Manchester United will kick off their Champions League campaign on Wednesday with a trip to Bern to face Swiss champions BSC Young Boys. United find themselves in a tough group, having been drawn along with Valencia and Juventus.
The opening clash will go a long way in deciding United’s European fortunes this season as they will be up against Valencia at home in their next game, followed by a doubleheader against Italian giants Juventus.
United have successfully gotten themselves back to winning ways with back-to-back victories over Burnley and Watford. They were pretty impressive in the 2-1 victory at Vicarage Road on Saturday and the Red Devils should look to carry their winning mentality into the next game against Young Boys.
Luke Shaw is doubtful after suffering a concussion during international duty and Mourinho must avoid risking his star left-back.
Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones continue to recover from injuries and Ander Herrera won’t be available for selection as the Spaniard is nursing an injured ankle.
David De Gea (GK)
The Spaniard is an automatic starter for United and produced an excellent performance against Watford, making a couple of crucial saves.
Diogo Dalot (RB)
The 19-year-old Portuguese must receive a chance to debut for the Red Devils in place of Antonio Valencia, who was rather rusty and sloppy against Watford.
Chris Smalling (CB)
The Englishman had a decent game against Watford and got on the scoresheet. Mourinho must continue with him as Phil Jones in on the treatment table.
Victor Lindelof (CB)
The Swedish international showed reasonable composure in the last game and produced a stable performance. He is expected to start ahead of Eric Bailly.
Ashley Young (LB)
Luke Shaw must not be risked and United’s old warhorse deserves another opportunity after an impressive all-around display against Watford.
Nemanja Matic (LCM)
The Serbian is solid in the midfield and often puts in commendable performances to shield the rearguard. He got sent off in the last game but that shouldn’t prevent him from starting the Champions League tie.
Paul Pogba (RCM)
The Frenchman had an average game against Watford and was rather wasteful with his passes at times. However, he must start against Young Boys.
Marouane Fellaini (CM)
The Belgian had a couple of slip-ups in the previous game but posed a threat with his stature in the penalty area. Mourinho should hand him another start.
Juan Mata (RW)
The Spaniard must be deployed to replace Jesse Lingard, who had a poor game against Watford and struggled to get himself involved in the build-up play.
Alexis Sanchez (LW)
The winger has blown hot and cold in patches. He had a good game against Burnley but underperformed in the last game against Watford. However, Mourinho should start him ahead of Anthony Martial.
Romelu Lukaku (ST)
He is currently United’s top scorer in the Premier League with four goals and Mourinho must not bench his target man.
