Manchester United’s quest to win their second Europa League title begins on Thursday at home to Real Sociedad.
The Red Devils eliminated the Basque side on their way to the 2021 final, eventually falling to Villarreal in Gdansk.
Erik ten Hag’s men have managed to pick themselves up and dust themselves off recently, winning their last four matches on the spin.
Here’s who he could pick on Thursday.
GK: Martin Dubravka – The Newcastle loanee should make his debut in place of David de Gea.
RB: Diogo Dalot – Aaron Wan-Bissaka is expected to return to the squad following a knock, though Dalot’s appearance alongside Ten Hag at a press conference on Wednesday suggests he will keep his spot.
CB: Harry Maguire – The club captain has fallen down the pecking order, though made a crucial tactical foul after coming on against Arsenal and could get a start here.
CB: Victor Lindelof – Has similarly been kept out of United’s Premier League side due to the form of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez.
LB: Luke Shaw – The England left-back was one of United’s top performers on their way to the 2021 final. This year’s campaign represents a chance to rediscover that form.
CM: Casemiro – Scott McTominay’s form has prevented Casemiro from making his full debut thus far. What a sentence.
CM: Fred – The Brazilian midfield duo have a stellar international record together and should be able to hold out against a very technical Real Sociedad diamond which includes David Silva.
RM: Antony – Played just under an hour on his goal-scoring debut at the weekend and should be given more minutes to ramp up his conditioning.
AM: Bruno Fernandes – With both Fernandes and Christian Eriksen starting each of United’s five games so far this season, one of them is going to have to start again here.
LM: Anthony Elanga – Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford could do with a rest, allowing Elanga the opportunity to return.
CF: Cristiano Ronaldo – The last time Ronaldo played at this level, the competition was known as the UEFA Cup and he was still at Sporting CP.
Man Utd vs Real Sociedad: How to watch on TV live stream, team news, lineups & prediction
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