Mourinho To Make 2 Changes: Predicted Man Utd XI To Face Stoke

Manchester United will be looking to close the gap on the top four when they take on Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Here is the team I think Jose Mourinho will pick for the game:

Goalkeeper: David De Gea is certain to keep the gloves on Saturday as he’s probably one of the first names on the team sheet.

Defence: Mourinho is unlikely to tinker too much from the side that drew 1-1 with Liverpool last weekend so we should see Antonio Valencia retain his place at right-back and he’ll be looking to celebrate signing his new contract with a win this weekend.

Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo are expected to continue their fine partnership in the middle of defence which would leave Chris Smalling once again among the substitutes. The only change we could see is Daley Blind coming in for Matteo Darmian at left-back with Luke Shaw struggling to force his way in to Mourinho’s plans.

Midfield: Marouane Fellaini could be pushing for a recall after making a big impression off the bench last time out but I still think the Belgian international will be used as an impact player against Stoke.

That means Michael Carrick should continue alongside Ander Herrera in midfield while Paul Pogba will be looking to put in an improved performance after a disappointing run-out against Liverpool.

Attack: Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be aiming to continue his fine recent run of form in front of goal after netting the equaliser last weekend while Henrikh Mkhitaryan should keep his place in attack.

However, we could see Mourinho freshen things up by recalling Juan Mata to the side with Anthony Martial making way after a disappointing outing against Liverpool. The likes of Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Wayne Rooney will probably have to make do with places on the bench.

Here is how we think United will line-up