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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
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Samuel Luckhurst & Liam Corless & Steven Railston

How Manchester United should line up vs Man City in FA Cup final

Manchester United take on rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday afternoon.

The meeting is the first Manchester derby in a FA Cup final and Erik ten Hag's side have extra motivation to lift the trophy, as City are in contention to win a treble after reaching the Champions League final and winning the Premier League.

United have already won a trophy, the Carabao Cup, this season and winning England's oldest cup competition at the expense of their rivals would be the icing on the cake of an impressive first year for Ten Hag.

ALSO READ: United give Antony injury update ahead of FA Cup final

Regarding the team news, Anthony Martial is unavailable after sustaining an injury against Fulham on the final day of the season, meanwhile Antony is a major doubt.

Our writers have had their say on how United should line up against City...

Samuel Luckhurst

Anthony Martial's injury is not the clichéd blow. He shouldn't have been starting the final even though it seemed like Ten Hag would have started him.

United need to view the flexibility of their front four as an advantage. They should be switching throughout the game to vary their approach and try and throw City. Fixing Bruno Fernandes to the right would be inadvisable and he has to have the freedom to drift, especially as Jadon Sancho has performed on that side of late. Christian Eriksen also has experience of playing on the right.

Fred could be very good or very bad but he is energetic, presses and has big-game nous. It would not be a surprise if Ten Hag moved Luke Shaw inside but Victor Lindelof - on his longest run of starts for United and in his best form for the club - has earned a Cup final start while Luke Shaw is United's best left-back by far.

Steven Railston

Guardiola's side have been at their swashbuckling best over the last two months, so how can they be stopped? The victory against City at Old Trafford in January should be the blueprint and that means relocating Fernandes to the wing.

Fred and Casemiro have a great understanding and they'll have a huge say on which team wins this game. The midfield battle is expected to be crucial and Fernandes can provide extra support when not in possession.

Martial seems to be made of papier mache and his unavailability gives Sancho the chance to start on the left wing.

Liam Corless

You'll notice there is a lack of variety in the teams each of us has chosen and it would be a minor surprise if this isn't the starting line-up that Erik ten Hag fields at Wembley.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka has ended United's right-back debate of late, while Raphael Varane and Luke Shaw are immovable in Ten Hag's first-choice XI and Victor Lindelof has impressed since Lisandro Martinez sustained a season-ending injury.

Fielding only Christian Eriksen alongside Casemiro in midfield would be asking for trouble against a City side that is always full of energy, and Fred's industry should help in what could be his final appearance for United. Bruno Fernandes is among the fittest players in United's squad and will also help out defensively.

In attack, Marcus Rashford should lead the line in the absence of Anthony Martial. Alejandro Garnacho's ceiling is so high it is not visible without a telescope, yet he is still most impactful off the bench and Jadon Sancho has made encouraging strides of late.

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