It’s a quick turnaround for Manchester United, and that’s a good thing as yesterday was a complete disaster. They will begin their League Cup campaign versus Rochdale AFC, in a third round tie, at home on Wednesday night. The Dale currently competes in League One, the third tier of English football.
United Striker Marcus Rashford went down with a groin injury in Sunday’s catastrophic 2-0 loss at West Ham United. After the loss, Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said that the English international will be out for awhile.
This leaves the side with literally zero centre forwards match fit at the current moment. Youngster Mason Greenwood missed the trip to London because of illness while Anthony Martial remains a long term injury absentee. Solskjaer is hopeful of having at least one of the two back for potential selection in midweek, and both back in the fold for next week’s headliner fixture versus Arsenal.
Elsewhere, Luke Shaw has been out long term and Paul Pogba hasn’t played since before the last international break. That said, this was always going to be a match where the line-up was going to feature heavy squad rotation anyway.
Manchester United Starting XI Prediction versus Rochdale (League Cup)
Mason Greenwood
Patrick Chong Angel Gomes Jesse Lingard
Fred Nemanja Matic
Marcos Rojo Phil Jones Axel Tuanzebe Ashley Young
Sergio Romero
Manchester United vs Rochdale League Cup FYIs
Kickoff: Wed Sept 25, Old Trafford, 8pm
Odds via SofaScore United win -1000 Draw 1000 Rochdale win 2000
Form Guide: United LWWDLD Rochdale LDLLWW
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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