Manchester United could not have asked for a better beginning to their Premier League campaign. The curtain raising fixture, a 4-0 thumping of West Ham, displayed the kind of dominance that we haven’t seen since the Sir Alex Ferguson era. Now the Red Devils travel to the Liberty Stadium to take on Swansea City, a side that had to change managers multiple times in order to stave off relegation.
Anything less than taking all three points would be a huge disappointment.
Ashley Young, Marcos Rojo and Luke Shaw, all of whom have long term injuries, are unavailable for selection. Here’s a link to what Rojo posted on his Instagram account yesterday, giving a quasi-update on his rehabilitation.
The Sports Bank’s Man United starting XI prediction (4-2-3-1)
Romelu Lukaku
Marcus Rashford Paul Pogba Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Ander Herrera Nemanja Matic
Matteo Darmian Eric Bailly Victor Lindelof Antonio Valencia
David de Gea
Look for Pogba to potentially line up in a No. 10 role supporting the center forward. Other players who might crack the starting XI include Marouane Fellaini, Jesse Lingard, Phil Jones and Juan Mata.
Comprehensive Match Preview– go to this link
Odds: Paddy Power gives Manchester United are 1/3 for a win and 7/2 for a draw. Swansea City are backed at 9/1.
Side notes: You have to see this bizarre, almost creepy advertisement which features several United players. Also, Romelu Lukaku topped the NBC Sports Premier League power rankings for week one.
Prediction: Manchester United 2, Swansea City 0
As always, feel free to post your own Man United starting XI prediction in the comments section, and feel free to comment on any formations that you’ve seen online.
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.
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