Manchester United travel to the North-East to take on Newcastle in a return of the Boxing Day Clash, looking to cement their push for a Champions League spot.
Back in December, the Reds cruised to a 3-1 win over the Magpies thanks to two goals from Wayne Rooney and another from Robin van Persie.
During that game Louis Van Gaal opted for a 3-5-2 formation, with Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney occupying midfield roles with Robin van Persie partnered up front by Falcao. The Reds have moved away from that system now however and it’s highly unlikely we’ll see anything of the sort today.
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The win over Sunderland on Saturday saw Van Gaal use his seventh system since taking charge of the Old Trafford side in the summer and it produced one of the better displays in the second half. He’s likely to continue with the 4-2-3-1 system from the weekend, after praising the performance of the wingers and seeing Wayne Rooney grab two goals from his preferred striker role.
David De Gea picked up a slight injury in the game at the weekend, hurting his foot but Louis Van Gaal revealed following the game that the keeper would be fine. I expect him to retain his place in the line-up and continue his streak of playing in every game under Louis Van Gaal so far.
Antonio Valencia had another good game on the right-hand side of the defence and seems to have cemented his place as first-choice right-back under Van Gaal. While the Ecuadorian has some competition from McNair at the moment, with Rafael well and truly frozen out, I expect Valencia to start once again.
Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo had forged a good partnership this season, until either one or the other got themselves injured – following the trend of being a defender at Manchester United this season. Phil Jones has returned from illness this weekend and is likely to be selected after Jonny Evans’ inclusion at the weekend.
After Luke Shaw had a tight hamstring and was ruled out of the weekend game, Marcos Rojo deputised in the left-back position. Should Shaw remain unavailable then I expect the Argentine to continue in that position, meaning Jonny Evans is likely to get another start in central defence, to every fan’s despair.
Since his return from injury, Daley Blind has continued to be a key member of Louis van Gaal’s side. The defensive midfielder made the most passes of anyone in the Premier League this weekend and it helped lead the Premier League side to a convincing win. His partnership with Ander Herrera has blossomed in recent weeks and has helped the Reds perform at a higher tempo which could be key to helping Van Gaal gain his first away win of 2015.
Ashley Young performed in a more attacking role than he has at any other point this season at the weekend and was excellent, outshining record-signing Angel Di Maria. Van Gaal said after the game he was very impressed by his performance and it’s likely that he will continue in that position.
After another poor performance, Di Maria was substituted at half-time, replaced by Adnan Januzaj. The young Belgian was outstanding, helping to turn the tide and used the width to stretch the Sunderland defence. Many things have suggested that van Gaal could decide to rest Di Maria ahead of the FA Cup Quarter-Final against Arsenal next Monday, meaning Adnan Januzaj could start out wide. Personally, I feel Di Maria will keep his place in the side though. Van Gaal has constantly stated that he knows the Argentine will come good and his confidence will only deplete further should he be dropped.
Robin van Persie is still out injured after suffering ankle ligament damage, ruling him out for a month. Rooney grabbed two goals from up front at the weekend and he should continue there once again. Falcao was anonymous for the most part, although his bit of play to win the penalty showed the ability he has. James Wilson’s pace could cause a shaky Newcastle defence problems should he start but I expect Van Gaal to push ahead with Wayne Rooney as the lone striker.
Credit: sharemytactics.com
Credit: sharemytactics.com