Manchester United end their pre-season with a game against Italian side Sampdoria in Dublin on Wednesday. Jose Mourinho’s mind surely will be on the European Super Cup fixture against Real Madrid on August 8. We will get an idea on what team Mourinho will be picking for the game against Real depending on the players he chooses to give a runout against Sampdoria. The defence will be especially interesting as Phil Jones and Eric Bailly are banned for the Super Cup game leaving United with Smalling, Lindelof and Blind as their center back options. Lindelof has at times struggled in pre-season and Smalling still is yet to convince Mourinho fully. There were rumours that Smalling will leave United this summer but it seems unlikely that Mourinho will let him go so late in the window.

Man United starting lineup against Sampdoria

Mourinho is expected to start out with a 4-3-3 formation with Pogba the most advanced midfielder ahead of Herrera and Carrick. Nemanja Matic didn’t travel with Chelsea on their tour so is a little behind in terms of his match fitness so it is unlikely that Mourinho will consider him as an option for the Super Cup game. Anthony Martial’s good pre-season form might give him a slight edge over Rashford although the English striker has generally been in the good books of Mourinho.

Will Jose Mourinho opt for the 3-5-2 formation?