Man Utd predicted lineup vs Chelsea today - Premier League
Manchester United
Man Utd predicted lineup vs Chelsea today - Premier League
Man Utd travel to the capital to face Chelsea on Thursday evening
Erik ten Hag's side continue to underwhelm in the Premier League
Defensive injuries are causing the Red Devils issues
By Ewan Ross-Murray
Apr 3, 2024 | Updated: Apr 4, 2024, 9:17 AM GMT+1
Manchester United suffered yet more disappointment on their return from the March international break last Saturday.
The Red Devils are enduring a pretty dismal campaign to date and were played off the park by a Brentford side sat just a few points off the relegation zone. Erik ten Hag's side only managed a point at the Gtech Community Stadium after Kristoffer Ajer's 99th-minute equaliser cancelled out Mason Mount's first Man Utd goal in the seventh minute of stoppage time.
The 13-time Premier League champions return to west London on Thursday when they face fellow strugglers Chelsea, a fixture they won 2-1 at Old Trafford earlier in the season. Ten Hag's side still harbour hopes of a top four spot this season but Champions League qualification looks increasingly unlikely with each passing week.
With some injuries to contend with ahead of Thursday's battle, here's how Man Utd could line up against Chelsea.
Man Utd predicted lineup vs Chelsea (4-2-3-1)
Rasmus Hojlund
Rasmus Hojlund is looking to resurrect his form from earlier this year / Visionhaus/GettyImages
GK: Andre Onana - The Cameroonian stopper has managed to largely eradicate the errors that haunted him early in his United career, but Chelsea will keep him on his toes at Stamford Bridge.
RB: Diogo Dalot - The Portuguese is an inconsistent performer and will have his work cut out to handle the speedy and tricky Mykhailo Mudryk on Thursday. One thing you can guarantee is he will give his all, though.
CB: Raphael Varane - The former Real Madrid defender was withdrawn against Brentford as a precaution but Ten Hag has confirmed he is available for the trip to Stamford Bridge. With injuries piling up at the back, his experience and leadership will be vital on Thursday.
CB: Harry Maguire - With Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof sidelined, Maguire is likely to partner Varane at the back - although Jonny Evans is now fit too. The centre-back has been an inconsistent performer this season and won't be relishing a battle with the pacy and direct Nicolas Jackson.
LB: Aaron Wan-Bissaka - Man Utd's left-back injury crisis means Ten Hag has had to be creative in that area, with Wan-Bissaka shifting to the other side of defence recently. Given he's such a strong one-v-one defender, the orthodox right-back will be the perfect match for the influential Cole Palmer.
CM: Kobbie Mainoo - The youngster wowed England supporters over the international break and continues to astound with his mature displays in United red. The wonderkid will be aiming to dominate a £221m Chelsea midfield on Thursday.
CM: Casemiro - The Brazilian provided an assist off the bench against Brentford and could reclaim his spot in the starting lineup on Thursday. Man Utd's midfield has been a big concern this season, with Casemiro having been guilty of underperforming.
RM: Alejandro Garnacho - One of the few shining lights for Man Utd this term, the youngster has often provided a crucial spark for the Red Devils in the final third. His pace will be useful on the counter-attack at Stamford Bridge.
AM: Bruno Fernandes - Man Utd's skipper, the 29-year-old will need to be at his creative best against the Blues. He has two goals and three assists in his last six games for club and country.
LM: Marcus Rashford - If we see the best of Rashford on Thursday, Chelsea could be in trouble, especially if Malo Gusto is sidelined through injury. However, his inconsistency makes it tough to predict what we'll see from the Englishman.
ST: Rasmus Hojlund - The £72m man was flying before picking up an injury in February but is yet to find the net in the four games since his return. His form will be crucial from now until the end of the season.
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Liverpool
Trent Alexander-Arnold reveals surprise choice of his best-ever performance
Trent Alexander-Arnold has picked his favourite ever individual performance
Display against Barcelona in May 2019 only among his honourable mentions
Premier League outing against Leicester the following season also named but not as his top performance
By Sean Walsh
Apr 3, 2024
Alexander-Arnold has put in some fine displays over the years
Alexander-Arnold has put in some fine displays over the years / Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/GettyImages
Trent Alexander-Arnold believes his best-ever performance came in Liverpool's 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in the 2018 UEFA Champions League final.
The right-back has cemented his spot as one of the Premier League's best players since breaking into the Reds' first-team back in 2016, while he has also tried his hand as a midfielder at international level with England over the last year.
Alexander-Arnold has recorded some phenomenal displays over the years, and speaking at a Football For Change event with Jamie Carragher, he was asked to name his best.
"The first Champions League final [3-1 loss to Real Madrid in 2018] was a big one for me," he said. "I thought, 'This is the pinnacle of football', and I felt quite comfortable, even though we lost that game. At least I knew I could perform at that level after coming up against a great Real Madrid team, who had just won their third European Cup in a row."
Liverpool were beaten 3-1 by Madrid in Kyiv but put up a valiant effort having gone into the final as underdogs. Karim Benzema gave Los Blancos the lead after an error from goalkeeper Loris Karius before Sadio Mane equalised, but a brace from Gareth Bale - a stunning overhead kick followed by another Karius mistake - settled the tie.
UEFA Champions League"Real Madrid v Liverpool FC"
Alexander-Arnold largely stifled Ronaldo / VI-Images/GettyImages
The Reds would get their hands on their sixth Champions League title a year later by beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the 2019 final.
Alexander-Arnold also named Liverpool's dramatic 4-0 semi-final win against Barcelona in May 2019 on their way to European glory as one his honourable mentions.
"In terms of other games, I'd say Barca at home, and Leicester away [Boxing Day 2019] in the season when we won the league," he added.
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Manchester City
Pep Guardiola responds to Roy Keane's claims that Erling Haaland is a 'League Two player'
Erling Haaland underdelivered in Man City's 0-0 draw with title rivals Arsenal on Sunday
Man Utd legend Roy Keane described Haaland's overall game as 'almost like a League Two player'
Pep Guardiola not happy with Keane's comments
By Sean Walsh
Apr 3, 2024
Haaland's general play was called into question
Haaland's general play was called into question / Michael Regan/GettyImages
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has hit back at Roy Keane for claiming Erling Haaland's general play is "almost like a League Two player".
Keane delivered a scathing criticism of Haaland on Sky Sports after his underwhelming performance in Sunday's 0-0 draw against Premier League title rivals Arsenal.
Ahead of City's meeting with Aston Villa on Wednesday night, Guardiola was asked for his thoughts on Keane's comments and sought to defend his star striker.
"I am not agreeing with him," Guardiola stated. "It's like I said: 'He's a manager for the second or third league ' I don't think so'. He's the best striker in the world and helped us to win what we won last season, and the reason why we don't create many chances is not because of Erling. We played an exceptional game against Arsenal.
"I reviewed it - we just missed more people in the final third, maybe for the quality and different skills we have. I am surprised it [the criticism] has come from former players. From journalists I understand, because they have never been on the pitch."
After it was pointed out to Guardiola that Keane's comments were about Haaland's other contributions and a more rounded forward like Julian Alvarez may offer more up front, he added: "You are right, maybe if Julian will be there, Phil [Foden], Kevin [De Bruyne], Oscar Bobb, for example. They like to move in their positions [more]. But it is what it is."
Haaland leads the Premier League scoring charts again so far this season with 18 goals, while he has also chipped in with five assists. He ended last season with a record 36 league goals plus a modest eight assists.
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