Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw will return to the starting lineup when Manchester United and Sevilla face off in the Europa League on Thursday.
Manchester United will aim to reach the UEFA Europa League semi-finals when they lock horns with Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium on Thursday night. And Erik ten Hag has greeted a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
The good news is that Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Marcel Sabitzer, and Marcus Rashford have resumed training ahead of the game. And the four players are in the travelling squad to take on Sevilla on Thursday. But Bruno Fernandes is unavailable due to a suspension after going into the referee’s book last week.
In addition, Tom Heaton, Phil Jones, Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, Donny van de Beek, and Alejandro Garnacho remain on the sidelines. And Scott McTominay is also missing from the travelling squad as he is yet to recover from a knock. Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag spoke about the prospects of Rashford, Shaw, Malacia, and Sabitzer during his pre-match press conference.
He said, “They are available because that’s why they’re on the airplane. I will take my decisions tomorrow, today we trained and we will see what the reaction is and then tomorrow we will take a decision. You always want to keep players fit, which is the main objective, besides of course the main objective: win the game.”
Shaw, Sabitzer, and Rashford should return to the starting lineup on Thursday despite Erik ten Hag’s comments. Shaw will line up alongside Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the defensive unit. Lindelof and Maguire will form the central defensive partnership in the absence of Martinez and Varane.
As for the midfield unit, Christian Eriksen and Casemiro will pair up in the double pivot again. And the duo will be Manchester United’s best bet to beat Sevilla in the second leg on Thursday. Meanwhile, Sabitzer will be the most advanced midfielder for Manchester United.
With Bruno Fernandes unavailable, Sabitzer will have the freedom while reprising the no. 10 role. Meanwhile, Rashford will start on the left flank, with Antony continuing on the right wing. Finally, Anthony Martial will spearhead the Manchester United attack against Sevilla on Thursday.
Predicted Manchester United XI: de Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Lindelof, Shaw; Casemiro, Eriksen; Antony, Sabitzer, Rashford; Martial
