Greenwood to pair with Benzema upfront,Olise on the Bench, Casemiro finally back’: predicted XI Man united vs Newport country as Ten Hag set to bring the FA trophy to Old Trafford
Manchester United will travel to Rodney Parade for the FA Cup fourth round tie versus Newport County on January 28.
The Red Devils had a comfortable 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic in the third round earlier this month. Manager Erik ten Hag picked a strong line-up for the Cup tie and the club should have beaten the Latics by a bigger margin with the chances created.
United will return to action after the winter break against Newport. Ten Hag could be tempted to make a few changes for the trip, considering the club will be in Premier League action at Wolverhampton Wanderers just three days later.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Early Predicted Line-up:
Andre Onana is currently on African Cup of Nations duty with Cameroon and he may not be involved if the west African nation qualify for the next round. Keeping this in mind, we anticipate Altay Bayindir to make his debut for the Red Devils.
The Turkey international joined the club from Fenerbahce where he was an undisputed starter. Ten Hag has resisted playing him thus far, but he may have no choice next week if Onana helps Cameroon progress beyond the group stage.
In defence, Ten Hag could go with Diogo Dalot at right-back with Luke Shaw returning on the opposite end after his muscle injury. The England international was expected to start versus Tottenham Hotspur but pulled out before the game due to a lack of fitness. Aaron Wan-Bissaka should drop to the bench.
In the heart of the backline, Ten Hag could finally reunite Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez from the starting line-up. Martinez had a solid cameo against Spurs after his foot surgery and the Argentine should be backed to start from the off.
Further forward, we could see Casemiro get his first minutes since his hamstring injury setback in midfield. It could be Scott McTominay alongside him. We anticipate Kobbie Mainoo to be rested with a view to the Wolves game on February 1.
In attack, we don’t see any changes from recent outings. There is an opportunity to start either Amad Diallo or Antony but Ten Hag may prefer continuity to get the best out of the front men. Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford should continue out wide again.
Bruno Fernandes should start in his preferred number 10 position with Rasmus Hojlund leading the line. The latter has three goal contributions in his last two league appearances and looks to be finding form at the right time. Anthony Martial won’t be involved due to a hip injury.
