Rashford and Pogba will lead Manchester United against Celta
Manchester United have not had a very good season in the English Premier League and right now they would not qualify for the UEFA Champions League. However, Jose Mourinho’s men are three games away from winning the UEFA Europa League, and that trophy would give them an automatic UCL berth. With that in mind, The Red Devils are set to face Celta Vigo in the first leg of the tournament’s semifinals at Balaidos.
Team News
Manchester United will be quite depleted for this pivotal UEFA Europa League contests. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo are out, but they are not the only two absentees for Thursday.
Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, and Eric Bailly returned to training, and all three are doubtful to feature. Paul Pogba recovered from his ailment, and should start in midfield behind the lone striker. Luke Shaw and Timothy Fosu-Mensah, on the other hand, have been ruled out.
The Soccer News team has prepared a predicted line-up and formation Manchester United are expected to field this Wednesday.
Defence
Even though David De Gea has been the starter through much of the season, that spot belongs to Sergio Romero in Europe. And the Argentinian goalkeeper will remain between the posts for this contest, because he earned it. “Chiquito” had some very good performances against Rostov and Anderlecht, and there is no reason to think to he will not be up to the challenge against Celta as well.
In front of him, Mourinho will deploy his usual four-men line. The absences will force “The Special One” to make a few changes, though. Antonio Valencia and Matteo Darmian would slot on the right and left flanks, respectively. And the potential returns of Jones and Smalling could bolster a depleted centre-back core. However, Bailly and Daley Blind are likely to get the start. Mourinho has not ruled out the presence of Axel Tuanzebe, but the youngster seems like a long-shot to play.
Midfield
Mourinho is not going to change his two holding midfielders, so it is likely that we will see Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera out there in front of the defensive line. The Belgian is suspended at the domestic level, but he will not have problems to feature on the European stage.
United will receive a huge boost with Paul Pogba’s return, and the French starlet will play on his regular AMC role. Juan Mata and Anthony Martial are expected to feature on the wings. The Spaniard playmaker has been training well during the week, and he’s reportedly an option for Mourinho. Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Jesse Lingard are options, too.
Attack
The absence of Zlatan will make things complicated for United, but they have enough weapons to replace him. Marcus Rashford, Martial, and even Wayne Rooney could slot upfront. However, all signs indicate Rashford will handle the attacking responsibilities. The talented youngster had an impressive performance against Anderlecht, and there is no question Mourinho trusts him.
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