Manchester United will face Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Friday, with the visitors looking for a win to tighten their grip on second place in the Premier League.
The Red Devils will be in a buoyant mood, after a run of three successive wins which has seen them progress to the FA Cup final and confirm their place in next season’s Champions League. However, they will be wary of the threat posed by Brighton, who were unfortunate to lose the reverse fixture at Old Trafford last November.
Here’s how United might line up on Friday.
Torhüter
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de Gea1
It was no surprise to see Spain international David de Gea on the shortlist for PFA Player of the Year, after yet another superb season for United. He is certain to start on Friday.
Verteidigung
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Valencia25
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Smalling12
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Lindelof2
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Young18
Right back Antonio Valencia, centre back Chris Smalling and left back Ashley Young have all firmly established themselves as José Mourinho’s first choices in the back four.
However, the other centre back position has frequently been rotated, with none of Phil Jones, Eric Bailly or Victor Lindelöf able to make it their own.
Lindelöf is here purely because Jones is unlikely to feature, having picked up a knock, while Bailly’s relationship with Mourinho is believed to have deteriorated.
Mittelfeld
Mourinho is likely to deploy an attack-orientated midfield against a side 12 places below United in the league, with Paul Pogba hoping to add to his impressive tally of three goals in his last four league games.
Jesse Lingard has enjoyed an outstanding season, netting 13 goals and creating another six for the Red Devils. Meanwhile, Alexis Sánchez has made a solid start to his United career after moving to Old Trafford from Arsenal in January.
Sturm
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Martial11
Mourinho may be reluctant to risk the injured Romelu Lukaku against Brighton, which may give Anthony Martial a rare opportunity to start in the centre forward position on Friday.
The France international has scored 11 goals and created eight this season, but he is reportedly frustrated by his lack of game time and has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford.
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