MANCHESTER UNITED travel to Ipswich for a huge Premier League clash this afternoon.
Today’s match marks Ruben Amorim’s first game as Red Devils boss since he officially arrived from Sporting earlier this month.
The Portugese coach is set to deploy his trademark 3-4-3 formation at Portman Road as he looks to be the man to turn Man United’s fortunes around.
Amorim will be hoping to get off to a winning start with a favourable fixture for his opener.
- Kick off time: 4.30pm GMT
- TV channel: Sky Sports Main Event/Premier League
- Live stream: Sky Sports app/NOW
- Ipswich team: Muric, Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Burgess, Davis, Morsy, Cajuste, Burns, Hutchinson, Szmodics, Delap
- Man Utd team: Onana, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Evans, Amad, Casemiro, Eriksen, Dalot, Fernandes, Garnacho, Rashford
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Ruben sets out stall
It is always intriguing to see a new manager’s first team selection.
What this one tells us is that he sees Rashford as the best striker currently at Old Trafford.
Add to that, he prefers to have the experience of Casemiro and passing of Eriksen than the likes of Ugarte and Mainoo.
Credit: Getty View from SunSport’s Dave Kidd at Portman Road
So Manuel Amorim has been grappling for the last month on how to fit this weird Manchester United squad into a 3-4-3 formation and it looks like Amad Diallo as a wing-back with Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes supporting Marcus Rashford as centre-forward.
Casemiro and Christian Eriksen are not the most dynamic central midfield duo.
There is no place in the starting line-up for Rasmus Hojlund or Manuel Ugarte, not Mason Mount the man Amorim has already expressed his ‘love’ for.
Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and Kobbie Mainoo all return to the bench after injury. A new manager often helps to get players off the treatment table.
Man Utd subs:
1. Bayindir, 12. Malacia, 23. Shaw, 37. Mainoo, 7. Mount, 25. Ugarte, 21. Antony, 9. Hojlund, 11. Zirkzee
Man Utd starting XI:
The first Ruben Amorim team selection sees Hojlund relegated to the bench while Eriksen comes into the heart of midfield.
24. Onana, 20. Dalot, 4. de Ligt, 35. Evans, 3. Maraoui, 18. Casemiro, 14. Eriksen, 8. Fernandes, 16. Amad, 10. Rashford, 17. Garnacho
Credit: @ManUtd Ipswich subs:
28. Walton, 2. H.Clarke, 6. Woolfenden, 22. Townsend, 25. Luongo, 14. Taylor, 10. Chaplin, 47. J.Clarke, 16. Al-Hamadi
Ipswich starting XI:
The big news for the hosts is that Omari Hutchinson is fit to start against the Red Devils.
1. Muric, 40. Tuanzebe, 26. O’Shea, 15. Burgess, 3. Davis, 5. Morsy, 12. Cajuste, 7. Burns, 20. Hutchinson, 23. Szmodics, 19. Delap
Credit: @IpswichTown Red Devils come into game confident
Man Utd have four of the last five games between these two teams.
They won the most recent Premier League encounter at Portman Road courtesy of a Ruud van Nistelrooy penalty in 2002.
However, the only time United have won back-to-back games at Portman Road was in 1962 and 1963.
Tractor Boys looking for first home win
After their impressive outing in North London last time out, McKenna will be keen to do the same at Portman Road.
Home form is often key for newly promoted sides in their plight to ensure they survive for a second season in the top-flight.
The former Man Utd coach should know the opposition well today, whether he can plot their undoing remains to be seen.
Credit: Getty Honeymoon period for new man
When a club installs a new manager, it can often lead to a good run of form as a result.
Amorim will be hoping for some of this form as Man Utd look to turn around one of their worst ever starts to a campaign in the top-flight.
It will be interesting to see if some of the underperforming players up their game as a result of the arrival of a new manager.
McKenna looking to haunt old friends
Prior to taking the job at Ipswich, Kieran McKenna was on the coaching staff at Man Utd.
He was linked to the Old Trafford role after he led the Tractor Boys to the Premier League as well as some other jobs with big clubs.
Having won at Tottenham last time out, he will be looking to put back-to-back wins for his team this afternoon to relieve their relegation fears somewhat.
Amorim looking for change in new era
The much-anticipated arrival of Ruben Amorim will finally happen at Portman Road today.
Following his success at Sporting Lisbon, much is expected from the new manager.
Fans are expecting him to turn around the Red Devils and get them back to challenging for major honours once again.
Welcome to Ipswich vs Man Utd
Fresh off the back of their first win of the Premier League campaign, the Tractor Boys welcome Man Utd to Portman Road with their new manager Ruben Amorim.
Kieran McKenna’s side will have Kalvin Phillips eligible after his recent ban although he is struggling with a knock and may not start.
Nathan Broadhead, Wes Burns, Jacob Greaves and Omari Hutchinson are all on the touch-and-go list but Chiedozie Ogbene and George Hirst are definitely out.Conor Chaplin is on standby to operate off Delap while ex-Man Utd defender Axel Tuanzebe is set to start at right back against his former employers.
Amorim could be boosted by the returns of Kobbie Mainoo, Leny Yoro and Luke Shaw after all three were involved in the Portuguese manager’s first training session earlier in the week.
Yoro and Shaw may not be risked due to the length of the injuries that kept them out. Tyrell Malacia, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof are all major doubts.
Jonny Evans and Matthijs de Ligt are expected to take the two centre-back spots unless the new manager decides to play Casemiro there instead.
This is an important game for both teams, for very different reasons, but they will be looking for three points to improve their standings in the Premier League table.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
