Manchester United might be second on the league table but chasing down their neighbours Manchester City to the title is no longer a realistic possibility. United are 15 points adrift of City and there’s nothing much that Jose Mourinho can do.
United have drawn their last two league fixtures and Mourinho will be hoping that his men can pick up all three points on Saturday against Southampton so that his team can finish the league as close to City as possible.
MAN UNITED TEAM NEWS:
Antonio Valencia and Chris Smalling are still sidelined with their respective injuries which means that Victor Lindelof will once again have to start in the right-back position while Ashley Young will play at left-back. Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo will be the central defensive partnership against Southampton.
Pogba and Matic will play in central midfield while Juan Mata is expected to retain his place in the starting line-up after good performances back-to-back. Anthony Martial is expected to be fit for Saturday’s fixture but Mourinho will not risk him from the start. The Frenchman will be introduced as a substitute in the second half – if needed.
Mourinho decided to rest Jesse Lingard on Boxing Day and play Ibrahimovic instead but the Portuguese quickly realised what a big mistake it was. The United youth academy product came on during the second half and scored both of United’s goal in the 2-2 draw vs Burnley. He too is expected to be back in the starting line-up – playing just behind Romelu Lukaku.
MAN UNITED’S PREDICTED LINE-UP:
Goalkeeper: De Gea.
Defence: Young, Jones, Rojo, Lindelof.
Midfield: Matic, Pogba, Lingard.
Attack: Rashford, Lukaku, Mata.
