Manchester United are back to winning ways after their huge win in the Europa League against Spanish opponent Real Sociedad a couple of days back. The Red Devils will take confidence from the victory and will look to win their next game in the Premier League against Newcastle United. There are a lot of doubts for the game at Old Trafford this weekend thus Solskjaer might chop and change the starting XI.
Newcastle United are in a poor run of form and are arguably one of the worst footballing sides in the league currently. The Red Devils will be expected to boss the game, but anything is possible whenever Manchester United are in action. It will be interesting to see how Solskjaer picks the starting lineup after the stellar performance in the Europa League.
Let us now have a look at how Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might set his Manchester United side against struggling Newcastle United in the Premier League.
THE 4-2-3-1
The 4-2-3-1 has been Solskjaer’s most used system and the formation and he is expected to follow his usual trend of using this particular system. David De Gea will be expected to return to the starting lineup after he got rested in the Europa League fixture. The Spaniard has again been under the spotlight with his mistakes, after a great start to the season, especially in the Premier League.
Harry Maguire and Eric Bailly should start the game, with the pair coming out on top every time they have played together. Lindelof has been woeful in the recent past and deserves to be dropped out of the starting XI for the next game at least. Fred and Matic are the likeliest pair to start as the midfield pivot with a slight injury scare to McTominay and Pogba out with a thigh strain.
Tony Martial will be expected to start the game as the Manchester United No.9, as Cavani seems to go through a minor injury problem.
THE 4-4-2 (DIAMOND)
The 4-4-2 (Diamond) is another system that Solskjaer has used to great extent this season with a variety of midfielders in the Manchester United squad. But due to the injury to Van de Beek and Pogba, the chances of using this system are slim this weekend in the Premier League. But if McTominay is fit and available, this might be an option for Solskjaer as the Scot has done well going forward.
Martial and Rashford have worked well as a pair in the past, despite the slump in form for the Frenchman this season. The United No.9 needs to get his game up and score more as his goals have completely dried up this season. Rashford also needs to score more as he gets a lot of chances but fails to convert many as well.
THE 4-3-3
The 4-3-3 will be the last option for Solskjaer as he hasn’t used it a lot in recent times because of imbalance on the pitch. The Red Devils will be expected to dominate the game and control the ball throughout the game. Manchester United will be expected to win the encounter with relative ease anything else will leave the team scratching their heads.
