Manchester United will look to extend their remarkable undefeated streak when they face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Sunday night.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will seek to end his first full season in charge of United in style with a place in the final of the masterpiece at stake.
United have already beaten Chelsea three times this season and will be boosted knowing they have progressed since 15 of their last 17 FA Cup semi-final matches.
Looking at the first team news, Luke Shaw has been excluded from the game, while Brandon Williams could return to the team by missing the victory at Crystal Palace.
Next, our MEN United writers choose their teams to face Chelsea.
Rico fay
United have already beaten Chelsea three times this season and it should be February’s victory at Stamford Bridge, which forms the basis for the focus at Wembley over the weekend.
Solskjaer has favored three center-backs against most of their Premier League rivals this season and bringing Bailly to Greenwood could make sense for a tense encounter.
Romero enters for the FA Cup, while Williams should start if he deems it appropriate. Matic also has to return in the midfield with Fernandes and Pogba, both served in the changed formation.
Rashford and Martial are the two fit men up front, while James and Greenwood could be deadly game changers if presented from the bench.
Tyrone Marshall
The last three have been a regular tactic for Solskjaer in this season’s biggest games, but there are two reasons not to play at Wembley. Firstly, the success of the last few weeks in the last four, and secondly, the absence of Luke Shaw, who brings balance to the last three.
So Brandon Williams should be given the go-ahead on the left side now that he’s fit again, with midfield chosen alone. United discovered how important Nemanja Matic was when he was on the bench on Thursday, while axle Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes is unassailable for a game as big as this one.
However, there should be another change in the first three. Mason Greenwood has looked a little tired this week and may need to rest, with Daniel James starting instead.
Dan Murphy
While United players are beginning to show signs of fatigue as the starting XI remains largely the same throughout the six games, he would continue to play on the stronger side with the possibility that the silverware is so close.
However, Romero should enter as the “goalkeeper”, especially since it will be useful if the game reaches penalties and Eric Bailly should also enter. Victor Lindelof has been seen a bit out of rhythm in recent games and the Ivorian played brilliantly against Chelsea in February.
Brandon Williams, if he’s in shape, should also start as a natural left back, despite Timothy Fosu-Mensah’s encouraging performance against Crystal Palace. The only other change that should be made from that victory is the reinstatement of Nemanja Matic for Scott McTominay.
Choose your team to face Chelsea using the selector above.
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