Erik ten Hag has named his starting line-up for Manchester United's Premier League showdown with cross-city rivals Manchester City this lunchtime, making some very bold selection calls.
United, who were thrashed 6-3 by City in the reverse fixture back in October, will be looking to register a ninth successive victory following Tuesday night's 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup. Two late goals from Marcus Rashford and a first half stunner from Antony sealed the Reds' place in the last-four of the competition.
It means that Ten Hag will be determined to see another solid performance and victory from his team, as they look to claim the derby day bragging rights and move up to third in the Premier League table. The Dutchman, as expected, has opted to revert back to a more familiar looking team after ringing the changes in midweek, making nine alterations in total.
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Tyrell Malacia and Fred are the only players to have kept their places following the win over Charlton, meaning the likes of Lisandro Martinez and Antony have been left out of the starting line-up. Luke Shaw looks set to start at centre-back once again and Anthony Martial has won his fitness battle to lead the line.
Meanwhile, Victor Lindelof, Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho have been named among the substitutes. However, Donny van de Beek, who will miss the remainder of the season through injury, and Jadon Sancho are among those to miss out. New signing Wout Weghorst was not registered in time to be involved.
Having made the decision to make nine changes to the side that was victorious against Charlton, Ten Hag will be hoping to see another victory from his team, as they look to get the better of City at Old Trafford for the first time in almost three years. It is the inclusion of Fred that has attracted the most attention from United's supporters in the immediate aftermath of the team news being confirmed.
Below, MEN Sport has taken a close look at what some of United's supporters have had to say in response to Ten Hag's decision to hand a surprise starting berth to the Brazilian midfielder.
As you can see from the messages displayed in the tweets above, Ten Hag's decision to include Fred in the starting line-up has gone down well, despite him often being un unfair scapegoat in recent months. He will add energy and a defensive presence to United's midfield, as well as, potentially, offering Malacia protection down the Reds' left.
United starting line-up: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Shaw, Malacia; Casemiro, Fred, Eriksen; Fernandes, Martial, Rashford.
Substitutes: Heaton, Lindelof, Maguire, Martinez, Mainoo, McTominay, Antony, Elanga, Garnacho.
This lunchtime's contest kicks-off at 12:30pm and you can follow all of the action on our live matchday blog, which you can access by clicking here.
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