Though it might not be the Champions League, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would want his Manchester United side to go the distance in the UEFA Europa League and bring home some silverware as they go on to take FC Astana.
Match Details:
Date- Friday, September 20
Time of Kick-Off- 12:30 AM (IST)
Venue- Old Trafford
Manchester United Team News:
United are fresh from a win against a quality Leicester City and find themselves at the fourth spot in the points table with two wins, two draws, and a defeat.
Solskjaer recently confirmed that 17-year-old Mason Greenwood will have a major part to play against Astana as well as Tahith Chong who did get some minutes against Leicester.
Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Diogo Dalot can be in the team sheet for the Premier League against West Ham. However, it’s highly likely that they’ll miss the Europa League encounter against Astana.
Sergio Romero will be in contention of keeping between the sticks as confirmed by United manager.
Man-in-form Dan James suffered a knock over the weekend and will not be included in the team sheet, while Axel Tuanzebe will be given the nod to be in the starting eleven.
Luke Shaw continues to be out of action due to a hamstring injury, while Eric Bailly carries on to be on the sidelines.
Astana Team News:
Astana currently resides at the third spot in their respective league with 50 points on the board.
Though they might not seem to sound too intimidating, it would be wrong to ignore the fact that Astana has won the Kazakhstan Premier League on five consecutive occasions and are still the holders of the title.
The Astana squad is free from injuries for the time being as Roman Hryhorchuk’s side looks to create history at the iconic Old Trafford stadium.
Predicted Lineups:
Manchester United- Romero, Young, Maguire, Lindelof, Tuanzebe, Fred, McTominay, Pereira, Lingard, Chong, Greenwood
Astana- Eric, Shomko, Simunovic, Postnikov, Rukavina, Mayewski, Logvinenko, Tomasov, Sigjonsson, Rotariu, Murtazayev
Key Points:
The last time Manchester United competed in the UEFA Europa League was under Jose Mourinho. It was the season where they emerged as the winners of the Europa League.
This will be the first time that Atlanta will be squaring off against a team from England.
Though United might not play their strongest eleven, Harry Maguire’s availability in the teamsheet will make the red devils solid at the back.
Andreas Pereira finally getting a good run of games will eventually help him to come good for United, and the chances for him performing well against an inexperienced Astana side is possible.
For the visitors, it’s Marin Tomasov who will be a threat from the wings as the Croatian bagged seven goals in six games during the Europa League qualifying campaign.
Prediction:
Astana would love playing under lights in one of the most historic football venues in the world and would be eager to get on the pitch. Nevertheless, with the difference in quality and young talent Manchester United has in the locker, it seems like a comfortable win for the hosts is evident.
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MUN vs ASN Fantasy Team: