Home » Erik ten Hag picks strongest XI for Sheriff test

Erik ten Hag picks strongest XI for Sheriff test

Varane-Martinez back in defence along with McTominay in midfield

by Ayantan Chowdhury

Manchester United will be looking to bounce back against Sheriff Tiraspol after suffering defeat at the hands of Real Sociedad in their Europa League opener.

As expected, Erik ten Hag has picked his strongest side with only one change from the Arsenal game.

Cristiano Ronaldo has come in instead of Marcus Rashford, who has not travelled due to a muscle injury.

There is no place for both Fred and Casemiro after they endured a tough game against the La Liga side.

Similarly, Ten Hag has opted for the tried-and-tested back four of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane in place of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof.

Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes make welcome returns and are joined by the ever-reliable Christian Eriksen.

The tie was supposed to be sandwiched between games against Crystal Palace and Leeds United but following the Queen’s death, both games had to be postponed.

The game has taken on added significance after the opening night defeat as United look to pick up their first win of the competition.

Ten Hag will be hoping to secure qualification for the next stage as soon as possible so as to try and give as many minutes possible to fringe players and academy graduates.

However, Ten Hag’s side have to guard against any sort of complacency when they face their Moldovan opponents. Sheriff will not be the easiest of opposition as they are unbeaten in their last eight games.

Their last three wins include clean sheets and they started their Europa League campaign with a 3-0 drubbing of Nicosia.

Yuriy Vernydub’s side are quite accomplished when it comes to European matches and they had created history by beating Real Madrid in last season’s Champions League.

The game is set to be held at the Zimbru Stadium in Chisinau instead of Sheriff’s home ground after UEFA’s instructions.


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