Man United have picked up two league wins out of two under interim boss Ralf Rangnick but against Norwich City, the Red Devils had to really grind it out.
The Canaries deserved to pick up something from that game but in the end, Manchester United managed to squeeze out a 1-0 win. Ralf Rangnick though will be hoping that his players can sort out the niggling problems when they face Brentford in midweek.
Brentford have managed to pick up back-to-back league wins in the Premier League and they have a great chance to pick up points on Tuesday since the Man United outfit have been hit by a COVID outbreak.
United have informed the Premier League that some members of their squad have tested positive on Sunday, as per The Athletic and there’s a chance that this outbreak could affect their game against Brentford.
At the time of writing this, it’s still unclear who and how many members have tested positive but either Ralf Rangnick will miss some first-team players or in the worst-case scenario, the match will be postponed. We will be predicting the line-up hoping that all the regular Man United players will be available for selection.
Man United team news vs Brentford:
David De Gea has been phenomenal this season and he is very much the No 1 under Rangnick as well.
Victor Lindelof was taken off during the Norwich City game after he had complained of chest pain. While Rangnick had claimed after the match that the defender was fine but we don’t think the defender will face Brentford.
“He doesn’t remember how it happened,” the manager told the club media.
“I suppose he had a collision with another player and couldn’t breathe. He had problems to breathe and his heart-rate was higher than normal so we had to replace him.
“We’ve had him checked and had some examinations done by the doctor. And, so far, everything seems to be okay but he still seems a little bit shocked. Hopefully he will be fit to play the game on Tuesday against Brentford.”
Raphael Varane is still out with an injury which means Eric Bailly is set to partner Harry Maguire in central defence in midweek.
Luke Shaw seems to have fallen down the pecking order under the interim manager but we could see the England international come back into the side, as part of a rotation policy. AWB though will remain on the bench as Diogo Dalot starts on the right-hand side.
Fred and McTominay have been in fine form ever since Ole left and the pair is once again going to team up in defensive midfield. Ideally, Ralf Rangnick should be rotating his players but if the duo is available and fully fit then the interim boss will not risk making a change in this key area of the pitch.
Fred’s game by numbers vs. Norwich City:
91% pass accuracy
75% long pass accuracy
11 ground duels contested
10 ground duels won
7 attempted tackles
7 successful tackles
2 attempted dribbles
2 successful dribblesContinuing to impress the new boss. 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/zkbQJ3j8zw
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) December 11, 2021
Edinson Cavani could be in line to make a comeback after a long injury lay-off and this could give Ronaldo a much-deserved rest. Ronaldo will not want to be put on the bench but with the games coming thick and fast, the manager will obviously look to keep him fresh and injury-free.
Rashford was poor in his final-third decision making during the weekend and since the Brentford game comes after just three days, the England international could be replaced by Mason Greenwood.
Man United predicted line up vs Brentford:
Predicted Starting Line-up: De Gea; Shaw/Telles, Maguire, Bailly/Lindelof, Dalot; Fred, McTominay; Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sancho; Ronaldo/Cavani, Greenwood.
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Note: This line up was predicted just when the COVID outbreak news amongst the Man United team broke out.
