Manchester United face a really tough test on Sunday afternoon as they try to build on the recent upturn of form by winning at Aston Villa.
Erik ten Hag’s side have endured a torrid campaign on the whole so far, but having now won four of their last five games in all competitions with some important players back from injury, there’s hope of a late charge for the top four.
It’s Villa who currently occupy fourth spot in the Premier League and are eight points better off than the Red Devils, so Ten Hag will be aware of how significant a victory on Sunday could be for Man Utd.
Here’s the starting lineup Ten Hag is likely to pick when Man Utd face Aston Villa.
GK: Andre Onana – Got a much-needed clean sheet in the last match against West Ham but will come under more pressure against a Villa side that has beaten the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City at home this season.
RB: Diogo Dalot – One of Man Utd’s best performers this season, Dalot won’t be concerned about Aaron Wan-Bissaka potentially making a return from injury here.
CB: Raphael Varane – Will be very annoyed Lisandro Martinez is injured, having always looked comfortable alongside the Argentina international. Having only made the bench against West Ham, he is expected to start here.
CB: Harry Maguire – Made his return from injury recently and looked quite shaky against the Hammers, but Ten Hag is expected to give Maguire more minutes here so he can recover that impressive pre-Christmas form.
LB: Luke Shaw – One of the best left-backs around when fit, Shaw makes Man Utd a much better team and will be key to their slim top-four hopes.
CM: Casemiro – Another important player who recently returned from injury, Casemiro forms part of what appears to be Ten Hag’s favoured midfield duo at the minute.
CM: Kobbie Mainoo – The other half of that partnership, Mainoo had yet another good game against West Ham, with consistency and composure becoming real buzzwords for the youngster.
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RW: Alejandro Garnacho – Netted twice against West Ham in a wonderful afternoon. He is a vital player right now and should be in the thick of the action again.
AM: Bruno Fernandes – Helping to knit things together, Fernandes will want to be scoring more goals but his impact is still considerable. He is also a consistent leader.
LW: Marcus Rashford – Didn’t manage to score last weekend but was impressive again and looks as though he may have turned a corner after what was certainly the worst spell of his career.
ST: Rasmus Hojlund – Another player enjoying good form after a rough patch, Hojlund netted a wonderful strike against West Ham and now faces the team he scored his first Premier League goal against.
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