Jadon Sancho and Casemiro will return when Manchester United and Barcelona face off in the UEFA Europa League at Old Trafford on Thursday.
Manchester United will look to reach the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 when they welcome Barcelona to Old Trafford on Thursday night. And Erik ten Hag has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Harry Maguire (knee) and Antony (knock) should be available after resuming training this week. In addition, Lisandro Martinez and Marcel Sabitzer have served their European suspensions and will be at ten Hag’s disposal. Meanwhile, Casemiro will also be up for selection after missing the game against Leicester City due to his domestic ban.
Manchester United vs Barcelona Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats
So Christian Eriksen (ankle), Donny van de Beek (knee), and Anthony Martial (hip) are the only absentees for the hosts. And during his pre-match press conference, ten Hag confirmed the updates in his team news address.
The Manchester United boss said, “There’s still a training session to go but I expect Harry Maguire and Antony dos Santos [to be] available. Anthony Martial is not available. He’s back on the pitch but not in the team training, so we’ll wait for that. What [will] we do differently? You will see tomorrow, on the pitch. We have an idea of course, but of course we can’t tell [you] that now.”
With Martial still unavailable, Wout Weghorst picks himself as the central striker. But the Dutch international might have a free role and often drop deep to create space for Marcus Rashford. The English international will start on the left flank on paper, with Jadon Sancho returning to the right wing.
Bruno Fernandes will reprise his usual no. 10 role, but he might often drift to the right flank when Weghorst drops deep. As for the double pivot, Casemiro will likely replace Marcel Sabitzer. And with Fred performing superbly in recent games, the Brazilian international gets the nod over Sabitzer.
Lisandro Martinez picks himself at the heart of the defence, with Raphael Varane his central defensive partner. And Aaron Wan-Bissaka should come in for Diogo Dalot on the right flank to add more defensive solidity. Finally, Luke Shaw will continue as the left-back, with David de Gea taking his place between the sticks.
Predicted Manchester United XI: de Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Fred; Sancho, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford; Weghorst
