The Red Devils ran out 4-0 winners over Jurgen Klopp’s side in what was Erik ten Hag’s first match in charge of the club.
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Manchester United could not have had a better start to the pre-season than the one they had against Liverpool on Tuesday. The Red Devils ran out 4-0 winners over Jurgen Klopp’s side in what was Erik ten Hag’s first match in charge of the club. Both teams made a lot of changes to the squad and rotated their players in big numbers during each half. Hence, the result will not matter much in the long run. However, ten Hag can take a lot of positives from the way his team performed on the pitch. He will hope his team can carry on that form to their next clash against Australian side Melbourne Victory on Friday.
| Melbourne Victory vs Manchester United | Key Details |
| Date | 15 July, 2022 |
| Venue | Melbourne Cricket ground |
| Kickoff time India | 3:35 pm |
| Kickoff time England | 11:05 am |
| Kickoff time Australia | 8:05 pm |
The last season was one to forget for the Red Devils, who underwhelmed in almost every department. It resulted in former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking, while his replacement and interim manager Ralf Rangnick was neither able to turn the club’s fortunes around. Manchester United could only manage a sixth-place finish in the Premier League, with 58 points from 38 games. Hence, a lot of changes happened in the background, including the arrival of ten Hag as their new manager.
In their opening pre-season fixture, United were good in their pressing, passing and also in defensive third. It helped them take advantage of Liverpool’s mistakes in their defensive third, as they went 3-0 up at half-time before wrapping up the game 4-0. On Friday, they should be the favourites against Melbourne Victory, however, their opponents cannot be underestimated. The three-time A-League Men’s champions finished second last season and were just a point behind Melbourne City. They will be keen to provide a difficult challenge to ten Hag’s boys on Friday.
READ MORE – Who is new Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag? Know about his playing days, managerial career, honours and style of play
A lot of changes were made in each half by Erik ten Hag in their opening pre-season clash against Liverpool. He could very well continue doing that on Friday and some of the players who were not involved in that match might be a part of the upcoming clash. James Garner and Hannibal Mejbri could feature in the clash, while other youngsters who were part of the opening game like Facundo Pellistri, Zidane Iqbal and Charlie Savage might also feature at some point. Besides, captain Harry Maguire who missed the last match could also get some minutes on Friday.
Anthony Martial was excellent down the middle up front in the last game. He could continue to feature there, while Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford could also get additional game time. David De Gea suffered a knock in that match so his participation would be in doubt. On the other hand, Melbourne Victory have already signed former Manchester United winger Nani, Tomi Juric, Paul Izzo and George Timotheou. Nani was signed recently, hence, it is not clear whether he would be able to face his former club on Friday.
Melbourne Victory possible line-up: Acton, Geria, Timotheou, Roderick, N Smith, Barnett, Brimmer, Broxham, Nani, Juric, D’Agostino
Manchester United possible line-up: Heaton, Laird, Lindelof, Maguire, Malacia, Van de Beek, Garner, Fernandes, Pellistri, Sancho, Martial
READ MORE – What formations will Erik ten Hag deploy at Manchester United next season?
The pre-season friendly match between Melbourne Victory and Manchester United will take place at Melbourne Cricket ground on Friday at 3:35 pm IST.
The live coverage of the upcoming friendly match between Melbourne Victory and Manchester United will be available on different networks. Supporters can watch the live telecast on MUTV and 10 play. Further details can be found on their official club websites.
