Manchester United welcome AC Milan to Old Trafford for the first leg of their Europa League Round of sixteen tie. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have gained much-needed confidence and positivity with an emphatic derby win over Manchester City which also marked the end of the Citizens’ twenty-one game winning streak. In this win, United also ended their goalless run of three games with the help of Bruno Fernandes’s early spot-kick.
Manchester United might be without their star man Marcus Rashford, who suffered an injury to his ankle at the Etihad. First-choice keeper David de Gea is also set to miss out as he is still in Spain following the birth of his child. Donny van de Beek and Paul Pogba remain doubtful due to injuries and are highly unlikely to play a part in the Europa League fixture.
Let us now take a look at how Solskjaer may set his team up for this clash between two of Europe’s most successful clubs.
THE 4-2-3-1
The 4-2-3-1 has been the system mostly used by Solskjaer against strong opposition. Dean Henderson is expected to retain his place and in the only change at the back we might see Alex Telles replacing Luke Shaw due to fitness concerns. Fred and McTominay will look to continue their excellent work in providing defensive cover to allow their best player Bruno Fernandes to operate freely in the final third.
Edinson Cavani may return to the side in the absence of Rashford and use his vast experience to trouble the Milan defence who have looked shaky recently. Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood are most likely to complete the front three.
THE 4-4-2(Diamond)
The 4-4-2 Diamond is another option for United to focus on attacking down the centre. Scott McTominay has scored some fantastic goals this season when employed a bit higher up the field and this system gives him that freedom with Matic as the pivot. Captain Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof were both brilliant against City and need to be at those sort of levels despite their opposition being without their top scorer and talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Mason Greenwood has failed to continue his free-scoring form from last season, but can surely trouble Donnarumma with his shooting. Alex Telles will definitely look to whip in crosses from wide areas and during set pieces to create opportunities for Cavani and Maguire who always carry the aerial threat.
THE 4-3-3
Another alternative for Solskjaer to emphasize counter-attacking football is the 4-3-3 formation. Using the pace of Daniel James and Greenwood on the flanks and the ability of Bruno to play long balls over the high line of opponents, United can effectively pull off fast counters. McTominay will most likely be employed in a box to box role with Matic playing in front of the backline. The Red Devils will need to avoid giving time and space to Hakan Calhanoglu who can create scoring chances and also threaten himself from range.
Manchester United are unbeaten in eleven games and will look to continue that run preferably without conceding an away goal. Milan only barely managed to overcome Red Star Belgrade on away goals in the previous round and face a huge test against a much stronger side. With the sides facing each other after more than a decade, we should look forward to a tightly contested game on Thursday.
