Manchester United have the opportunity to secure a second Premier League triumph on the bounce when they make the trip to Merseyside to take on arch-rivals Liverpool this weekend. The Red Devils come into the game on the back of a disappointing 2-1 Champions League defeat at Valencia in midweek which saw them miss out on the top spot in Group H.
Formation:4-2-3-1
Predicted Lineup:
David de Gea has gone through a tough season where he has managed just two Premier League clean sheets but much of the blame can be put on the defensive organisation in front of him. The Spaniard should start between the sticks without any doubt. In the defence, Mourinho faces an injury crisis with Chris Smalling, Victor Lindelof and Marcos Rojo on the sidelines and this may witness Eric Bailly and Phil Jones start once more at the heart of the backline.
Meanwhile, Ashley Young is likely to feature in one of the full-back positions after the midweek hint from Mourinho and that could be on the left side of the defence to curb the threat of Mohamed Salah which he did with success last term. In this case, Diogo Dalot appears the leading candidate to slot into the right-back position with Antonio Valencia struggling to leave a notable impression in midweek.
In the midfield, Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera should return to the fray after playing no part in the Los Che clash thus witnessing Paul Pogba dropping to the bench for the third league game on the bounce. Further forward, Mourinho has limited options with Alexis Sanchez (hamstring) and possibly Anthony Martial (knock) on the sidelines and this may witness the Portuguese resort to the same attack front from the previous weekend.
The in-form Marcus Rashford should feature on the left side of the attack with Juan Mata on the opposite flank while Jesse Lingard may retain his position in the number 10 role. Upfront, Romelu Lukaku appears the likelier option amid the injury crisis but the Belgian has plenty to prove after going through a poor performance at the Mestalla where his distribution and hold-up play was not up to scratch.
