Having a week’s worth of rest to work with, and set to miss out on Premier League again action this weekend, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag needs to go as strong as possible with his first team selection on Thursday night. United, having dropped their UEFA Europa League opener last week, need to pick up a critical win at Sherrif Tiraspol this midweek. The death of Queen Elizabeth II forced a cancellation of their league fixtures both this upcoming weekend and last weekend, so this UEL clash is their primary focus right now.
With that in mind, Ten Hag should make sure Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and Bruno Fernandes all make a return back to the first XI here.
Manchester United at Sheriff Tiraspol FYIs
Kickoff: Thurs Sept 15, 545pm, Sheriff Stadium (also known as Glavnaya Arena of Complexul Sheriif)
Competition: UEFA Europa League Group Stages Group E Matchday 2 of 6
United Preview Material: Starting XI Prediction Team News
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UEL Group Standing: United 3rd, 0 pts Sherrif Tiraspol 1st, 3pts
With that in mind, here’s what we’re going with for the rest of the first team. Yes, we believe that Cristiano Ronaldo will be starting!
Manchester United Starting XI Prediction at Sherrif Tiraspol
De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Malacia; McTominay, Eriksen; Antony, Fernandes, Sancho; Ronaldo
Prediction: Man United 4, Sherrif Tiraspol 0
The Red Devils will shoot the Sherriff, but they won’t shoot the deputy. (Sorry, easy cliche I know, but we just couldn’t turn that one down)
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.