I think we’ll be fine. There’s an odd split through the fanbase online with this one, with many predicting a highly unlikely thrashing again and others being crazily, ominously pessimistic.
They’ll set up in a low block but I don’t think they’ve the discipline to hold it for the entire game without a single mistake when you account for the personnel. This is also a game I’d be encouraging Szoboszlai and Trent to be shooting from distance in the early exchanges because I wouldn’t trust Onana to even gather ingredients from his kitchen cupboard. He will spill and that will create scrambles and chances.
Maguire, Eriksen, Fernandes, Martial, Lindelof, Malacia, Mount, Martinez, Casemiro, Sancho and Diallo are either missing or highly likely to miss the game. On top of that, there’s a rumour going round that Rashford has norovirus and also will not make the trip.
We really should and really have to win this, however it’s done. I get worse nerves for this than any other game and I know when I’m driving to the game I’ll start to get more and more nerves. Looking forward to it though, when I finally got a season ticket after literal decades of waiting, this and the derby were the two fixtures I picked out first.
