By Mark Weasley
We resume hostilities with Liverpool on Saturday at the Michigan Stadium; the International Champions Cup might not be the most glamourous competition in the world, but it’s always good to get one over our neighbours.
United defeated AC Milan last time out on penalties while our opponents, to be fair to them, deserved their 2-1 victory over Manchester City.
Jose Mourinho has begun his traditional mind games prior to the game, stating that Jurgen Klopp is under pressure to deliver the title, given the vast amounts of money the Scousers have shelled out in recent months.
We take a look at the 11 players that Mourinho could push out for the game.
Goalkeeper
Joel Pereira will be looking to feature in goal following his exploits in the penalty shootout victory over AC Milan. He saved a penalty and also scored his spot kick. The Portuguese is highly regarded by Jose Mourinho and may get another opportunity to show his quality.
Defence
Let’s not kid ourselves, Liverpool have a strong attack, so our defence will need to be at it’s best here. At left-back, Luke Shaw is expected to retain his position while on the other side, Matteo Darmian must continue to show signs that he wants to stay at Old Trafford, with uncertainty over his future.
Chris Smalling and Eric Bailly should start, given that Phil Jones and Victor Lindelöf are still on holiday following their World Cup exploits. Smalling and Bailly didn’t cover themselves in glory in the previous and must improve against the rampant Reds attack.
Midfield
Brazilian midfielder, Andreas Pereira impressed at the base of midfield and should continue there. Joining him in the middle could be Ander Herrera and Scott McTominay, both of whom have the chance to stake a claim for first team football next season. Herrera didn’t disgrace himself against Milan, but still at times struggled to keep up with the intensity of the game. McTominay broke onto the scene last term through his selflessness and work rate, but must add something else to his game, especially in possession, to make it as a United player.
Attack
Tahith Chong, the young Dutch forward should get his chance to impress from the left after Anthony Martial left the club’s tour for a personal reason. On the right, Juan Mata will be looking to continue his rich vein of form while upfront, a reborn Alexis Sanchez will be looking to torment the Reds defence with his trickery and finishing.
Probable lineup: Joel Pereira, Shaw, Smalling, Bailly, Darmian; Pereira, Herrera, McTominay; Chong, Mata, Sanchez.
