Manchester United vs Huddersfield Town
Date: 03/02/18
K/O: 15.00pm
Venue: Old Trafford
The Terriers of Huddersfield Town travel southwest to face the Red Devils of Manchester, with both teams looking to bounce back from disappointing results midweek.
The Terriers will be without Danny Williams, Elias Kachunga and Jon Stankovic but are boosted by the return of Terrence Kongolo to full training.
Huddersfield are in poor form of late, earning only three points in their last seven league matches (three draws – four losses). This run of results has seen them drop to just one point above the relegation zone. With Manchester United the clear favourites in this one, Huddersfield have nothing to lose but everything to prove.
Embed from Getty ImagesDavid Wagner has faith in his ideas to get something out of games vs the Top 6 and although the results haven’t always been in the Terriers’ favour, they will look to make United as uncomfortable as possible. Huddersfield will look to emulate their belief and desire that led to the 2-1 victory over Manchester United, their most notable performance this season.
Marouane Fellaini came off injured and could be set for a long spell on the sidelines. However, Manchester United fans will be happy to hear both Eric Bailly and Zlatan Ibrahimovic should hopefully return by the end of the month.
Having been outplayed from literally the first minute to the final whistle, Manchester United will look to respond this Saturday with venom. Furthermore, Manchester United will be commemorating the 60-year anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster. Jose
Mourinho believes it is “a day to show passion for the club and respect for them [the victims and their families,” and the players will be up for it.
Manchester United had been riding high with their recent form after the festive period and signing of Alexis Sanchez so the defeat at Wembley feels like a real kick in the face. With the 5th round of the FA Cup and Champions League round of 16 on the horizon, building some momentum will be essential. Almost infallible at the Theatre of Dreams this season, Manchester United will be looking to get back to their winning ways against this Huddersfield team.
Embed from Getty ImagesFrom an FPL perspective, this is definitely a week to avoid any Huddersfield player. Leave them in the second or third bench slot. On the other hand, this fixture is ripe for massive returns from the Manchester United. With only Brighton & Hove Albion and West Bromwich having scored less goals on the road than Huddersfield, a league leading 15th clean sheet for Manchester United seems automatic. Furthermore, with only Stoke City and West Ham having conceded more goals away from home than Huddersfield, the likes of Alexis, Lukaku, Martial or even Pogba are enticing picks for the armband.
Predicted Starting XI:
Manchester United: DDG, Valencia, Jones, Smalling, Shaw, Matic, Pogba, Martial, Alexis, Mata, Lukaku
Huddersfield Town: Lossl, Hadergjonaj, Jorgensen, Schindler, Kongolo, Malone, Mooy, Hogg, Pritchard, van La Parra, Depoitre
Prediction: Manchester United 4 – 0 Huddersfield Town
I foresee another strong home victory from Manchester United, similar to what we’ve seen them do to other bottom half teams this season. This one could get ugly, especially if the floodgates open early on.
Written by Ammar Nazarali. (@FPLAmmar)
