Manchester United will take on Barcelona in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal. We bring you the predicted line up for the clash.
Solskjaer’s men will aim for a repeat of the second leg of the round-of-16 against PSG as they face Barcelona in the Champions League quarterfinal.
The first leg ended in a narrow win for Barcelona, with Luke Shaw’s unfortunate own goal making the sole difference between the two sides. The tie remains wide open, but Barcelona have an obvious edge in the clash.
Manchester United registered an unconvincing 2-1 victory over West Ham in the Premier League last weekend. The club’s manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as well as Paul Pogba and David De Gea, have called for the players to step up their game for the Barcelona tie.
As Manchester United aims to do an upset at the Camp Nou, we take a look at their predicted line up for the game.
Manchester United predicted line up vs Barcelona:
Goalkeeper: David De Gea
The Spaniard made a key save in the game against West Ham last weekend to ensure Manchester United’s victory. De Gea needs to be at his absolute best as facing the likes of Messi and Suarez could be tricky at Camp Nou.
Defence: Dalot, Smalling, Lindelof, Darmian
Ashley Young’s performance was hugely disappointing in the game against Barcelona in the first leg at Old Trafford. The Manchester United club captain lost possession on 30 occasions throughout the game, and couldn’t put one cross accurately. I expect Solskjaer to drop him for Diogo Dalot, who was been decent in limited outings for the side.
The rest of the defence is expected to retain their places. With Luke Shaw suspended for the game, Solskjaer may use Matteo Darmian’s services for the game.
Midfield: McTominay, Fred, Pogba
Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera are expected to sit out for this game as well, as both recover from fitness issues.
Scott McTominay has made himself undroppable for the game against Barcelona after his brilliant performance in the first leg. The Scottish youngster dictated the midfield and kept the Barcelona midfielders at bay throughout the game.
Fred and Pogba performed their defensive duties efficiently, and Solskjaer will rely on Paul Pogba to provide with more stability in the attack.
Attack: Lukaku, Rashford, Martial
Romelu Lukaku may not be among the goals at the moment, but he played a decent role in the game against Barcelona last week. He was not at the receiving end of great crosses throughout his time on the field, which is a shame.
Marcus Rashford will need to improve on his decision-making and Solskjaer will rely on the English youngster to provide Manchester United a breakthrough in the game. Anthony Martial, on the other hand, is struggling with form but his quick pace could create issues for Barcelona’s comparatively slower defence.
Martial won the penalty in United’s last game against West Ham.
