Harry Maguire England Man United England
Harry Maguire Man United

Just a few months ago, Man United were one of the favourites to win the Europa League but last week, they suffered a rather humiliating exit from the tournament at the hands of Sevilla.

The Spanish side completely tore apart Manchester United in the 2nd leg but Erik ten Hag will have no time to regroup because his team have an FA Cup semi-final to play this weekend.

United travel to Wembley on Sunday to take on Brighton and Hove Albion and this one’s an absolute must-win for them. Man United have already bagged the Carabao Cup and now if they can at least reach the final of the FA Cup then Erik ten Hag would have had a wonderful first season in charge.

Even though the Red Devils are the favourites to win on Sunday but they will be without some very important players(just like on Thursday) so Brighton are going to be really optimistic. The Seagulls have lost just one out of their previous five matches and they go into this semi-final at the back of a 2-1 win over Chelsea.

United’s loss to Sevilla was very unexpected and shocking which is why how they respond at Wembley will be very important and interesting to see.

Manchester United’s team news and injuries:

The major setback for ETH remains the absence of Varane and Lisandro Martinez with the latter being ruled out for the rest of the season. Due to the pair’s absence, Maguire and Lindelof had paired up in central defence on Thursday and it’s safe to say that Maguire had a horrible game.

Even though the manager has backed him publicly but we don’t think the England international is going to start on Sunday. This game is very important for Man United which is why Luke Shaw will come into the middle and pair up with Lindelof.

“He has an important role in the fact he is captain. He leads, he communicates with the manager. He motivates the team. He is the example on the training pitch and always [has] good sessions,” Ten Hag said of Maguire(h/t Fotmob).

David De Gea was another sinner in that second leg but in terms of goalkeepers, the manager does not have any proper backup.

Bruno Fernandes was suspended for the trip to Spain so his return will be a major boost for Man United this weekend. He will come straight into the No 10 role which means Eriksen will play in a more central role.

Jadon Sancho has turned out to be a flop this season and because Rashford is now fully fit, he is going to come back into the side.

Anthony Martial picked up an injury last week but the latest images are showing that the Frenchman has travelled to London with the Man United squad so he could be a part of the matchday squad. However, it remains to be seen if he starts or not.

Man United predicted line up vs Brighton:

Predicted Starting XI(4-2-3-1): De Gea; Shaw, Lindelof, Malacia, Wan-Bissaka; Casemiro, Eriksen; Bruno Fernandes, Rashford, Antony; Martial/Weghorst.

Man United predicted line up vs Brighton - FA Cup semi-final 22/23