Swansea v Manchester United: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info

Swansea vs. Manchester United sees Louis van Gaal take his side to the Liberty Stadium for what looks like a potentially tough encounter. 

Both sides are unbeaten so far this season, and both sides will have been disappointed with their previous league games ending in draws against sides from the North East of England. Swansea would have hoped for more than a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light against Sunderland, although they could console themselves with the fact that they were away from home. 

United's 0-0 draw with Newcastle United had no such caveat. Some of that disappointment has been eased by the 4-0 thumping of Club Brugge in midweek, as Swansea's has been been by their win over York City in the League Cup.  

United, though, still need to prove they can be an effective attacking force in the Premier League. Sunday's game gives them a chance to do that. 

Date: Sunday, 30 August

Time: 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET

Venue: Liberty Stadium, Swansea, Wales

TV Info:  Sky Sports 1 (UK Only)/NBCSN (US Only)

Live Stream: Sky Go (UK Only)/NBC Sports Live Extra (US only)

Form Lines

Manchester United: WWWDW

Swansea City: DWDW

Team News

Garry Monk is in the fortunate position of having an injury- and suspension-free squad, per the Guardian.

Things are not too bad for Van Gaal on that front either, though United do have a couple of issues. David De Gea's situation has not been resolved, so it would be a huge surprise if he played. Adnan Januzaj has picked up an injury, per Van Gaal's interview with MUTV (h/t the club's website). 

In the same interview, the manager detailed a behind-closed-doors midweek friendly with Ajax's second team, in which Marcos Rojo played 60 minutes as he looks to build his fitness. Marouane Fellaini also returns from suspension.

Predicted Lineups

There is little reason for Monk to change the team that beat Newcastle at home and drew with Sunderland. Their midfield two and front four have been in fine form and could give United plenty of difficulties. 

There is a possibility that Ki Sung-Yueng could return to the starting XI. Ki was important against United last season, but Jack Cork could count himself a little unfortunate to be dropped.

Fellaini's return provides Van Gaal's biggest selection dilemma. Does he play the big Belgian at No. 10, or does he look to Ander Herrera, who was so effective in midweek? As part of the above-mentioned interview with MUTV, the manager said, "I started my campaign this year with Herrera on the bench so I had a theoretical scheme in my head that he could play as a 10, and he did well against Club Brugge."

That sounds like good news for Herrera fans. However, the manager offered a caveat, by saying, "But in the second half it was easier for us to play." There is a chicken-and-egg aspect to that statement, though, which Van Gaal does not seem to be giving credence to. Perhaps it was easier to play because Herrera was playing at No. 10. 

Elsewhere, it seems unlikely United will break up a winning team, although there is room for debate about which two of Michael Carrick, Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger will play in this one. Carrick could be rested since he played 90 minutes against Brugge.

In the predicted lineup below, there is a heart-over-head choice in Herrera playing rather than Fellaini. Given Swansea's aerial presence, having Fellaini in the side for both attacking and defensive set pieces may be appealing to Van Gaal. Herrera, though, should play, as I wrote about in some detail here.

Players to Watch 

As I wrote on Saturday, Jonjo Shelvey is Swansea's man in-form. However, he is far from their only attacking threat. While speaking to MUTV (h/t ManUtd.com again), Van Gaal said "You [the media] spoke about [Jefferson] Montero, but they also have [Andre] Ayew, [Bafetimbi] Gomis and [Gylfi] Sigurdsson who have creativity. They are a difficult team to beat, especially away."

That selection of attacking talent will be a lot for United to handle, but the Red Devils should be well equipped to do so, given that their defence has been the stand-out success of the season so far. Matteo Darmian and Luke Shaw will have their hands full, but they've handled everything that has been thrown at them so far this season. 

From United's attacking perspective, Wayne Rooney will hope he can follow up his midweek hat-trick with another good performance. That will depend in part on the service he receives. If Herrera plays, expect that to be based on team moves and through balls. If Fellaini plays, it is more likely to be crosses into the box and knock-downs. Either could work. 

Key Battle

The battle between Swansea's impressive wingers and United's impressive full-backs will be one to keep an eye on.

However, this game could be won and lost in midfield as whichever of United's midfielders are selected come up against Swansea's in-form partnership. Schweinsteiger playing should see a little more dynamism from United, whereas Carrick's selection would perhaps lead to a little more control. It will be intriguing to see this one play out.

Odds

The odds for the game, at the time of writing, per Odds Shark are: 

Swansea City Win: 32/25

Draw: 12/5

Manchester United Win: 27/20