4-3-3
Sergio Romero (GK)
The Argentine shot-stopper had a decent outing against Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup fifth round clash over the weekend and it is likely that he will keep his place on Wednesday in France.
Matteo Darmian (RB)
With Antonio Valencia likely to be rested and Timothy Fosu-Mensah not 100% fit, we could see Darmian take the field on the right side of the defence, despite having an average game against Blackburn.
Chris Smalling (CB)
The English centre-half is slowly regaining his form from last season and should start against St. Etienne on Wednesday.
Marcos Rojo (CB)
Alongside Smalling, it will be Marcos Rojo who will complete the heart of the defence for United. The Argentine did not have the best of starts against Blackburn but grew into the game and should retain his place.
Luke Shaw (LB)
The promising left-back should be reinstated to the starting line-up on Wednesday as it could be the perfect platform for Mourinho to give him some minutes, given United’s comfortable first-leg lead.
Michael Carrick (CM)
The former Tottenham man put in a steady and solid display in the middle of the park on Sunday evening and will lead the team out in France on Wednesday.
Marouane Fellaini (CM)
The Belgian international did not start the FA Cup clash on the weekend but could feature from the go on Wednesday as Mourinho would look to give Ander Herrera some well-earned rest.
Bastian Schweinsteiger (CM)
The German midfielder was included in the Europa League squad by United last month and could be handed his first European start of the season against the French opponents.
Jesse Lingard (RW)
The United academy product will most likely hold onto his place for the upcoming fixture with Mkhitaryan most likely to be given time to cool off ahead of the Cup final.
Anthony Martial (LW)
A string of impressive displays in recent weeks seem to have done enough for the Frenchman to earn Mourinho’s trust and he should feature from the kick-off against St. Etienne.
Marcus Rashford (ST)
With Rooney injured and Ibrahimović likely to be given the day off, Rashford should hold onto his place in the line-up and deservedly so after a fine display on Sunday against Blackburn.
What do you reckon United fans?