Manchester United travel to the Estadio do Dragao for their Europa League meeting against Porto on Thursday, 3rd October, as Erik ten Hag looks to relieve some of the pressure on his shoulders by picking up an important win.
Here is a look at United’s potential eleven for the midweek visit to Portugal.
Goalkeeper – Andre Onana does not have a reliable back-up at Manchester United and will play in goal in the Europa League game against Porto, just like he did against Twente last week.
Defenders – Erik ten Hag faces a race against time to salvage his job and cannot afford too many rotations at the back, also keeping in mind how strong Porto are. Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui will keep their place as the full backs for Man Utd.
In defence, Harry Maguire could replace Matthijs de Ligt. The Englishman was out of the Tottenham match at the weekend due to a minor fitness issue but is likely to be back in the mix against Porto. He will partner with Lisandro Martinez in central defence.
Mainoo misses out but Hojlund could return
Midfielders – Kobbie Mainoo was injured against Tottenham and might not be fit enough in time for the clash against Porto, while Manuel Ugarte could also be rested with several minutes under his belt over the last few fixtures.
Casemiro may get a start after being left out of the starting eleven recently and could pair with Christian Eriksen in midfield. The Dane was the scorer of Manchester United’s solitary goal against Twente in their 1-1 draw last weekend.
Bruno Fernandes is set to start as the attacking midfielder and may be assisted by Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo on the wings. Marcus Rashford showed glimpses of finding his feet a couple of weeks ago but has since deteriorated in form once more.
Forwards – Rasmus Hojlund played a part off the bench against Twente and Tottenham. With Joshua Zirkzee failing in front of goal over the last few games, the former Atalanta striker could be in line for his first start of the campaign.
This is how Man Utd could look on paper:
