Category Archives: Match Preview

Confident West Ham Could Give Man Utd Troubles; 4-2-3-1 Gridlock

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West Ham have built a good squad that will be a good test for Manchester United on Sunday

West Ham will be Manchester United’s toughest opponent in the Premier league when they square off Sunday. Top of the league United will have their first real test in the league and will hope to bounce back from a shocking defeat in Switzerland on Tuesday.

West Ham are not one of the traditional big six clubs, but they finished sixth last season and are playing in Europe. Both sides have not been defeated in the league. West Ham have two wins and draws, their last match was one of those draws to Southampton.

On Thursday evening they went to the Croatian capital, Zagreb and beat Dinamo 2-0. An impressive win for West Ham on the road against a really good European team. It is always tough for British and Western European sides to play in Eastern Europe, so it is an impressive result for West Ham, who have been dropped early in Europa League previously after having great Premier League seasons.

West Ham Squad

Jesse Lingard had a huge impact for West Ham when he was brought in on loan in January. Lingard had an outstanding goal and assist output and was always involved in chances. Nothing materialized this summer obviously and West Ham seem to have gotten off fine without Lingard.

They have replaced him in that CAM position with the return of form with Manuel Lanzini, Pablo Fornals has looked good early and Said Benrahma, who they bought from Brentford two summers ago, looks like he is getting comfortable with the league and looks more like he did in the Championship.

Jarrod Bowen has also progressed in his maturation since being bought from Hull, he is deadly on the right. West Ham have really scouted well in the Championship. Aaron Cresswell came from Ipswich, when they were in the Championship, and is one of the most underrated left-backs in the league. His left foot is really good, his crosses and long shots are deadly.

Michael Antonio is also another player bought from the Championship. He was bought as a right wing back from Nottingham Forest and is now West Ham’s greatest goal scorer. He scored against Dinamo Zagreb after pouncing on a back pass, he is a willing runner, scores any way he can and is in tremendous form at the moment.

West Ham also have scouted well in Europe. They have got Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal from the Czech Republic and were fantastic last season. They got another Czech, Alex Kral on loan who has yet to appear, but looked really good in the Euros. The Czechs had a surprisingly good Euros knocking out the Dutch in the opening knockout round.

They also brought in Nikola Vlasic from CSKA Moscow. West Ham bought the Croatian international for €30mil on deadline day. He will provide competition in the attacking roles and probably because he is Croatian started in Zagreb on Thursday.

Andriy Yarmelenko rounds out the attacking options and you always have to account for his left foot, it is deadly if he is able to cut in. Lukasz Fabianski is a solid goalie and West Ham also had more good business when they brought in Kurt Zouma from Chelsea.

Zouma had a good loan at West Ham a couple of seasons ago and is paired well with either Craig Dawson, Angelo Ogbonna or even Issa Diop. West Ham have good depth in every position. Ryan Fredericks is a good compliment to Coufal and Alphonse Areola might be one the best back up keepers in the league.

All of these players gel with the most important player in the squad Declan Rice. Rice has been linked for good reason with Manchester United for some time. As well as other top clubs, but the only other club that would rival United for Rice is Chelsea. Rice spent time in Chelsea’s academy from 2006-2014.

The future might be a little uncertain for Rice, but at the present he is an absolute beast in the midfield. His talents were on complete display at the Euros. His ability to run with the ball in the midfield, he even takes on full backs with powering runs, he can hold the ball up and he covers so well.

Rice would probably walk on to any team in the Premier League including Manchester City and Liverpool who have great central midfield talent. Rice is like a Jordan Henderson with what seems like unlimited stamina. He might not be as good of a passer as Henderson, but defensively he offers a little bit more in my opinion.

It is a shame you can not compare him to a United midfielder, but that is why he is linked with Manchester United. Rice scored on Thursday against Dinamo, he intercepted the ball in the middle of the field, ran at the defense and finished on his left foot. He is a game changer in the midfield and United need to track him well.

Mark Noble is the club captain and long time veteran in the club and is almost like a player/coach to Manager David Moyes, who has rejuvenated his career in London.

How Man Utd And West Ham Match Up

In the disappointing opening to the Champions League David Wagner and Young Boys matched Man Utd in formation. West Ham will do as well as they also operate in the 4-2-3-1. Rice and Soucek complete each other well in the pivot and Lanzini and Benrahma roam in the CAM spot.

If Aaron Wan-Bissaka does not get red carded, United probably do not lose that game. So Wagner matching Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in formation is not indicative of the result, but Solskjaer should worry about the capabilities of Moyes team in the formation.

Soucek and Rice are tall and like to get in the box and attack the posts. They also do well in understanding when to provide cover when the other makes the run. They have wide players who like to cut in and the full backs like to overlap and also put crosses in from different angles, they do not always have to overlap. Cresswell puts in a good cross from anywhere.

Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane are fantastic in the air and should quell those threats, but if one of those runners attack the full backs or a trailing midfielder like Fred, they might fine success. At one point you can see a Nemanja Matic even off the bench come on to help defend. Craig Dawson is all great at attacking set pieces for West Ham.

Scott McTominay and Alex Telles have returned to training with the first team and McTominay is also another big body who can help with West Ham’s height. If McTominay or either Matic start look for Fred to try and get on the ball as well United to pass the ball around.

This could fit West Ham’s style of play, they like to counter, like most 4-2-3-1 sides and if they do not create the chance on the counter, West Ham do not mind being fouled for those dead piece situations. The sides could create a gridlock where both sides can not and will not let the other break each other down.

The substitutions, when they happen will try and exploit the other, so it will be interesting to see who flinches first, Moyes or Solskjaer if they can not break each other down. United should be confident that Ronaldo, Bruno, Pogba and Sancho should pick the lock, but West Ham play good defensively as a unit.

United should also be in confident in defense. Antonio is suspended after picking up a late red card against Southampton. There is really no back up striker for West Ham, the only negative thing about their recent business. Yarmelenko has been used in the past as a back up striker by Moyes.

Varane and Maguire should bully the center of the field as a result. Antonio is always trying to get in behind and has good hold up play it will be hard to replace him. They could also go with Bowen or Vlasic at striker, maybe with pace they can attack Maguire, but they might not be used to being central and knowing when to make those runs.

United should be high up the pitch because of the lack of the threat and look to get on the ball and make things happen with all the great creative players they have.

This is a great match for United against an inform team playing in Europe. It will be a good indicator of how things might go against a Tottenham or an Everton.

Manchester United Need 3 Points Against AN Underperforming But Solid Wolves Side

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Wolves host Manchester United at the Molineux Sunday in Match week three of the Premier League. The club are looking to make a statement win after dropping points against a beatable Southampton last Sunday.

Even though it’s the start of the season United dropping two points against Southampton has fans worried. United were unable to keep hold of the ball in midfield with Fred and Matic particularly guilty of losing possession. It is a big week for the club after the confirmation of Ronaldo.

The Red Devils looked much better with Scott McTominay starting alongside Fred in center mid against Leeds. Unfortunately McTominay had a groin issue and needed surgery this week. He will be out of the squad for a few weeks meaning Matic will likely get the start again.

Fans are wondering if Raphael Varane will get his full debut. United are one win away from breaking Arsenal’s away games unbeaten streak. Look for Ole to make no mistakes and give Varane and Sancho their full debuts Sunday. United will need to be on the front foot and attack, attack, attack against a Wolves side that will be full of confidence.  

After beating Nottingham Forrest midweek 4-0 Wolves will be believe they can come away with at least a point Sunday. Wolves have lost both of their opening matches against Leicester and Spurs 1-0, but both matches were close affairs. Bruno Lage’s side will be more of an attacking threat than Southampton was last Sunday. 

Wolves can be vulnerable at the back when they are attacking so look for United to attack on the break. In the past six matches United have played against Wolves there was only 1 goal scored by either team. Don’t look for this to be a high scoring match for either side.

Paul Pogba looked like a real threat attacking down the left against Southampton. If Sancho starts on the right look for Anthony Martial or Mason Greenwood to get a goal. Bruno Fernandes’ free kicks will also be a real problem for Wolves Sunday. Varane or Maguire will score from a Fernandes free kick Sunday.

The Red Devils should win this 2-0 with Greenwood and Maguire on the score sheet.    

Premier League Preview: Could Man Utd Destroy Southampton 9-0 Again?

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Man Utd destroyed Southampton in February 9-0. A red card within 90 seconds doomed the Saints and United pounced.

It is probably not going to be 9-0 on Sunday, but United have a real opportunity to bag some goals against Southampton. Southampton look like they have continued their poor form that plagued them in the second half of last season.

Southampton

Southampton jumped out to a great start last campaign, but ended up sputtering in the second half of the season and finished 15th on 43 points.

Like last season, Southampton opener was similar, good first half and a bad second half. Southampton jumped on Everton. New signing Adam Armstrong scored in his debut from Blackburn after Everton gave up the ball in a dangerous area.

Everton went on to score three goals in the second half. Disappointing for Southampton to lose 3-1 after going up in the first half. United should not worry if the Saints get a goal early. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer commented about what to expect from Southampton during his press conference.

“You know that game was a one off [9-0]. That’s a special game when you get a lad sent off in the first minute, so I don’t count that game at all. Always with Ralph’s teams you get high energy, high pressing, belief in themselves. And they give you a great challenge, like they did last season we were lucky to – well, not lucky, maybe lucky, maybe good – when we turned their two-goal lead into a 3-2 win for us with Edinson’s substitute appearance. We know every time we travel down there it’s a very, very difficult game.”

The Saints’ Squad

The Saints have a decent amount of talented players in their squad, they usually do and have consistently supplied the Premier League with great talents via their youth system as well as recruiting across Europe.

New signings Valentino Livramento and Armando Broja are two exciting young players from Chelsea. Romain Perraud comes from Brest in Ligue 1 and Adam Armstrong from Blackburn.

Those players will hope to mesh with solid veterans like James Ward-Prowse, Oriol Romeu and Nathan Redmond. Theo Walcott has seen better days. Che Adams and Moussa Djenepo are two exciting attackers.

The club was hit with some key departures. Danny Ings joined Villa and both Jannik Vestergaard and Ryan Bertrand left for Leicester City. Big losses for Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Man Utd Team News

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and United fans would hope to have Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho fully fit and ready on Sunday.

“You’ll see on Sunday. They’ve worked well anyway. They’ve had minutes. We’ve had a very good week ourselves. We’ll see who’s making the flight down to Southampton on Saturday,” said Solskjaer.

Edinson Cavani could also play a part in Sunday’s game. Cavani will add another dynamic going forward and works well with Mason Greenwood.

“Edinson’s always looked after himself. Of course, he’s lacking in team training, in football training but he’s been looking after himself and you can see that. He had different reasons as to why he was late, there were some personal reasons, but his body can tolerate a lot. It wasn’t that he needed those extra days physically, it was a different matter. He’s chomping at the bit, he’s ready to go and let’s see how much we can get out of him early on.”

Fantastic Away From Home

Man Utd were fantastic away from home last season. 12-7-0 on the road last season, no road losses is a great accomplishment, but with fans that dynamic of course changes.

“Definitely, it’ll be a big difference. I don’t know how many points but we won so many points from going one goal down but you can’t afford to do that with fans in the stadium when you’re away from home. Because the fans mean so much in the energy levels, that little bit of extra edge, maybe some nerves if you’re the away team. We have to start better, that’s a definite.”

Southampton lost eight matches at home last season and won eight. Decent, their problems came on the road, St. Mary’s is a good home ground and the fans should be up for the challenge of providing extra energy against United.

Preview: Manchester United Look to Start 21/22 Premier League Campaign Strong With A Win Against Leeds

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Manchester United kick-off their Premier League campaign against Leeds. A solid test will arrive to Old Trafford on Saturday making it one of the more intriguing Matchday 1 fixtures.

The tea might have to be a bit stronger for the 1230 GMT kick-off. The weather calls for a typical overcast day for the returning Premier League crowds, it will be the first time in around 18 months that fans will be watching a league game at Old Trafford.

Manchester United’s Rich History With Leeds ‘The Roses Rivalry’

Only 64 kilometers separate the two clubs, Leeds see United as their biggest rival, and this could create another dynamic to the Red Devil’s campaign.

The Red Devils biggest derby now is Liverpool and has been for a long time, followed by Manchester City. Leeds are unlikely to threaten that order, but definitely would be in contention to follow Liverpool and City.

The small rivalry between the two clubs nicknamed the Roses Rivalry or Pennines Derby thrived in the 1970s between the fans and was ripe on the pitch in the 1990s and early 2000s. Leeds relegation in 2004 tamed the rivalry, but with fans in attendance and a solid Leeds, the derby can be rejuvenated.

The Red Devils destroyed Leeds in their first outing last season, 6-2, but was held to a goalless draw when things got stale towards the end of the season. Manchester United are 47-36-26 all time and in all competitions against Leeds.

First Team News and Updates/ Ole’s Presser

Many first team players got a much needed break after the Euros. The preseason heavily featured youth and fringe players.

Manchester United’s first team players thrashed Everton last weekend in their only tune up match, 4-0, goals from Mason Greenwood, Harry Maguire, Bruno and Diogo Dalot sank the Toffees.

Anthony Martial returned to the first team against Everton and could get minutes against Leeds. Dan James played significant minutes, James Garner had a cameo in the middle and Donny van de Beek started as well, all could be in contention for minutes at the weekend.

New boy Jadon Sancho could be in the mix, but Raphael Varane does not look likely to take part according to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

“Jadon is going to be involved, definitely, he has had a good week. I can not tell you if he is going to start or not though,” said Solskjaer about Sancho. Varane has not trained and still needs some time, we could be surprised though, Ole likes to hold his cards tight.

Solskjaer has a decent amount of options with his squad selection on Saturday compared to the Europa League Final two months ago. No Marcus Rashford or Edinson Cavani creates some problems at forward, but in the middle Ole has some tough decisions.

Manchester United could lineup with Nemanja Matic as the defensive midfielder, the Fred and Scott McTominay pivot is in contention, Donny van de Beek could have a shout and Paul Pogba could start out more towards the left like he has before.

Ole’s base formation seems to be the 4-2-3-1, it would be likely that he decides to stick with familiarity for the first game, but the 4-3-3 could be in play if he wants to switch it up a bit.

An extra midfielder might help against Leeds. Leeds like to get after it, the counter is always a possibility against Leeds. Mason Greenwood and Anthony Martial could have some opportunities to get in behind the defense.

Jadon Sancho could start and there is a decent chance he does. If he starts Manchester United really do not have much off the bench attacking, like the Europa League Final. Dan James could be an option off the bench, Sancho would be more dynamic off the bench than James.

Donny van de Beek could easily be in for Fred. DVB looked good with Matic against Everton, the pair also performed well against Wolves in the final game of last season. If things get stale with Fred, DVB can inject some offense in the middle for Manchester United if needed.

Manchester United fans should be in for a great season opener against Leeds. One that hopefully sets the tone for a great season.

Man Utd Preseason Round UP: Everton Preview and First Team Players Return From Euros

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It is always a late preseason for players returning from international duties, most Man Utd first team players have not participated in preseason matches yet because of the Euros.

Harry Maguire, Bruno, Luke Shaw, David de Gea and Paul Pogba have all returned to training this week. It is a huge boost for the final preseason game against Everton on Saturday.

Man Utd’s Tame Preseason on the Pitch

It has been a quiet preseason so far United, most first team players have been away, a lot of youngsters have been gaining experience and are being evaluated for the upcoming season.

Some stunning goals in their last preseason game was ultimately quelled by a covid outbreak that cancelled the preseason match against Preston last weekend. The cancelling is unfortunate for those players that would have likely got valuable minutes against Preston.

The Everton game should feature more first team players, so those youngsters that did partake will likely get their assignments soon or closer to deadline day.

Off the pitch it has been anything but tame for Man Utd. The signings of Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho has been immense and could likely see United primed to challenge Man City or a healthy Liverpool team for the Premier League title.

Everton v Man Utd

August 14th against Leeds is right around the corner and if Man Utd were to contend for a title starting off strong against a Leeds side that was impressive in the return to the top flight could be pivotal but not detrimental.

It will be interesting to see if Ole mixes youth with more experienced first XI players. Jesse Lingard could be part of the plans for the season. Lingard playing with Bruno and Greenwood could be starters on the 14th against Leeds, it will be interesting to see how they mesh.

Mason Greenwood is one of the only fit strikers currently and consistently training. Anthony Martial could feature against Everton he is back in training on recent videos and looks stronger. Greenwood could also line up with Jadon Sancho against Leeds.

Cavani has not featured in preseason matches but is also at training. The game versus Everton could be a huge tip into who starts versus Leeds.

Man Utd take on Everton this Saturday, 1245 GMT, the match will be available on MUTV.

Manchester United’s Europa League Final Preview: A Final With Possible Future Ramifications That Go Beyond the 20-21 Campaign

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Manchester United Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and players Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw speak to the media.

Manchester United face Villarreal tomorrow in the Europa League Final and the final game of the 2020-2021 season, it might not be the final that United wants, but it is a final.

The true ambition of a club like United will always be the Champions League Final, every United supporter could agree, but the reality is, United is still a work in progress.

Too take that next step one can conclude that Manchester United must beat Villarreal in this final, if they do not, questions could arise about the capabilities of the players and coaching staff, could they compete for Champions League if they can not win the Europa League?

Manchester United’s Press Conference

Tomorrow’s final could be a catalyst for the future success of the club. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has spoken about that during United’s Europa League run and used his own career as an analogy for how important a team winning a trophy is for the overall chemistry of that team, Ole said this before the Roma game.

“It will be a dream come true, the day I can lift a trophy for this club as a manager, of course. That’s what we’re building for. But for this team and for myself, our ambition this season is to finish it with lifting a trophy and being able to celebrate. I know how much that can mean to a group moving forward.”

“It gives you more of that feeling that you are hungrier for more, you want it all the time, you want that feeling again with your teammates,” said Ole in the press conference for the Europa League final.

Solskjaer also echoed that the final is not about him, and it is for the players.

“Just sit back and relax and, if you have to make decisions tomorrow, you have to do it. If it’s been 10 minutes and Luke’s sleeping on the other side, that’s a problem for him.”

Manchester United’s Squad Preview

It was announced last week that Harry Maguire will not feature in the final, a decent sized blow to the cohesion that the defense has created at times in the second half of the season.

Without Maguire, United have given up eight goals in their last four games, four of the goals came against Liverpool who cut United’s defense to shreds in the second half.

The center back pairing could be an interesting one, the pairing of Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly looks the likeliest, but Axel Tuanzebe deserves a shout after the Fulham and Wolves games. His ability to mark quicker players was on display earlier in the season against PSG as well.

The center back pairing is of decent speculation, as well as who would be the first choice keeper, Dean Henderson and David de Gea have both been used in both European and domestic campaigns.

David de Gea has had some great saves lately and Henderson has benefitted have some great team performances. It is hard to say that the teams overall performances revolve around who the keeper is, but when Henderson is in goal the team seems more compact and tight.

When de Gea is in goal, there is almost like there is more trust that he can get a big save and bail out the team if the team plays more attacking.

At the weekend Wolves had only one solid chance, and they scored, Henderson had little to do all match, although it was a lot of youngsters there was emphasis tactical to stay compact.

The Milan games were like that as well, and those matches featured Henderson. When you compare the Milan matches to the Roma matches, it is night and day.

In the Roma matches, de Gea’s talents were on full display in both matches, and Manchester United played some extremely entertaining football because you have a shot stopper that allows your team to go for it.

The decision who starts has massive implications on the game, but also who is going to be the keeper in the future with the club. Tom Heaton looks set to sign and is a likely backup keeper for Manchester United, one of the two could be out the door this summer.

Manchester United’s Opponents

Villarreal finished the La Liga season in the seventh place, four points behind fifth placed Real Sociedad, United easily defeated Sociedad in the round of 32.

A final obviously has a different energy, so anything can happen, Villarreal has some solid players, players that United have been linked to in this upcoming transfer window. But, Villarreal is nothing special and Manchester United should be and are the favorites.

Villarreal defeated a few decent sides to get to the final: RB Salzburg, Dinamo Zagreb, Dynamo Kyiv and Arsenal, no one amazing, but some decent competition with some highly rated players sprinkled in the squads.

Seventh place in La Liga is underachieving for this Villarreal squad on paper, a lot of solid players, Gerard Moreno is their top scorer with 29 goals in all competitions.

Francis Coquelin, Etienne Capoue, Ramiro Funes More and Alberto Moreno all have Premier League experience. Parejo, Trigueros and Albiol are experienced savvy veterans in Spain and Pau Torres has been linked to Manchester United recently.

Carlos Bacca and Paco Alcacer add extra experience in attacking positions as well. Alcacer always has a goal off the bench, at Dortmund he scored a hat-trick off the bench.

Unai Emery’s side underachieved this season in La Liga, but they have a decent side that handled themselves well in the Europa League this season and will offer stern competition to Manchester United in the final tomorrow.

Manchester United’s season hinges on this final, do you go into the summer on a high or a low? That is always the case for a final, the club, the players and the supporters all know that.

This game could be seen as a catalyst if Manchester United use it as a spring board and compete for more prestigious trophies.

11th Placed Aston Villa Should Be a Good Test for Man Utd

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Man Utd face 11th placed Aston Villa in the Premier League later today. Man Utd will play Aston Villa, Leicester and Liverpool in the next few days.

Aston Villa are having a better season than last year where they were nearly relegated and finished just above the drop, but they have sputtered slightly in the second half season after a good beginning of the season.

They have had some famous victories this season and could finish as high as eighth. Aston Villa defeated Everton last time out at Goodison Park 2-1. Ollie Watkins was on the scoresheet that day and has been solid since joining from Brentford in the summer.

Watkins leads the team with 13 goals, followed by Anwar El Ghazi who has 8 goals and has been in form lately. Jack Grealish has 6 goals and 10 assists but he has been out with an injury, but is close to returning.

Aston Villa are a solid team defensively, they have given up the fifth least amount of goals in the league this season with 38. Cash, Targett, Mings, Konsa and Martinez in goal are a decent defensive group that Villa can grow with.

John McGinn and Douglas Luiz work hard in the middle and in January, Aston Villa added french midfielder Morgan Sanson from Marseille, an ambitious signing for a mid-table club.

Aston Villa are a decent side that will give Man Utd a good game, it will be interesting to see how Man Utd lineup given the amount of games that are going to be played in the next few days.

Man Utd’s Team News Against Aston Villa

Man Utd had a four goal cushion on Roma, so the 3-2 loss did not mean much against a Roma side that was always going to come out pressing and force the action.

David de Gea was remarkable in goal against Roma and could cause some decisions to be made. Edison Cavani was fabulous over the two legs as well.

There will be squad rotations, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said in his press conference. The squad must be rotated because of the match congestion, Ole even said he will likely start a whole other stating XI in one of those games.

“I’ve got to think about my players, but I know the other teams fighting for the Champions League place will not. They will not think ‘oh, that’s not Man United’s best team, that’s not the best players’ and I can promise you that it is impossible to play 90 minutes four times at this intensity, at that level, in the Premier League, from Thursday to Thursday. That means I cannot play everyone in every minute, so we have got to prioritise.”

“I feel for my players, I feel for the team, I feel for them. Having had this fantastic season, got to a final, I’m sat here answering these questions and not about the run in. They’ve worked their socks off, they’ve been absolutely brilliant and I’m just very, very happy for them that we’ve got to this place.”

“We just have to do the best we can, it’s another challenge for us and please, you can see I’m not happy with it, I’m not sulking, it’s one of them things that I know my players will take head-on and we as a group will be stronger for it when we come out of it. I just keep my fingers crossed that no one will get injured.”

The Aston Villa game could be where they rotate heavy, the Leicester game could be viewed as more important than the Aston Villa game, but the Leicester game is sandwiched between the Liverpool fixture which is as equally important as the Leicester game.

Eric Bailly and Donny van de Beek played well in Rome and in other cameos lately, they should get in the rotation, Axel Tuanzebe, Alex Telles and even Juan Mata could get a look.

It will be interesting how Ole rotates the squad during in the upcoming week.

Man Utd Should Comfortably Advance Past Roma With 4 Goal Cushion

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Man Utd face Roma with a 6-2 aggregate lead tonight in the Europa League Semifinals. Man Utd took care of business in the first leg of the tie setting up this huge aggregate lead in Rome tonight.

Man Utd had one of their best performances of the season and got a week off because of the protest on Sunday that spilled over onto the pitch. The protests led to the game against Liverpool being called off.

So United should be fresh and ready to see out any danger that Roma has to offer.

Related: Man Utd v Roma Preview

Roma

After the beating from United, Roma headed to Sampdoria in a league match. Again, Roma were outclassed losing 2-0 on the day. Claudio Ranieri’s club was able to finish their chances and see off Roma.

Roma have only won two game since March, they beat Bologna and Ajax in back-to-back games, since then its been poor, four defeats and two draws has Roma limping to the finish line.

The limp has spurred Roma into announcing that Jose Mourinho will be their manager next season. The former Man Utd boss was recently let go as manager by Tottenham.

Man Utd Press Conference and Team News

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would probably not like the way his team got an extra few days off but they did. United will now have to play three games in five days because of the re-schedule of the Liverpool game, stating on Sunday.

Solskjaer advocated for peace after the protests during the press conference and hopes that team winning trophies could ease the tensions with the fans.

As I mentioned in other previews United are getting their fitness levels back, Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Edison Cavani are getting their fitness levels back and it has been a huge boost for the club at the end of the season.

“We brought some young staff in, we are working on robustness, resilience, being able to play 50 games for Man Utd. A winning Man Utd team has players who can play 45-50 games at high standard,” said Solskjaer about the expected fitness levels at United.

United should reach the final, SHOULD! Roma probably will not lay over and might fight hard especially early in the game to get a goal or two, it is United’s game to lose.

Man Utd and Liverpool Reignite their Fierce Rivarly Tommorrow

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Man Utd will host rivals Liverpool tomorrow in the Premier League. It is a must win for Liverpool as they try and keep up with the teams around them that are vying for the last Champions League spot.

Man Utd sit comfortably in second place and will clinch Champions League soon. If Liverpool defeat Man Utd than Man City will clinch the title. Lose to your rivals and your other biggest rival wins the league, odd situation for Man Utd.

One could conclude that this derby could be a fascinating one with everything on the line, but last time Liverpool and Man Utd played the game finished 0-0.

Looking at the Leeds game last weekend, it had the makings of a great game, however it finished 0-0. Liverpool need to win and Man Utd are coming off one of their best performances this season, the game could become open sooner rather than later or they both play it safe.

Related: Bruno, Cavani and Paul Pogba Run Rampant Against Roma

Liverpool

Disappointing is a nice one word answer to describe Liverpool this season. High off winning their first league title in decades, Liverpool got hit hard with the injury bug and have had inconsistencies from key players.

Even Jurgen Klopp has seemed on edge, especially when he speaks to the media. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a lot more composed and tactical when he speaks to the press.

Some could admire Klopp’s passion but his passion creates these moments of frustration and exacerbates the problems that Liverpool are having and then you blindside your club with the European Super League, the situation looks tense from an outside perspective.

Liverpool have dropped points the last two league games, two 1-1 draws against Leeds and Newcastle, with both goals coming late in the game. The draws mean that Liverpool languish in sixth place.

Sixth placed Liverpool are currently four points behind Chelsea who are fourth and hold the final Champions League spot and two points behind fifth placed West Ham. Chelsea face Fulham on Saturday and could be seven points clear of Liverpool by Sunday.

Mohamed Salah leads the team in scoring with 20 league goals. Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota are next with eight each. Salah has been rumored to leave Liverpool, but who knows.

Mane has been inconsistent this season and Jota has been hurt after impressing early in the season. Club captain Jordan Henderson going down was also a massive blow.

Defensively Liverpool has suffered the most with injuries this season after losing Virgil Van Dijk early in the season, Joe Gomes and Joel Matip have both gone down as well. Last game they started Ozan Kabak and Fabinho as their starting center backs.

Fabinho is better suited as a six and sitting in front of the two central defenders but he has done well and is capable of playing a sweeper. Kabak still needs time to analyze his performances. Allison the goal keeper has also has a mistake in him this season.

A draw or a defeat for Liverpool will see them probably drop out of the race for fourth.

Man Utd Team News

Man Utd were sensational a couple of nights ago against Roma and looked to have sealed the time against the Romans, four goals will be a tough ask for any team.

There could be smart rotations after that extremely high energy game that Man Utd took part in, they ran all night against Roma. Not only was it one of the better performances all season, it was one of Man Utd’s highest paced games all season.

Man Utd could be a little leggy still, maybe we will see Mason Greenwood start, Daniel James, Eric Bailly or even Donny van de Beek.

Not being defeated could take precedent over a must win, the position that Man Utd are in is extremely comfortable and finishing the season healthy with a chance to win a trophy could be more important than winning a derby game, doing both would be ideal.

Man Utd look healthier and healthier as we come to an end of the season. The condensed schedule has eased up a bit and Man Utd are an obvious benefactor of having a little extra rest. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke on the fitness during his press conference.

Big game regardless of the situation, a win would leave the fans happy to not see a rival clinch the title on your behalf and boosts spirits before an upcoming European final.

Man Utd v Roma Preview: Roma Insight, Ole’s Comments Provoke Roma Fans and Team News

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Man Utd will host Roma in the first leg of the Europa League Semifinals tomorrow evening. Man Utd would rather be participating in the Champions League Semifinals but this a big opportunity against a historic club.

Roma are not the Roma team from a few years ago that was challenging for Serie A titles and knocking Barcelona out of the Champions League. Roma currently sit 7th in Serie A and lost to Cagliari this weekend.

The days of De Rossi and Totti are long gone. Two former Man Utd players currently play for Roma, Chris Smalling and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Jordan Veretout had a stint in the Premier League and Edin Dzeko played for rivals Man City.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was criticized by Roma fans for ‘disrespecting’ their club, Solskjaer responded at the press conference to those claims.

“That was straight after the game and, with all the games we’ve had, I was just relieved that we had gone through. Of course, I’ve watched them but I hadn’t analyzed them and I hadn’t seen them in depth to give them enough respect probably.”

Maybe the Roma fans are a bit insecure about their team. Besides the aging stars that I have mentioned, Roma has a lot of players in their mid to lower 20’s that are not really stepping up to the club’s former level.

Roma did get past a solid Ajax side 3-2 on aggregate in the quarterfinals of the Europa League but have only won a single league game in their last seven league games.

The last time Roma was this poor in the league was the 2011-2012 season where they finished 7th. The last two seasons saw Roma finish 5th and 6th.

Roma could do no worse than 8th this season. Sassuolo is currently 8th and three points behind the Romans, after that Sampdoria sit on 42 points at 9th. Milan and Juventus currently sit at 4th and 5th with a 11 point cushion over Roma.

Roma’s poor form in the league has probably condemned them to another season of Europa League unless they were to win the Europa League, they have no shot of qualifying for Champions League.

Luke Shaw is Ready for Man Utd Semifinals Chance

Luke Shaw joined Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the press conference and gave his thoughts on the upcoming match. Luke Shaw has not featured in a cup final during his time at Old Trafford and he is ready for that chance.

“Of course personally for me its massive motivation, I have been quite unfortunate to not be involved in the semis or finals, so of course I am really looking forward to tomorrow night. From a team point of view it’s very important, in the past we have missed out on a few finals.”

“No semifinal is easy, there are always tough games, we have just missed out on a few. We had a lot of disappointment from that, we can use that as motivation.”

Man Utd Team News

Ole joked about Luke Shaw inserting himself in the Man Utd starting XI for the first leg when asked about not featuring in big games like this, it will be interesting to see if Shaw starts because Alex Telles has featured a lot in the Europa League at left back.

Both Eric Bailly and Marcus Rashford will be available according to Solskjaer. Bailly was recovering from Covid and Rashford has had a lingering foot problem.

“They’re all fit and available, we didn’t lose anyone from the last game, which was good. It was a hard-fought game of course against Leeds, high intensity. We’re ready and we’ve had good preparation for the rest of the season.”

Man Utd will have a fully fit squad for the first time in a while this season, obviously minus Anthony Martial, who looks out for the rest of the season.

Ole has a lot of options against Roma, Man Utd look set to finish second in the league, barring a catastrophic collapse in the league, Man Utd will finish in the top four.

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