Manchester United are back in Champions League action. And with some big stakes in this upcoming clash with Villarreal. Not only are the Red Devils going to look for revenge for their Europa League final loss, but they are also in bad need of a win. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team has been losing plenty of matches recently, including the Champions League opener against Young Boys. Thus, this match should give us at least a first of many answers how far Man United plan to go in this season’s elite European competition. Here is everything you need to know before the Wednesday night match.
Team News
This will be a different Man United team, since we know three changes will have to be made. Aaron Wan-Bissaka is suspended for his red card in Switzerland, while Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw had their injury problems in the last Premier League match, against Aston Villa. Their calf and muscle injuries respectively mean that Alex Telles and probably Victor Lindelof will start the match. Marcus Rashford and Amad Diallo remain unavailable as they have been for a while now. We also know that Edinson Cavani could be ready to have his role in this match.
On the other hand, there will also be some problems for Villarreal. We know they will be without Samuel Chukwueze, who has had some hip problems, while midfielder Dani Raba is under a question mark for this game. Former Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin will be out of this game, since he earned a red card against Atalanta in Villarreal’s first Champions League match this season. Also, Gerard Moreno could lead the Yellow Submarine, but that decision will be made prior to kick-off.
Form Guide
We know that Manchester United have been far from ideal form in the recent weeks. Last four games have brought three losses in three different competitions, with Young Boys, West Ham and Aston Villa getting wins in the Champions League, League Cup and Premier League respectively. Man United’s only win in the past two weeks has been the courtesy of Jesse Lingard’s late strike against West Ham in the league and therefore, three points will be truly necessary for Solskjaer’s team in this upcoming match.
Villarreal have not been enjoying their start to the new campaign. They are sitting in 11th place after playing six matches, despite being undefeated. But, they have won just one and drew the remaining five La Liga games, showing just how odd their start to the season has been. Their only won came against Elche (4-1), while they drew against Real Madrid last weekend, and Mallorca, Atletico, Espanyol and Granada. They even drew 1-1 with Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup before losing on penalties and also drew 2-2 with Atalanta in the Champions League opener. Draws everywhere!
Predicted Outcome
We will go for a tight Manchester United win in this match. It is tough predicting the games of these two sides, but the fact that Unai Emery’s team has struggled with scoring goals this season and United’s huge need for a win, the Red Devils should edge their rival and win the three points.
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