Stretford End: United And You

Preview: Manchester United vs Sheffield United

We’re finally back at Old Trafford where we take on Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United. I’ve really missed the feeling of us playing at Old Trafford and the video that the club uploaded last night all over the internet gave me goosebumps. The seats have been covered in Tifos and the upper stands with thousands of pictures of United fans from all over the world. The “Home from Home” catchphrase really got me and I’m really looking forward to today’s game.

Manchester United are unbeaten in their last 12 games, with the 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur our latest result. Sheffield United on the other hand haven’t had the best start on the Premier League’s return, drawing 0-0 against Aston Villa and a 3-0 loss to Newcastle. The Blades currently sit at 8th on the table, trailing United by 2 points.

The Red Devils will be without Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones. Victor Lindelöf is subject to a late fitness test as he received a knock in the Spurs game. Sheffield United will miss Dean Henderson for obvious reasons, while John Egan will miss out due to red card he picked up against Newcastle United. John O’Connell and David McGoldrick remain doubtful.

My prediction for United’s starting eleven will the same as last time, a 4-3-3. Up front will be Anthony Martial accompanied by Marcus Rashford (LW) and Mason Greenwood (RW). Mason Greenwood seems to be the better choice on the flank compared to Daniel James. The Welsh winger looked very rusty and was struggling to cope. Rashford and Martial too were mostly quiet but Daniel James made no impact. Greenwood made a difference on the field and is more creative and lethal at goal.

We could see Pogba start along with Bruno Fernandes. There are still some whispers around Old Trafford that he might be on the bench but the Frenchman was the difference in the game against Spurs and looked fit. Scott McTominay could start behind Pogba and Bruno in a defensive role. The 23 year old who signed a new 5 year deal looked better than Fred vs Spurs and made 11 interceptions. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Matic start instead of McTominay either at CDM.

At the back, I feel we could see Brandon Williams start ahead of Luke Shaw. Williams offers more going up front in the final third and can help isolate defenders giving Marcus Rashford space while Luke Shaw tends to drift inside. At center back, we could see Eric Bailly start today with captain, Harry Maguire. Victor Lindelöf will be assessed before the game. Aaron Wan-Bissaka completes the back four at Right Back. Wan-Bissaka didn’t perform quite well vs Spurs but with more minutes we can expect him to showcase his pre-lockdown form. And in goal, it’ll obviously be David de Gea. The Spaniard’s mistake vs Spurs made the headlines but he’s got Solksjaer’s complete backing.

Back in November, we were treated to an impressive 3-3 result at Bramhall Lane. Sheffield United scored twice with goals from Fleck and Mousset. United then went to score 3 goals (Williams, Greenwood and Rashford) and thought they had the three points in the bag, only for McBurnie to pick a late equalizer.

Sheffield United haven’t scored in their last two games and have looked poor going forward. The absence of Henderson, Egan and O’Connell will further weaken them at the back. Pundits have stacked the odds in United’s favour for a win. Sheffield’s last victory at Old Trafford was back in 1973 and will be hoping to turn their fortunes at Old Trafford today where as The Red Devils need a victory to keep their Champions League hopes alive.

Bits from the Manchester United Press Conference:
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer expects Dean Henderson to be England and Manchester United’s future number 1. He’s a passionate goalkeeper and still developing. Playing at Sheffield United is different to playing for Manchester United.
- No updates on Angel Gomes contract.
- OGS claims David De Gea is the best goalkeeper in the world and he fully backs him. The Spaniard has conceded only 2 goals in 7 games. He makes great saves and wins games for us. De Gea has been consistently working hard in training.
- Chris Wilder will have his team fired up and challenge them to get a result at Old Trafford. Despites the injuries and suspensions, Ole stated that sometimes a wounded animal is worse to play against.
- His thoughts on the previous Sheffield game were that the team is developing all the time. They went up against a difficult opposition at a difficult stadium and that we’re getting more and more consistent.
- Playing behind closed doors will be a mental challenge. It’s easy for some as there won’t be pressure from the fans while some thrive with fans in the stadium.