Manchester United have drawn in Luton Town in the third round of the Carabao Cup this season and will look to get their first victory of the season. After their dismal performance in a loss to Crystal Palace over the last weekend, Solskjaer looks to get to winning ways. In his latest press conference, the manager has also stated that there will be changes in the United side that will face Luton Town tomorrow.
Most of the United players, against Crystal Palace, looked rusty and out of shape as United had a poor pre-season. Solskjaer could have stuck to the main first-team players and could have used this game to get things on the track. But after the press conference, it is sure that Solskjaer will make some changes.
One of the predictable change is the inclusion of Dean Henderson in goal in place of David De Gea and the inclusion of Van de Beek in the starting XI. Let us have a look at how United might lineup against Luton Town later tomorrow.
THE 4-2-3-1
It is almost sure that Dean Henderson will start tomorrow in between the sticks for United, in place of De Gea. Wan Bissaka and Matic are expected to return to the starting XI after training sufficiently. Both the players have only had about a week’s pre-season training and thus were on the bench against the Eagles.
Fred, Lingard, Ighalo, and Brandon Williams might be given rare starts as Solskjaer looks to rotate his squad. If these players fail to perform, Solskjaer will bring the likes of Pogba, Fernandes, and Martial to get the job done. No matter how they set up, United are expected to dominate the possession and win the game with relative ease.
THE 4-2-3-1 (ALTERNATIVE)
This side is slightly stronger than the side which was mentioned earlier, as it contains more starters. The likes of Shaw and Fernandes will give the Red Devils more sharpness and attacking threat against a Luton side which might sit back and defend deep. Bruno Fernandes is a danger no matter the opposition and will create chances for United if given time and space.
The likes of Van de Beek will be better than Fred going forward because of his technicality and positional awareness. The Dutch midfielder has a proven record in scoring and creating goals and is thus a better option against weaker opposition.
THE 4-4-2(DIAMOND)
Solskjaer has used the 4-4-2 (diamond) formation only once at United, against Everton and it wasn’t pleasing to the eyes. This formation will mean that the full-backs will play further up the pitch, with the wide midfielders coming inside to flood the midfield. Matic would be used as the deep-lying playmaker and will also be in charge of guarding the full-backs.
The problem with such a formation is that both the strikers are forced to play like inverted wingers, instead of playing centrally. With no presence up-front, it will be difficult even for Bruno Fernandes to create clear-cut chances. Thus, it is highly unlikely for Solskjaer to use such a formation against minnow Luton Town.
