Manchester United take on Ipswich Town in a midweek Capitol One Cup clash on Wednesday night.
The Red Devils have been pretty inconsistent this season and their performance was never up to the mark except for a few games. They are currently placed second in the Premier League with 13 points, two behind league leaders Manchester City. In the last weekend, they defeated Southampton in a difficult away fixture. They scored thrice but conceded two. Their defense still looks shaky and Louis van Gaal has to work hard on that department.
Manchester United should be cautious in this game and should not take it lightly even though Ipswich Town are probably half what the Red Devils are.
Ipswich Town is currently struggling in the sixth position in the Championship league table and it highly looks unlikely that the team would even give little resistance to the giants Manchester United.
Here is the predicted lineup of Manchester United against Ipswich Town:
Goalkeeper – We expect Louis van Gaal to stick with Spaniard David De Gea who has just 4 matches this season. He was omitted from the starting XI at the initial stages as there was doubt regarding his future at the club. De Gea will play more and more games to become match fit. The Spaniard did a terrific job against Southampton in the last match as he saved some genuine chances to ensure United’s three points.
Defenders – We expect youngster Paddy McNair to start in this Capitol One game. McNair did a great job in his debut season and Louis van Gaal will definitely give him a chance. He will be paired up with England international Phil Jones who is finally back from injury. Marcos Rojo will be in the left-back in the absence of Luke Shaw and we expect one surprise inclusion of Antonio Valencia in the lineup as right-back. Matteo Darmian has so far played in all the matches, thus, he would be rested.
Midfielders – Morgan Schneiderlin will be partnered with Michael Carrick in the central midfield. Schneiderlin who was starting initially was benched once Bastian Schweinsteiger regained his fitness. Upfront Ashley Young, Marouane Fellaini and Memphis Depay will be placed. Fellaini has already played as a striker against Liverpool last to last weekend. The Belgian’s height will be used to track the long balls generated by the central midfielders.
Forwards – Manchester United’s darling at the moment is their new signing 19-year-old Anthony Martial. The striker scored on his Premier League debut against arch-rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford. Then again he scored a brace last weekend against Southampton to confirm three important points.
Prediction: Manchester United 3-0 Ipswich Town
Manchester United likely to have a cakewalk against minnows Ipswich Town even though they will play a second string side. We predict a 3-0 scoreline in favour of the Red Devils.