Manchester United will face Brighton and Hove Albion again on Wednesday in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup in the Amex Arena. The Red Devils will be buzzing from their last-minute victory from the same opposition in the Premier League last weekend. But Solskjaer will be expected to make several changes to the squad as he will look to rotate his squad in the Carabao Cup.
A lot of the players who featured on the bench against Brighton in the weekend will be expected in the starting XI for tomorrow’s game. Special attention will be given on Eric Bailly, Jesse Lingard and Donny Van de Beek as they try to push for their chances in the main team.
Let us now have a look at how Manchester United might lineup against Brighton and Hove Albion in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
THE 4-2-3-1
This system is Solskjaer’s favourite, and this team is well versed as they have played with each other a lot of times. Van de Beek has also settled in quickly and has looked fantastic whenever he has been on the pitch for the Red Devils. But the spotlight will be on Jesse Lingard, as he has shown signs of the becoming the player he was a couple of years ago.
Dean Henderson will surely keep his place in between the sticks after a great debut game, which saw him save a point-blank range shot. Fred and Scott Mctominay will be likely to anchor the midfield and get back to the best of forms. Both looked comfortable with each other before the lockdown and had a hand in United’s unbeaten run.
Van de Beek and Mata will be given the creative license and responsibility, whereas Ighalo will try to end his goal drought against a strong Brighton side.
THE 4-3-3
The 4-3-3 will be a much more attacking system than the previous 4-2-3-1 which sees a couple of midfielders in the pivot. Fred has done well in the defensive midfield role, with the help of his pace and tenacity, and will be expected to play in the deeper role in such a system. This will also see Van de Beek and McTominay playing as the central midfielders, giving Mata the license to come inside and create.
The defence will be the same, but the full-backs will have to cover more ground in the 4-3-3. In this system, it is the full-backs who provide width to the team while attacking and will also have to make the pitch compact while defending. Fosu-Mensah has a point to prove at United but hasn’t done very well yet, with the Dutchman running short of chances, this might be the game he flourishes.
THE 3-5-2
The 3-5-2 might be an option for Solskjaer, as Brighton use the same system and with identical systems, it might come down to individual brilliance. The wing-backs will be under serious pressure in such a system, as they will have to run up and down the line attacking and defending at both ends of the pitch. This system can be used as an attacking system as well as a defensive system depending on the manager and the players, but it is unlikely for Solskjaer to use such a system.
