Manchester United are finally getting their pre-season under way, with the club set to face Liverpool in Bangkok.
Kicking off in the Rajamangala National Stadium at 20:00 local time, Erik ten Hag will face a massive test in Premier League rivals Liverpool as both sides aim to start their respective pre-season tours off with a win.
Although not an official competitive fixture, this will be the first time United fans will be able to see Erik ten Hag guide his new team from the touch line, and after videos emerged yesterday showing the coach’s hands-on approach to training, fans from around the world will be excited to see the Dutchman in action.
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Ten Hag will not be the only one making his (unofficial) debut for the club though – new signing Tyrell Malacia will no doubt get minutes in the shirt, as it is expected that both sides will put out different XI’s for each half of the game.
There are some injury doubts with regards to the United squad, with centre-back pairing Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane not spotted in training with the main group yesterday.
Erik ten Hag has now had over two weeks with some of the squad, with those who played international games towards the back end of last season coming to training a week after the initial group.
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One man who will not be featuring for Manchester United in Bangkok is Cristiano Ronaldo, who stayed behind from the Thailand part of Tour 2022 due to personal reasons.
Erik ten Hag's training session yesterday hinted at how the squad could line up today, and the line-ups for the fixture have now been confirmed:
Manchester United
Starting XI: De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Lindelof, Shaw: Fernandes, Fred, McTominay; Sancho, Martial, Rashford.
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Subs: Heaton, Bailly, Malacia, Amad, Telles, Pellistri, Wan-Bissaka, Van de Beek, Elanga, Laird, Chong, Hannibal, Garnacho, Savage, Iqbal.
Liverpool
Starting XI: Alisson; Mabaya, Philips, Gomez, Chambers; Henderson, Morton, Carvalho; Elliot, Diaz, Firmino.
Subs: Adrian, Mrozek, Davies, Van Dijk, Konate, Thago, Milner, Keita, Salah, Oxlade-Chamberlin, Jones, Tsimikas, Robertson, Nunez, Matip, Bajcetic, Williams, Cark, Clarkson, Alexander-Arnold, Van den Berg, Norris, Hill, Frauendorf.
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Manchester United, after facing Liverpool in Bangkok, will fly out to Australia to face a further three sides before heading back to Europe to round off their pre-season tour.
In Australia, they are set to first play Melbourne Victory on 15 July, before facing Crystal Palace on 19 July and Aston Villa on 23 of the same month.
The European section of the tour will then comprise of facing Atletico Madrid in Oslo on 30 July, before a final fixture the following day against Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford should see Erik ten Hag’s squad be fully prepared for their opening weekend fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League.
That match is due to kick off at 14:00 BST at Old Trafford, with the club looking to get vengeance for the 4-0 drubbing Manchester United suffered to the Seagulls towards the end of last season’s “difficult” Premier League campaign.
Featured Image Credit: Manchester UnitedTopics: Manchester United, Liverpool, Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho, Harry Maguire, Erik Ten Hag