Manchester United vs Huddersfield Town Preview

By Arjun_Handa -
Manchester United vs Huddersfield Town Preview
Image result for manchester united vs huddersfield
Image from Youtube
Merry Christmas everyone and hopefully another three points is a delayed present awaiting United under the tree on Boxing Day as United take on Huddersfield at 3pm GMT. It could not have gone better for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United in the Welsh capital as United hit Cardiff for five, scoring five for the first time in the league since Sir Alex's 5-5 draw with West Brom in his final game as United's manager. Honestly, when I watched the game I was waiting for something to groan and moan about, perhaps some misplaced passes, poor decision-making or just simply some sideways passing football. But for the most part there was nothing to criticise as the passing was attack-minded and if there was unnecessary sideways passing, I cannot remember it! Now the Red Devils return to Old Trafford and take on a struggling Huddersfield side who find themselves remaining in 19th place in the league after a home defeat to a rejuvinated Southampton side on Saturday.

Image result for paul pogba solskjaer
Image from the Manchester Evening News
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could potentially name an unchanged lineup from the team he fielded with the help of Kieran McKenna and Michael Carrick after just two training sessions as the side shone from De Gea in goal to Rashford up front. Lukaku was given compassionate leave and may be a doubt for the game but even if he does return it is likely he will find himself on the bench with Rashford, Martial and Lingard all shining and on the scoresheet against Cardiff. Chris Smalling is still out injured and so is Alexis Sanchez who has now returned to Carrington after travelling to Chile for rehabilitation. Victor Lindelof and Phil Jones seemed very comfortable for the majority of the game, especially with a sharper Nemanja Matic sitting deeper and offering more protection. Herrera and Lingard's energy was crucial for the win and will be just as important tomorrow as it was on Saturday. Pogba will be looking for his first goal since scoring against Everton from his saved penalty and after assisting Lingard and Herrera against Cardiff, he will be aiming for more in a bid to demonstrate that he is the same player who won the World Cup and is worth his price tag. 

Image result for steve mounie
Image from Goal.com
As for Huddersfield; skipper Tommy Smith was unable to play against the Saints after suffering a hamstring injury and are likely to be without Aaron Mooy, Danny Williams and Jonathan Hogg who are all suffering knee injuries and as is Abdelhamid Sabiri with a collarbone issue. Huddersfield are having a poor season and have only won two games so far, the last one being a 2-0 away win at Wolves (the other being a 1-0 win against Fulham) and have struggled to score goals scoring a mere eleven goals so far this season - the lowest tally of any side in the top four divisons of English football. This could be United's chance to get their third clean sheet in the league especially with the misfiring Mounie set to start in Manchester on Boxing Day. 

United looked the business against Cardiff and the Old Trafford faithful will be expecting the same type of fast pace, attacking play that sliced through Cardiff like butter. They could easily score six or seven if they keep up their intensity but the home match against Bournemouth on the 30th proves a more challenging task and so Ole might rest a few big players once the game is won tomorrow. 

Predicted Lineup: De Gea, Young (c), Jones, Lindelof, Shaw, Matic, Herrera, Pogba, Lingard, Martial, Rashford

PREDICTED SCORE: 5-0 to United

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Teams: Watford vs Manchester United
Date: Sunday 22nd of December 2019
KO Time: 14:00 GMT
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