Man Utd boss Ten Hag expected to make two changes for Newcastle final
Erik ten Hag previews Carabao Cup final
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Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is primed to go strong for Sunday afternoon’s Carabao Cup showdown with Newcastle. The Red Devils go into the game on a high after their 2-1 win over Barcelona on Thursday. Express Sport now takes a look at how they should line up for the match at Wembley.
Goalkeeper: De Gea
United have seen David De Gea get back to his best this season.
Though the Spain international still needs to improve when it comes to playing out from the back, the 32-year-old remains a dependable figure between the sticks.
De Gea will be hoping to shine and help United win the Carabao Cup.
He previously won the trophy back in 2017, when the Red Devils beat Southampton 3-2 during Jose Mourinho’s time in charge.
And it would be a major surprise should De Gea be demoted for such a big game.
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Defence: Dalot, Martinez, Varane, Shaw
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has done well in recent times, with the former Crystal Palace star a defensive bedrock in Thursday’s victory over Barcelona.
But, for the final against Newcastle, we’re expecting to see Diogo Dalot come into the side.
Newcastle will sit back and Dalot, given his prowess going forward, could be key when it comes to breaching their backline.
Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez should start together at centre-back.
And Luke Shaw is set to keep his place in the team at left-back, too.
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Midfield: Casemiro, Fred, Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes has played out wide for United in recent matches.
But he was brilliant upon being moved back to his preferred No 10 position against Barcelona, meaning its feasible he’ll start in that role.
Playing behind Fernandes is expected to be the pairing of Fred and Casemiro.
Casemiro is set to play in a first domestic game since receiving a red card in a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace earlier in the month.
And Fred, given how well he performed against Barcelona, should keep his place in the side as well.
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Forwards: Antony, Rashford, Sancho
Antony hasn’t always lived up to expectations since moving to United from Ajax back in the summer.
But his heroics against Barcelona on Thursday suggests he’s now in line for a starting berth.
Antony will likely go on the right of United’s attack, with Jadon Sancho on the left.
Then, up top, it’ll be interesting to see what happens with Rashford.
United, surely, will do everything to have their star man available. For that reason, he makes the cut.
Ten Hag’s rallying cry
Speaking ahead of the final, Ten Hag has issued a rallying cry to his players.
“When you are a player for Manchester United you have to create your own legacy – and therefore you have to win trophies,” said the Dutchman. “We are going in a good direction. On Sunday we have an opportunity to win a trophy.
“But after Sunday we are still in three competitions where we have good opportunities to also win something.
“It’s massive. But first we have to get the first one so we don’t think further ahead.
“We have to put everything we have into getting the trophy to Manchester.”
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