Man, predicting lineups is such a pain sometimes, especially for a clash like United vs Liverpool. Felt like diving headfirst into chaos this morning. Let me walk you through how I wrestled with this beast today.
The Frustrating Start
Woke up buzzing about the derby, grabbed my coffee – essential fuel, obviously. Hopped online straight away. First mistake: went straight to fan forums. Total mess! Everyone’s shouting about who should play, based on feelings or who they like. Saw one guy demanding we play five strikers just to annoy Klopp. Useless. Needed facts, not feelings.
Pivoted fast. Hit up the official United site news section. Scrolled through. Found bits: that injury list is nasty. Martinez still out, Shaw still gone, Lindelof doubtful. Mount possibly training? Vague. Official stuff never gives you the full picture, keeps it tight. Annoying.
The Deep Dig
Alright, time to get serious. Found reports from reliable beat writers – the guys who actually watch training when they can. Pieced together scraps:
- Hojlund? Sounds like he might be fit enough for the bench. Maybe. Big “if”.
- Mount? Training pictures looked positive, but nobody’s saying he starts. Bench seems safer bet.
- Defensive Nightmare: Maguire and Varane HAVE to play center-back. No other choice. Dalot for RB? Think so. Left back… ugh. Maybe Amrabat filling in again? Painful.
Sat back, groaned. This defense against Salah and Nunez? Bad vibes.
Guessing Ten Hag’s Brain
Okay, past games matter. Remembered how cautious Ten Hag was against City recently. Parked the bus. Liverpool at home? He’ll probably try something similar – absorb pressure, hit fast.
Stared at my notes. Shoved the players around mentally:
- Keeper: Easy. Onana. Done.
- Back Four: Dalot – Varane – Maguire – Amrabat? Please no, but probably yes. Wan-Bissaka slightly injured? Seems likely he misses out.
- Midfield Wall: McTominay and Mainoo sitting deep, protecting. Casemiro suspended? Yep. Eriksen maybe coming on later. Bruno HAS to be the #10.
- Attack: Rashford on the left, Garnacho right… or maybe swapped? Antony been shaky. Garnacho earned a start. Up front? Martial probably. sigh. Hojlund maybe 20 mins if lucky.
Looked at it: 4-2-3-1. Solid block. Hoping Bruno feeds Rashford for counters. That’s our only hope, realistically.
The Final Stab
Compared my scribbles to a couple other predictions from journalists I kinda trust. Some argued for McTominay further forward. Others think Antony gets the nod over Garnacho. Felt better about Garnacho – kid’s got energy Liverpool hates.
Here’s what my battered brain landed on:
- GK: Onana
- Def: Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Amrabat
- Mid: McTominay, Mainoo
Att Mid: Rashford, Bruno, Garnacho
ST: Martial
Bench guesses: Hojlund (fingers crossed), Mount, Antony, Evans, Wan-Bissaka (if fit?), Eriksen.
The Doubt
Finished my cold coffee. Stared at the lineup. Feels patched together with duct tape, doesn’t it? That left back situation is a bomb waiting to go off. Amrabat there again? Please prove me wrong, man. And Martial starting… yeah. Not filling me with confidence.
Honestly? Feels like damage limitation. Get through without humiliation, nick a goal on the break if we’re insanely lucky. That’s the grim reality I ended up with today. Predictions are hard, especially with United right now. Fingers crossed the boss pulls a miracle rabbit out somewhere!
