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Erik ten Hag has admitted he doesn’t know if Marcus Rashford will be fit for Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United at Wembley.
Rashford suffered heavy tackles against Barcelona earlier in the week and left the pitch barefoot in the 83rd minute, raising questions about his form.
When predicting the starting XI, we’ll assume they’re fit and if they are, they’ll be the first name on the squad sheet.
The second name on the squad sheet will be Casemiro, who is eligible again after completing his three-match domestic suspension.
Ten Hag was full of praise for Fred, the Euro Cup goalscorer, after Thursday’s match and is expected to retain his services in the starting eleven for Brazil’s midfield dream team.
With Antony also drawing praise and making a scoring impact off the bench, the forward four will likely include him, Bruno Fernandes, Wout Weghorst and Rashford, with Jadon Sancho retiring to the bench.
However, the boss could decide to go with a more fluid line-up and play Sancho as well, with Weghorst dropping to the bench.
Alejandro Garnacho also made an impact again from the bench against Barça, but we don’t think he will start on Sunday.
In defence, the imperious Raphael Varane and Lisandro MartÃnez are sure to once again be the central defense duo, with Luke Shaw playing at left-back.
The big question is who will play right back. With both options conceded and dismissed, it poses a dilemma for the coach. Aaron Wan-Bissaka was selected for both legs of the match against Barcelona, ​​but Diogo Dalot played in between against Leicester.
The formula seems to be English for more defensive setups and Portuguese for more offensive approaches.
With that in mind, we think Ten Hag will want to attack Newcastle, and therefore we’re tipping Dalot to get the nod.
Here, then, is our predicted XI for Sunday’s game:
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