da pinnacle： Manchester United picked up another victory midweek as Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s late goal gave Mourinho’s side a vital win away at Crystal Palace.
da mrbet： That means the Red Devils have now won three games in a row across the Premier League and Europa League, which is a welcome relief. Suffering an inconsistent season, the Red Devils haven’t won four games in a row since the league season began, making their upcoming clash a vital one.
This evening’s tie away to West Brom represents a chance for Man United to show they have turned a corner and have found some consistency.
It won’t be easy, though, as the Baggies are actually just behind United in the table and a win for Tony Pulis’ side would move them to within a point of Mourinho’s men.
Unbeaten in their last six, Man United are well placed for victory if they go at the game with the same determination and application as we saw from them at Palace.
This is the XI that we think can win at West Brom and do what they haven’t yet under Mourinho – win four-in-a-row…
GK: David de Gea
David de Gea is, of course, one of the first names on the team-sheet both literally and figuratively. The goalkeeper is as good as ever when called upon and his performance last Sunday against Tottenham is testament to that.
West Brom have plenty of attacking threats, as shown in their dominant performance against Swansea on Wednesday night, so it’s likely that they’ll test the Manchester United goalkeeper at some point, but at least fans can be confident that if it’s possible to save, De Gea will probably be there.
RB: Antonio Valencia
Antonio Valencia served a one-game suspension and missed the trip to Palace and he should return given he’s been fairly consistent in recent weeks.
He didn’t give Spurs a sniff down United’s right side on Sunday and a similar performance against West Brom would go a long way to securing a victory.
Chris Brunt and Matt Phillips provided the assists for Rondon’s hat-trick on Wednesday night, all down Swansea’s right flank, so Valencia will likely have a busy afternoon
CB: Phil Jones
After a fairly average start under Jose Mourinho, Phil Jones has begun to look like the player he can be in recent weeks.
A fantastic defensive performance against Spurs was potentially the highlight of his season so far and he followed it up with another solid display away to the Eagles.
He should retain his place in the heart of the Man United defence. If he truly is starting to show consistent form then the Red Devils’ results should improve along with him.
CB: Marcos Rojo
Marcos Rojo has, like Phil Jones, improved his performance in recent matches. He was, however, lucky not to be sent off on Wednesday night after a two-footed challenge on Wilfried Zaha.
He should retain his place due to injury concerns around Eric Bailly, who went off early in the second-half against Palace.
Man United fans will be hoping a bit more discipline is shown by the defender as they may not be so lucky with referee leniency in the future.
LB: Matteo Darmian
Like most of Man United’s defence, Darmian, arguably, put in his best performance of the season against Spurs last Sunday.
The full-back had been one of United’s poorer players in the games preceding that one but the Old Trafford faithful will be hoping the Spurs performance is more indicative of his season going forward.
Like Valencia, he’ll have a busy shift on the flank with West Brom eager to get the ball into wide areas to help feed Salomon Rondon.
CM: Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick is one of Man United’s most underrated players and when he plays, the team tend to perform well.
His passing and ability to dictate the game are massive positives in what can be a disjointed looking Mourinho side. He’s a cohesive force in the middle of the park that helps the team to blend together.
This isn’t just bluster from ourselves either, it’s borne out in results – Mourinho’s team haven’t lost once this season when Carrick has featured.
CM: Ander Herrera
Ander Herrera was arguably Man United’s Man of the Match against Spurs,(see below) and although he was quieter against Palace, he was still mightily important in the middle of the park.
It was his assist that allowed Henrikh Mkhitaryan to blast home his first Premier League goal last week, and his defence splitting pass was perfectly weighted.
Creative, but also a key defensive component in United’s midfield, he’ll be one of Mourinho’s most important players this evening.
CM: Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba is proving to be every bit worth his world record breaking transfer in the summer. We’re not sure where Man United would be this season without him, but it wouldn’t be anywhere good.
It’s doubtful anyone put in a more vital performance for their side on Wednesday night (see below) than the French international, who scored and then assisted Zlatan Ibrahimovic to give his side that 2-1 win.
He’s been immense for weeks now and if he turns up vs. West Brom in top form, we’re not sure the Baggies can do much to stop him… or United.
RW: Juan Mata
Juan Mata has been in and out of the side in recent weeks and wasn’t one of Man United’s better performers against Palace.
He does give the Red Devils balance and work ethic in the midfield areas, though, even when deployed in a more attacking role, which will be important against what is a talented West Brom side.
He hasn’t found the net for Mourinho since the 1-1 draw vs. Arsenal, though. He was exceptional that day and fans will be hoping he can tap into that form and not replicate his inconsistent showings since.
LW: Anthony Martial
Anthony Martial has been more inconsistent than Mourinho and Man United would have liked this season, but he has the ability to provide a vital cutting edge in the final third.
Goals against West Ham and an assist against Everton showed that, but a poor performance against Spurs left fans scratching their heads.
He didn’t feature against Palace but deserves to return and would no doubt play a big part in any Man United victory.
ST: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Although Pogba has been Man United’s best player this season, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is running him awfully close. You would never think he was 35 given his eagerness to play every minute of every United game right now.
He looked as fresh as ever latching on to Pogba’s pass in the 88th minute against Palace before his exceptionally sweet finish gave Man United victory.
That was goal number eleven of the season and you wouldn’t bet against him finding more against West Brom.