Eric Bailly could start ahead of Victor Lindelof while Mason Greenwood will return when Manchester United take on Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
Manchester United will be eager to bounce back to winning ways in the Premier League when they lock horns with Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Saturday afternoon. And, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a near-full strength squad at his disposal ahead of his team’s latest fixture.
The only two absentees for Manchester United at Brighton will be Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones, who are both recovering from long-term injuries. Solskjaer, though, revealed during his pre-match press conference that Tuanzebe is closing in on returning to first-team training and should be at his disposal post the international break next month.
The Manchester United manager had made wholesale changes to his side for the Carabao Cup third round tie at Luton Town earlier this week. Against Brighton, however, Solskjaer ought to revert to his strongest lineup, with Harry Maguire starting a third successive game.
?? @EricBailly24 ?#MUFC pic.twitter.com/COiBVJDxpu
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 25, 2020
The big talking point ahead of the game will be deciding who partners Maguire at the heart of the Manchester United defence. Victor Lindelof was horrendous against Crystal Palace last weekend, while Eric Bailly impressed at Luton. Solskjaer talked about Bailly during his presser, providing a hint that the Ivorian could feature more regularly this term.
“I think last season proved to us how we can defend at our best. Yeah, last week [against Crystal Palace] wasn’t fantastic – we conceded sloppy goals, but our defensive record from last season shows with [Victor Lindelof] and Harry [Maguire] how good a partnership they were.”
“It’s the whole team, defending as a team. Eric is fit again, which is a big bonus for us and I’m looking forward to seeing him develop and play more games this season because we’ve been waiting for him to… well, first, be fit and then to play more regularly.”
Bailly should be favoured over Lindelof against Brighton in the central defensive partnership, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw completing the backline that will provide cover to David de Gea in the Manchester United goal.
Up ahead in midfield, Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay should resume their tandem in the double pivot, especially with Nemanja Matic still making his way back to peak sharpness. Further up, Bruno Fernandes should take over from Donny van de Beek in the no. 10 role.
Finally, in attack, Mason Greenwood should start his first match of the season after impressing off the bench in the Carabao Cup win. Greenwood will be joined by usual suspects, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial in the final third against Brighton.
Manchester United Predicted XI: de Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, Maguire, Shaw; Pogba, McTominay; Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford; Martial
