Manchester United squares off against Mick McCarthy’s high-flying Ipswich Town at Old Trafford to kick-off their Capital One Cup campaign on Wednesday evening.
The League one competition isn’t a pack of pleasant memories for the Red Devils’ boss since MK Dons inflicted an embarrassing 4-0 defeat on them.The Dutchman will be keen to ensure that his side doesn’t face similar embarrassment this year again.
So often down the line, Premier League clubs have considered the League One Cup as a junior tournament and used the mid-week games to groom youngsters by handing them first-team opportunities.
Manchester United are in a critical situation this time around despite holding a magnificent record in the Capital Cup. Given United’s two-year spell without silverware, it would be fair to assume that United supporters are eagerly waiting for a cup victory no matter it comes in the Capital One Cup or the FA Cup.
United next faces title rivals Manchester City over the weekend before they take on Champions League heavyweights Wolfsburg and CSKA Moscow next week. So, it is imperative for the veteran boss to keep his first-team squad fresh and healthy.
Let’s have a look at how the two managers are marshalling their troops tonight.
United boss has made six changes to the squad that defeated Southampton on Sunday afternoon with Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia coming back to start to bolster the defence.
Bastian Schweinsteiger is partnering with Ander Herrera in the midfield while Marouane Fellaini also gets a starting opportunity alongside youngster Andreas Pereira.
Wonder kid Anthony Martial is rested while Wayne Rooney has retained his place in attack
Manchester United vs. Ipswich Town confirmed line-ups:
MAN UTD: De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, Blind, Young; Schweinsteiger, Herrera; Mata, Fellaini, Pereira; Rooney
Subs: Romero, Darmian, Jones, Carrick, Schneiderlin, Memphis, Martial
IPSWICH: Bialkowski, Emmanuel, Yorwerth, Malarczyk, Parr, Coke, Bru, Tabb, Oar, Murphy (c), McGoldrick
SUBS: Crowe, Kenlock, Chambers, Maitland-Niles, Toure, Pitman, Sears
