[Alabaster Codify7]

Fecking hell, can you imagine Darmian at left-back with Adama running at him?

That's why I think Young will start to help him double-up. Blind won't be risked IMO, Rojo is dead on his feet (for putting some stellar performances in). Darmian will be in, I reckon. Shaw seems AWOL again.

 

[ChaddyP]

By comfortably, do you mean 1-0?
Who are you expecting to score the goals?

2 love, Mata and Rashford

 

[minoo-utd]

Hope Martial is back.

 

[Organic Potatoes]

This has 8-2 written all over it

 

[12OunceEpilogue]

Jose has done brilliantly to make us the underdog away at Middlesbrough. I expect a pretty tedious affair, but we should win.

 

[roonster09]

So 3 at the back again? Hopefully not.

Carrick and Fellaini in the midfield Hopefully it's Mata, Mkhitaryan, Martial, Rashford in the attack. Can't afford to lose points to relegation teams every single time.

 

[sunama]

2 love, Mata and Rashford

Well, it's possible. It could happen.
But I have a sneaky suspicion that we won't score more than 1 goal. We'll create a shed load of chances, though.

 

[ice-bionic red]

Absolutely must win! I'm not too confident either, hopefully magic Micky will do something special

 

[CM]

If the players are as depleted as Mourinho claims we should rotate in this one. It'd be helpful if Martial is back for this but if not:

de Gea
Valencia Bailly Jones Shaw
Carrick Fellaini
Mata Mkhitaryan Young
Rashford​

 

[DomesticTadpole]

If the players are as depleted as Mourinho claims we should rotate in this one. It'd be helpful if Martial is back for this but if not:

de Gea
Valencia Bailly Jones Shaw
Carrick Fellaini
Mata Mkhitaryan Young
Rashford​

I agree that Fellaini will play in midfield, but they have some dirty devils, so he will need to keep his head.

 

[itso 7]

If the players are as depleted as Mourinho claims we should rotate in this one. It'd be helpful if Martial is back for this but if not:

de Gea
Valencia Bailly Jones Shaw
Carrick Fellaini
Mata Mkhitaryan Young
Rashford​

I doubt that Mourinho will start Shaw and I think it will be three at the back again. In difficult periods Mourinho's default setting is park the bus and play on the counter so thats what he will he will do. If you think Thursday was extreme this will be worse imo.

 

[AgentP]

Just found out that Middlesbrough haven't won in the EPL in their last 10 games and haven't scored in their last 4 games. So, I'm fully expecting us to thrash them 0-0.

 

[buckooo1978]

last game for a couple of weeks so play our strongest team, taking into account freshness

Boro have to win this and will get a bit of a lift - if we play properly on the break we should beat them

------------------------------De Gea-------------------------------
Valencia---------Bailly-------------------Smalling---------Shaw
------------------------Carrick-----Fellaini-----------------------
Mata----------------------Mhiki--------------------------Martial
-------------------------------Rashford---------------------------

Lingard/Young for Mata/Martial depending on fatigue/injury

 

[MadMike]

last game for a couple of weeks so play our strongest team, taking into account freshness

Boro have to win this and will get a bit of a lift - if we play properly on the break we should beat them

------------------------------De Gea-------------------------------
Valencia---------Bailly-------------------Smalling---------Shaw
------------------------Carrick-----Fellaini-----------------------
Mata----------------------Mhiki--------------------------Martial
-------------------------------Rashford---------------------------

Lingard/Young for Mata/Martial depending on fatigue/injury

Agree, time to go back to 4-2-3-1. We need to attack those feckers and score a couple of goals. None of that 3 at the back malarkey, since we don't have the personnel for it.

 

[CM]

I doubt that Mourinho will start Shaw and I think it will be three at the back again. In difficult periods Mourinho's default setting is park the bus and play on the counter so thats what he will he will do. If you think Thursday was extreme this will be worse imo.

If he's serious about reintegrating Shaw, now is the time to do it. All the fatigue talk takes a bit of pressure off him and Shaw needs the minutes anyway.

He went three at the back against Chelsea and Rostov to match up the other teams and not only was it unnecessary against the latter but we weren't very good at it. If Rojo's unavailable we'd be light on numbers to make it work too so it'd be suicidal to try it again.

 

[12OunceEpilogue]

last game for a couple of weeks so play our strongest team, taking into account freshness

Boro have to win this and will get a bit of a lift - if we play properly on the break we should beat them

------------------------------De Gea-------------------------------
Valencia---------Bailly-------------------Smalling---------Shaw
------------------------Carrick-----Fellaini-----------------------
Mata----------------------Mhiki--------------------------Martial
-------------------------------Rashford---------------------------

Lingard/Young for Mata/Martial depending on fatigue/injury

Decent looking team, and I agree with a break coming up we can afford to play our strongest available XI.

Also Jose needs to send out strong messages to international managers that our tired players shouldn't be risked in international friendlies and only with very good reason in qualifiers. I don't care how petty or arrogant he looks when doing so, he needs to go full Fergie.

 

[JustinC00]

Watch us win this 3-1.

 

[wr8_utd]

Watch us win this 3-1.

3 goals in 1 PL game?

 

[Mihai]

Absolutely must win! I'm not too confident either, hopefully magic Micky will do something special

First Micky's hat trick for United

 

[LuisNaniencia]

Lionel Moppi to dominate the midfield.

 

[Needham]

This is the game that determines whether we would ever deserve a top 4 spot. Can't beat these and we are rank.

 

[Tom Van Persie]

I'll be saying this for just about every league game until the end of the season but yeah this is a must win game if we want to finish inside the top four. Why such an early kick off on a Sunday though

 

[Alabaster Codify7]

Even a bare bones United team should be able to scrape a win against Boro the way they've been this season. If we come away with anything less than 3pts I reckon top 4 is over for us. And I don't see us winning, unfortunately.

 

[Devil may care]

I get the sneaky feeling Rooney might start this one.

 

[AgentP]

If we don't win this game either, we might as well give up on the league and focus entirely on the EL. If this was a home game, I would have predicted a draw but since we are playing away, I see us winning this 1-0.

 

[Mihai]

This is the game that determines whether we would ever deserve a top 4 spot. Can't beat these and we are rank.

That could be said by pretty much all games from October

 

[AgentP]

This is the game that determines whether we would ever deserve a top 4 spot. Can't beat these and we are rank.

I thought that was the Bournemouth game. Not being able to beat the team with the worst form in the league playing a man down for an entire half gave me more than enough of an indication of where we will end up finishing.

 

[Needham]

That could be said by pretty much all games from October

I thought that was the Bournemouth game. Not being able to beat the team with the worst form in the league playing a man down for an entire half gave me more than enough of an indication of where we will end up finishing.

You're right, I've actually got that comment on automatic repeat for every game. Should have turned it off in December.

 

[AgentP]

You're right, I've actually got that comment on automatic repeat for every game. Should have turned it off in December.

I did think we had turned it around after that 6 game winning streak in December.

 

[Mihai]

You're right, I've actually got that comment on automatic repeat for every game. Should have turned it off in December.

We are going to win tomorrow

 

[shield]

Even if we win, don't think it will be convincing.

 

[Mihai]

Even if we win, don't think it will be convincing.

It's not about convincing at this stage of the season. I wouldn't mind a scrappy 1-0 win tomorrow as long as no more injuries.

 

[kopviolator]

We're on a bit of a slump and with key players missing. 2-0 United.

 

[shield]

It's not about convincing at this stage of the season. I wouldn't mind a scrappy 1-0 win tomorrow as long as no more injuries.

I would be happy with a win too.

But, seems like, this season, our strategy has always been just winning. Expectations weren't like this at the start of the season though. Think people had the feeling that scrappy matches were just a phase and we would start battering teams soon. Won't happen this season. Seems depressingly similar to what was the case last season.

EDIT: Feeling a little different now. Think Jose is doing his best and a keeping a closed defensive shape helps us play our best team and conserve energy. Would not mind a 1-0 victory.

 

[AndyJ1985]

This feels familiar. We'll have another chance tomorrow to move out of 6th by beating a relatively weak team. But I have no confidence in us winning at all.

 

[minoo-utd]

Even a bigger game now after Arsenal lost but surely we all know what's going to happen.

 

[sincher]

Yeah definite opportunity for us to drop some points and consolidate that vital 6th spot.

 

[soapythecat]

Supporting United must be a real chore for some of you drama queens. Middlesborough are awful. We may not be playing particularly well but we are very hard to beat. Easy win this. Easy.

 

[SirAF]

Supporting United must be a real chore for some of you drama queens. Middlesborough are awful. We may not be playing particularly well but we are very hard to beat. Easy win this. Easy.

I'm a little bit more confident today, football is funny.

If Martial is back then we should have enough attacking options with him, Rashford and Mhki. Put Carrick and Fellaini at the base with Mata ahead of them. Sorted.

 

[Jacky Quacky]

Supporting United must be a real chore for some of you drama queens. Middlesborough are awful. We may not be playing particularly well but we are very hard to beat. Easy win this. Easy.

Say that again when we don't beat them.