Manchester United will continue their preparations for the start of the 2021-22 campaign with a pre-season clash against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday afternoon.
The Red Devils recorded a 2-1 win over Derby County in their first friendly of the summer, while QPR were last in action against Portsmouth on July 7, recording a 2-1 victory in the behind-closed-doors clash.
Match preview
© Reuters
QPR started their preparations for next season with a 2-1 win over Portsmouth on July 7, with Marco Ramkilde and Olamide Shodipo on the scoresheet for the Championship outfit.
The R's were due to take on Gillingham on July 16 in their second pre-season contest, but a coronavirus outbreak in the Gillingham camp meant that the fixture had to be postponed.
As a result, it has been a long time since QPR were last in action, but they will have a busy end to the month, taking on Man United, Cambridge United and Leicester City in quick succession.
Mark Warburton's side will then open their 2021-22 Championship campaign at home to Millwall on August 7, and there are expected to be more new faces through the door in the coming weeks.
That said, it has already been a busy summer window, with Andre Dozzell, Charlie Austin, Jordan Archer and Sam Field among those to make the move to Loftus Road since the end of last season.
© Reuters
Man United, meanwhile, were in action last weekend, recording a 2-1 victory over Championship outfit Derby courtesy of goals from Tahith Chong and Facundo Pellistri.
The Red Devils will take on QPR and Brentford in their next two friendlies before finishing the month of July with a clash against Preston North End.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side will then take on Everton in their final pre-season contest on August 7 before starting their Premier League campaign one week later at home to bitter rivals Leeds United.
The 20-time English champions have already agreed a deal to sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund, while a move for Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane is believed to be advancing; Solskjaer is also said to be targeting a right-back and a central midfielder before the window closes.
Man United's squad is still not at full strength due to Euro 2020, injuries and the Copa America, but Scott McTominay and Daniel James have joined up with the squad following their involvement in the European Championship, while Anthony Martial and Donny van de Beek are back training at Carrington.
- W
- W
Team News
© Reuters
QPR boss Warburton will make full use of his squad this weekend, and it would not be a surprise to see two different XIs chosen for each half of action against the English giants.
Charlie Austin could be joined in the final third of the field by Charlie Kelman, while Dozzell is in line for a spot in midfield following his £1m move from Ipswich Town.
Ramkilde came off the bench to score against Portsmouth and will again feature here, while there could be at least one trialist in the XI, as Warburton looks to boost his squad ahead of the new season.
As for Man United, James and McTominay are back training with the squad and are expected to be involved in some capacity this weekend, more than likely off the bench in the second period.
As mentioned, Van de Beek and Martial are currently training at Carrington following injuries and will therefore not be involved in this weekend's contest with the Championship club.
Jesse Lingard has been told that he is in the club's plans "at the moment", and the England international is likely to start here, while Juan Mata, Mason Greenwood, Nemanja Matic and Aaron Wan-Bissaka could also be in the XI.
James Garner and Shola Shoretire are two players looking to make a strong impression during pre-season, while Andreas Pereira and Pellistri are battling to convince Solskjaer that they deserve spots in the first-team squad heading into the new campaign.
Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Dieng; Adomah, Kakay, Dickie, Barbet; Wallace, Field, Dozzell; Willock, Kelman, Austin
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Heaton; Wan-Bissaka, Tuanzebe, Mengi, Telles; Matic, Garner, Shoretire; Mata, Greenwood, Lingard
We say: Queens Park Rangers 1-2 Manchester United
It is difficult to know exactly what to expect from this weekend's contest, as QPR have not been in action since the start of the month. Man United's squad is getting stronger with each passing match, though, and we are expecting the 20-time English champions to record a narrow victory against their Championship opponents.
Matt Law
