Tielemans for Baleba, Heaven covers Martinez: Man United predicted lineup vs Aston Villa

Saturday’s results have dropped Manchester United into the bottom three, so Michael Carrick goes into Sunday’s visit of Aston Villa without Lisandro Martinez or Carlos Baleba and with his own future the biggest story at Old Trafford.

Man United host Aston Villa at 4.30pm UK time on Sunday 8 November, the last game before the international break. They are 18th on seven points from nine games, behind Coventry and Nottingham Forest after Forest’s win over Manchester City, with one league victory all season. Villa are 12th on 12 points, so a home win would take United to within two points of them.

There is at least some belief back in the building. United were two down to Roma after 17 minutes on Tuesday and still won 3-2 thanks to two late Matheus Cunha goals. Carrick was careful on Friday: “It’s a positive reaction, it’s not like all of a sudden we’re getting carried away. I know what the players are capable of. We just haven’t proved it enough lately.”

Man United predicted lineup vs Aston Villa

Man United predicted lineup vs Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Yoro, Maguire, Heaven, Dalot; Mainoo, Tielemans; Amad, Fernandes, Cunha; Mbeumo

Senne Lammens: no debate

Lammens has started both of the last two games and could do little about either of Roma’s goals, the first a free run for Matias Soule and the second a penalty. Karl Darlow and Tom Heaton are the back-up options, and neither is pushing him.

Leny Yoro and Diogo Dalot: same full-backs, different instructions?

Carrick has used Yoro on the right and Dalot on the left in both of the last two games, and with Luke Shaw out until after the break and Patrick Dorgu only doing “a little bit of training”, there’s no obvious change to make. The question is how high Dalot plays. Roma scored twice down his side on Tuesday, and Dalot admitted afterwards that pushing up was the plan: “We knew that they were going to play man-to-man, but that requires some things that we need to avoid, especially losing balls in the middle.”

Against a Villa side that will be looking to break, we expect Carrick to keep both full-backs a lot deeper this time.

Harry Maguire and Ayden Heaven: Martinez’s replacement is already in

Martinez picked up two yellow cards in four minutes at Stamford Bridge last Saturday and serves his ban here. Heaven started alongside Maguire against Roma, and although his arm gave away the penalty for Roma’s second goal, he is the natural left-sided centre-back with Martinez missing. Matthijs de Ligt came off the bench on Tuesday and is the alternative, but we think Carrick sticks with the pairing that started on Tuesday.

Who replaces Baleba?

This is the big change. Baleba pulled up with a hamstring injury early in the second half on Tuesday, and Carrick ruled him out for well beyond the break: “Carlos, we don’t know, but it will be a number of weeks. It’s definitely not this week, and it won’t be any time over the international break. It’ll be a little bit longer than that.”

Kobbie Mainoo: keeps his place

Mainoo lost the ball for Roma’s opener, but his free-kick on the stroke of half-time was United’s first effort on target. He has missed a lot of football recently, which Thomas Tuchel pointed to when he left him out of the England squad, and a full 90 minutes against Villa is the best answer he can give.

Youri Tielemans: the man who came on

Tielemans replaced Baleba in the 51st minute against Roma, and United scored all three of their goals with him on the pitch. Andrey Santos started at Chelsea and is the other option, but Tielemans’ passing gives Bruno Fernandes more of the ball in the areas where he can hurt Villa.

Attack: Cunha’s big week

Bruno Fernandes: the captain in the No.10 role

Fernandes needed a retake to score his penalty against Roma, after his first effort was saved, and that goal started everything. He stays behind the striker.

Amad: one more chance on the right

There’s a real case for Shea Lacey. The 19-year-old came off the bench on Tuesday and played the pass for Cunha’s winner, and he has had very few minutes since his goal against Brighton in the Carabao Cup in September. But with this much riding on the result, we think Carrick keeps Amad in the side and holds Lacey back for the second half.

Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo: the front two that won it

Cunha’s two goals in three minutes won the Roma game, and his red card for two bookings only counts in the Champions League, so he is free to play on Sunday. Mbeumo has led the line in each of the last two games, with Cunha working off the left, and nearly scored against Roma when he hit both posts. With Benjamin Sesko out for a longer spell with his shin problem and Marcus Rashford still being assessed on his hip, those two are the attack.

Is this Carrick’s last game before the break?

That’s the question hanging over Sunday. The international break gives the club time to make a change if they want one, and United have made their worst start to a season in 40 years. Villa have their own problems at right-back, as we explained in Unai Emery’s likely lineup, with Matty Cash suspended. A second win in a row for the first time this season would change the mood around Carrick completely.

Man United predicted lineup vs Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Yoro, Maguire, Heaven, Dalot; Mainoo, Tielemans; Amad, Fernandes, Cunha; Mbeumo