It seems Manchester United can’t get a win to save their lives at the moment.
The Red Devils are coming off another disappointing win, this time a 3-1 defeat against West Ham United, and it seems the title keeps slipping away from them. The team MUST win now if they want to start saving their season and up next they will have a challenge against Valencia this Tuesday at Old Trafford.
Team News
Unfortunately, Jose Mourinho will have to deal with a few absences heading into this contest. Aside from Marcos Rojo, who continues to rehab from a lingering injury, United won’t have Ander Herrera, Ashley Young and Jesse Lingard have all been ruled out as well. ‘Apart from Marcos Rojo, now we have Ander Herrera, Ashley Young and Jesse Lingard out,’ Mourinho told MUTV ahead of United’s encounter with Valencia. ‘I prefer the doctor to speak, but they are not in [the right] conditions.’ The one thing that’s clear is that either Antonio Valencia or Diogo Dalot will start at right-back for The Red Devils.
On the other hand, Valencia are close to full strength heading into this game. The lone potential absentee for this tie will be Santi Mina, as the 22-year-old striker has missed Valencia’s past two matches due to a knee injury. Other than that, Marcelino has a clean bill of health so most of the squad should be available here.
Form guide
Manchester United’s form has been quite poor at the moment, and the team is coming off one of their worst weeks in recent memory since they were eliminated from the Carabao Cup in midweek, and also lost to West Ham this past Saturday, 3-1 at London Stadium. One positive thing is that they kicked off their Champions League campaign with a win, though – 3-0 on the road against BSC Young Boys. Will they repeat that on Tuesday, or will the team’s negative form continue with another dismal result?
Valencia have not started the Liga season on a strong note, though. Valencia sit 14th in the La Liga table after seven games, although this past week they finally won their first match of the campaign after topping Real Sociedad. Either way, this is clearly below their expectations if we compare them to what they did to start the 2017-18 season. Valencia own a W1, D5, L1 at the league level, and lost 2-0 in their opening Champions League match against Juventus.
What is our record against Valencia?
Manchester United have played against Valencia on eight occasions. The record indicates two wins, five draws and only one defeat. The last competitive match against them was back in December 7, 2010. It ended with a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford, and Anderson scored the team’s lone goal. Here you have it in case you don’t remember it:
What do the players say?
“The Champions League week is always a good week”, said Mourinho. “Even if you expect a difficult match, a difficult opponent. It’s a big week. Everyone wants to play [in the] Champions League, not everyone can do it. So we are here and we have the chance to play a big match. So, big match, big week.”
Prediction
This is going to be a tough game for Manchester United, as Valencia are more than well equipped to escape with a draw out of this game. However, Mourinho’s men should nonetheless secure the three points to gain a much-needed win on the European stage.
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