Manchester United Preview: Predicting the Lineup vs. Norwich

Manchester United make the long trip to East Anglia this weekend to take on Norwich. United's last trip to Carrow Road was quite an unpleasant one, United losing 2-0 there in 2005 following goals from Dean Ashton and Leon McKenzie. United will be itching to set the record straight to keep themselves on par with rivals Manchester City who face Blackburn this weekend.

United have a couple of injuries heading into the game with Nemanja Vidic, Anders Lindegaard, Antonio Valencia, Anderson, Darren Fletcher and Michael Owen all out for the fixture. Tom Cleverley could be a doubt following a knock against Ajax, while Wayne Rooney is widely expected to make his return to the squad following his throat infection which kept him out of the Europa League clash.

Norwich have been quite the surprise package this season, managing to maintain a mid-table position. They are not an opposition that the Red Devils should take lightly.

Both sides lost their last game—Norwich were knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Leicester and United lost 2-1 to Ajax (however progressed on aggregate). Both teams will be looking to get themselves back on track, although one thing's for sure: It will be a good place to be if you sell green and gold scarves.

Here's the side which I think will turn out against Norwich.

Goalkeeper: David De Gea

Since an injury to Anders Lindegaard put him out of action, David de Gea has really upped his game. Impressive performances against the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool have made his "rough patch" seem like a distant memory.

Despite conceding a few goals, he has been looking very assured between the sticks and has made some crucial saves which have kept the points in United's pocket. If he can keep up his recent form then Lindegaard may not get a look in when he returns—De Gea could be United's key player when it comes to the final run-in.

Lack of real competition and current form make him a certainty to start at the weekend.

Ben Amos will start from the bench.

Defence: Rafael, Rio Ferdinand, Jonny Evans and Patrice Evra

In his post-game press conference, Sir Alex Ferguson admitted that he made a mistake in picking a young defence to face Ajax midweek, so expect a more experienced unit in the Norwich game.

Rio Ferdinand was rested midweek and will undoubtedly return to the heart of the United defence this weekend. In United's previous EPL game against Liverpool, Ferdinand made an unnecessary error which lead to a Luis Suarez goal—further emphasising the fact that he has suffered without long-term partner Nemanja Vidic at his side.

Jonny Evans is another player who has taken a lot of criticism this season—I'll admit that I've often questioned how he manages to maintain a place in the first team. This aside, he had a decent game against Liverpool, and Sir Alex seems to have some sort of soft spot for him, so I expect him to start.

Rafael had a fairly solid game against Ajax and is a fairly assured starter for Sunday's game. Rafael has made a great contribution since his return from injury, and his fearless play is always a joy to watch. He will be dealt the job of keeping the in-form Anthony Pilkington at bay, while continuing his attacking presence without his recent sidekick Antonio Valencia.

Fabio allowed Patrice Evra a break midweek, but expect the Frenchman to return to left-back for this game.

Following their unimpressive performances in midweek, expect Phil Jones and Chris Smalling to start from the bench—not really where they would have wanted to be following their recent England call-ups.

Midfield: Nani, Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs

Ryan Giggs is on the hunt for his 900th appearance this weekend, and following Ashley Young's poor performance against Ajax, you'd back the Welsh Wizard to be in the starting XI at Carrow Road.

Despite his advancing years, Giggs has demonstrated this season that he can still make a mockery of the defenders of the EPL and has remained a threat on the left side of United's midfield.

If you didn't catch it, be sure to check out my recent article on Giggs: Manchester United's Ryan Giggs Reaches 900 Games: How Long Will He Be Around?

By courtesy of Antonio Valencia's recent injury, Nani is a near-certainty to start at the weekend. Valencia has made the right-midfield slot his own this season, and United fans will be disappointed to see his momentum culled.  However, Nani is still a world-class winger and will have an opportunity to re-cement the place as his own.

Michael Carrick and  Paul Scholes have formed an impressive partnership since the Ginger Prince's return in January—the possession football and passing in the United midfield has been a delight to watch. Carrick was afforded a break midweek and therefore will be nice and fresh to exercise his new attacking ethic against the Canaries.

Expect Ashley Young and either Paul Pogba or Tom Cleverley to start the game from the dugout—the condition of Cleverley's midweek knock will determine which of the youngsters travels to the game.

Attack: Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck

Both Danny Welbeck and Wayne Rooney earned England call-ups midweek, and United's budding bromance should not be separated for the Norwich game.

The pair looked strong against Liverpool two weeks ago and could really run riot amongst the Norwich defence.

Welbeck will be looking to impress interim England manager Stuart Pearce in order to earn a place in England's starting XI for the friendly against Holland. He has had a fantastic season and has really flourished with the support of Wayne Rooney—however, overconfidence has got the best of him in the games where Rooney has not featured.

Wayne Rooney is the second-highest scorer in the EPL right now on 17 goals—a fair five goals behind Arsenal's ever-consistent Robin van Persie, but of course the Dutchman can still be caught by United's talisman.

Second-string partnership Dimitar Berbatov and Javier Hernandez will complete the bench.