United face Charlton at The Valley this evening (Thursday morning, Singapore time) with the focus falling on Cristiano Ronaldo’s reception in front of a hostile English crowd. Quite how Charlton fans can be classified as hostile is beyond me, but there you go.
With Rooney and The Ginger One both suspended, the team will see either Fletcher or Richardson filling in for Scholes, or Park Ji Sung might get a start with Giggs returning to his central role of last season. Up front, Ole could possibly come in for a starting place although he looked well off the pace during the second half on Saturday; both Smith and Rossi played on Monday so it seems unlikely that they will manage more time this week.
Neville is probably out (thanks, England) so Wes Brown looks set to deputise in the right back position. By the way, doesn’t Vidic’s signing signal Sir Alex’s intention to groom him (Brown) as Neville’s long term replacement?
Probable starting XI: van der Saar, Brown, Evra, Silvestre, Ferdinand, Ronaldo (Evil Tormentor of England), Park, O’Shea, Giggs, Saha, Ole.
Prediction: United have traditionally done well against the Charlton of Alan Curbishley, with 12 wins, 2 draws and no defeats since the Premiership began. But this is practically a new side, and with Traore suspended expect a tight game with United winning it by one goal.
