Having now acquired Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal, for a price that United manager Jose Mourinho deemed “cheap,” he is no doubt a sure fire first teamer. The question is who does he replace in the starting XI? Additionally, can you even begin to answer that question without first asking yourself this- does Mourinho now switch from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3?
Certainly a lot of fans would like to see the switch, as it’s proven to be the formation where midfielder Paul Pogba has most excelled during his career, and the Frenchman remains arguably United’s most important and possibly valuable player.
Sanchez was in the starting XI, played 72 minutes and earned man of the match honors in his Red Devils debut Friday night, a 4-0 rout at Yeovil Town in the FA Cup fourth round. It was a wonderful way to begin his Old Trafford career, and the perfect 55th birthday present to Mourinho, who was also celebrating his 100th game in charge at United that evening.
In terms of who is now expendable at the Theatre of Dreams due to Sanchez’s arrival, the answer seems to be Zlatan Ibrahimovic. it appears the striker could be soon destined to depart, move across the pond and join L.A. Galaxy of Major League Soccer.
Without further ado, here is our Man United starting XI prediction (4-3-3) for the Wednesday night Premier league clash versus Tottenham Hotspur at the national stadium.
Alexis Sanchez Romelu Lukaku Anthony Martial
Nemanja Matic Ander Herrera Paul Pogba
Ashley Young Phil Jones Chris Smalling Antonio Valencia
David de Gea
Injury report for both teams: go to this link
Jose Mourinho press conference video: go to this link
Combined Best XI of the two teams (from the first meeting in October): go to this link
Odds: Tottenham- 13/10, Man Utd- 21/10, Draw- 23/10
Run of form Tottenham: DWDWW, Manchester United: WWWDD
Prediction: United 1, Tottenham 1
As always, feel free to post your own Man United and/or Stoke prediction, as well as your forecast for the final score.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune corporation blogging community Chicago Now.
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