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How could Manchester United line up against Basel in Champions League group opener?

United have not progressed to the Champions League knock-out stages since David Moyes’ fateful spell in charge

Mark Critchley
Northern Football Correspondent
Tuesday 12 September 2017 13:22 BST
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Manchester United return to the Champions League on Tuesday night by entertaining Swiss champions Basel at Old Trafford.

Jose Mourinho’s side finished outside the Premier League top four last season but qualified automatically for the group stages of this competition by lifting the Europa League in May.

United have not progressed to the Champions League knock-out stages since David Moyes’ fateful spell in charge during the 2013/14 campaign.

Mourinho is likely to name a full-strength side, so who could feature against a team that eliminated United from this competition in 2011?

The should-bes

Mourinho confirmed on Monday that despite placing his trust in Sergio Romero for the majority of last season’s triumphant Europa League campaign, David de Gea will be preferred in European competition this time around.

With first-choice defensive pairing Eric Bailly and Phil Jones each serving the final game of their respective continental bans, Victor Lindelof and Chris Smalling will play their first minutes of the new season at centre-half. Stand-in captain Antonio Valencia is expected to start at right-back.

At the base of midfield, Mourinho is likely to deploy Paul Pogba alongside Nemanja Matic, just as he has done in United’s two Premier League home games so far this term. Ander Herrera played alongside the pair for Saturday’s combative 2-2 draw at Stoke City, but the tenacious midfielder’s qualities may not be required on a night when United are expected to dominate the play.

Herrera dropping to the bench would allow for Juan Mata to return on the right flank. Henrikh Mkhitaryan should play ‘in the hole’ and Marcus Rashford’s goal-scoring display at the weekend means he leads the race out on the left.

Romelu Lukaku, whose only Champions League appearances have come in the qualifying phase with Anderlecht, is all but assured of a place up top as Mourinho’s focal point.

The maybes

The one problem position that Mourinho seems to have is left-back. Matteo Darmian came in for Daley Blind at the bet365 Stadium but had a day to forget, with Stoke’s opener coming from his flank.

Blind, meanwhile, has looked adequate if not outstanding and while the Dutchman is likeliest to get the nod on Tuesday, he Mourinho is still waiting for one of the players to make the position their own.

Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial are likely to be named among the substitutes but Marouane Fellaini's participation is in doubt. The Belgian picked up a calf injury while on international duty, though he did train with the rest of Mourinho's squad on Monday.

The Independent’s Manchester United XI vs Basel (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, Lindelof, Blind; Pogba, Matic; Mata, Mkhitaryan, Rashford; Lukaku.

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