Category Archives: Match Preview

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.

Could Man Utd be Capable of Another Crazy 6-2 Victory Against Leeds?

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Man Utd face Leeds on Sunday, a whole week after they defeated a stubborn Burley side 3-1. Man Utd crushed Leeds earlier in the season 6-2 and the scoreline for this game could be just as flattering for the Red Devils.

Leeds are not a bad team, at times their style of play that could leave them open and Man Utd are in decent goal scoring form lately. Man Utd have scored eight goals in their last three Premier League matches.

Leeds are having a successful season back in the Premier League. They currently sit 10th in the table and could rise to 9th if they were to get a result or a better result than Arsenal, they are level on points with 46, Arsenal has an eight goal advantage on Leeds.

Leeds have not been defeated in the last five games, they defeated two relegation zone teams, draws against Chelsea and Liverpool and a huge victory against Manchester City.

The win against City is an example of Leeds not relying so heavily on an ambitious regardless of who the competition is attack, they sat back and caught City on the counter. A red card for Liam Cooper exacerbated the counter-attacking style.

Even before he got sent off Leeds were not attacking as much as they normally do. The only two shots of the game for Leeds were goals for Stuart Dallas, the utility man is second in scoring this season for Leeds with 7 goals.

Patrick Bamford has returned to the Premier League well this season, his 14 goals leads the squad this season, Bamford also has 7 assists. A solid season for someone who has been criticized in the past and was considered a Premier League flop.

Leeds have scored and given up the same amount goals this season, 50 and they are 10th, kind of weird. Luke Ayling, Jack Harrison, Kalvin Phillips, Illan Meslier and Raphinha have all been solid for Leeds this season as well.

Raphinha is an injury doubt for Sunday and Leeds will definitely be without Rodrigo for this game for sure.

Man Utd Team News and Press Conference

Marcus Rashford has not featured in training this week but could feature against Leeds according to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Eric Bailly has returned to training after being out with COVID-19 from international duty, he might be on the bench, it is unclear what his fitness levels are like at the moment.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke glowing about Leeds and their form and how it will be a tough game for Man Utd. Solskjaer compared this Leeds side to the ones that he played against while playing for Man Utd.

“I have played in some massive games against Leeds, I feel the same now with the Leeds team coming up this year, they are going challenge us. We have to be ready for this game physically and mentally,” said Solskjaer.

Man Utd is getting fit at the right time and are in great form in the league. Man Utd have not lost in the last 12 Premier League matches, if they catch Leeds early like they did last time out, the Red Devils will no have problems scoring goals or creating opportunities against Leeds.

Leeds have shown they can be stubborn and play better defense lately which could negate a Man Utd side that are willing to attack more lately.

Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes are meshing well in the middle and if Rashford doesn’t play, Mason Greenwood and Edison Cavani are in good form to lead the attack.

This match can be looked at as a potential match-of-the-week candidate and hopefully it lives up to the hype. Could Man Utd go out there and destroy Leeds like last time? Absolutely.

Man Utd host Burnley at Old Trafford; Frustration Against Burnley at Old Trafford Since 2015

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Manchester United will host 17th placed Burnley tomorrow in the Premier League. Second placed Manchester United breezed paced Granada in the Europa League on Thursday setting up a nice matchup against Italian side Roma.

Burnley have not been defeated at Old Trafford since 2015, a win and three draws in the last six years against Manchester United could help motivate the Clarets, any points away from home against a top club is immense for a team like Burnley.

Burnley sit comfortably above Fulham for now, the two sides face off in May in a six point relegation game. Picking up points at Old Trafford would be a huge boost for survival for Burnley and could give them the push to stay up.

Manchester United have put the loss in the FA cup to Leicester City behind them and have won four games in a row. United have not lost in the league since January 27th, a 1-2 defeat at Old Trafford to Sheffield Untied. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke about the situation at his press conference.

“It is a massive game for the players. Massive game for them to show the mentality that they have shown over the last 13-14 months because I think the attitude has been spot on. The determination, the bounce back ability the of not letting one defeat derail your season or lose the momentum. Get straight back on getting points or a win. The way the players have coped with the whole situation, the players I have to say they have impressed me.”

Sheffield United and Burnley are similar in style, they both like to defend, but have struggled this year. However, against United they have had success in sitting back and looking to counter. Man United some good games against counter attacking teams this season.

Burnley have this discipline to sit tight and wait for that counter. Even a draw would be big for them at this point of the season, it must e the game plan for Sean Dyche.

Their players really embrace that style, James Tarkowski and Ben Mee are solid defenders in the league, Nick Pope was the England goalkeeper during this recent international break and Chris Wood is a strong presence in the long ball and set piece part of the game.

Dwight McNeil is Burnley’s main playmaking asset, despite only having 2 goals and three assists in the league this season, he is a threat on a defensive minded team. The story the last couple of days is the fact that he used to play in the United youth system, McNeil spoke to the press about how his release made him more focused.

Manchester United Team News

Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Scott McTominay got some much needed rest in the midweek game against Granada, they were out because of yellow card suspensions, but they needed some rest, Maguire has played every minute in the league.

Manchester Untied are getting healthier and stronger at the right time to finish off the season strong. Axel Tuanzebe, Donny van de Beek and Edison Cavani had a good game against Granada and makes the team selection a little harder for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Cavani is in nice form at the moment and has scored in back to back games. Donny van de Beek knocked the ball around well against Granada and should have had an assist, but Mason Greenwood missed the header.

It was also a good health boost in the squad that Marcus Rashford also got to sit out. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke about that during his press conference for Burnley.

“Big bonus that he didn’t have to put any pressure on his foot, yes. I have got to hope he can be available and not make it worse, that is the decision I have got to make so fingers crossed. He wasn’t due to be on the bench really, he didn’t train yesterday but just in case he put his hand up and said if needed I could do a job.”

Manchester United are in a great situation with the squad and form, three points is a must against Burnley tomorrow.

Manchester United’s 2-0 Aggregate Lead Should See them Advance, Plus Other News

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Manchester United cruised to a 2-0 victory over Europa League Cinderellas Granada last week in Spain and should comfortably advance tonight at Old Trafford.

Granada came from behind to beat Real Valladolid at the weekend, 2-1. The win ended a four game losing streak for Granada, they went to eighth in the league.

Manchester United also came from behind on the weekend beating Tottenham 3-1 after controversially going down. If Manchester United were to advance they would face the winner of Roma and Ajax.

In other games where United have a comfortable lead on aggregate they have been tight, smart and compact, opting to see out the tie instead of over committing and giving the opposition hope.

Team News

Manchester United have players coming back from injury, so they have options in their squad. But in the win the previous week, three players will miss because of yellow card accumulations, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Scott McTominay will all miss out.

Eric Bailly was reported to return but will not be available and Axel Tuanzebe could also see some minutes. Tuanzebe could also play in the midfield if needed. Paul Pogba is one yellow card away from a suspension and will miss the first leg of the Europa League if he is booked.

Other News

Manchester United are set to change banners at Old Trafford because they blend in with the players.

“Some of the players have mentioned that split second decision you have to make where you look over your shoulder to see if your teammate is there or not and the red shirt is on a red background with red seats,” said Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

According to the Manchester Evening News, Declan Rice spoke to Manchester United players while on international duty about what it is like to play at Manchester United.

It will be hard for West Ham to keep hold of their talented midfielder but if they qualify for Champions League surely Declan Rice will stay at West Ham.

Manchester United Seek Revenge Against Tottenham For Horrible Defeat Earlier In The Season

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Manchester United were destroyed by Tottenham in October 6-1 at Old Trafford. Son Heung-Min and Harry Kane each scored two goals.

An Anthony Martial red card in the first half compounded Manchester United woes as they were handed one of their worst ever losses at home. It was actually their joint heaviest league loss at home.

Since the loss both teams have gone on different paths. Manchester United put the loss behind them and are second in the league whilst Tottenham are currently in seventh place and are five points outside the top four.

Tottenham have been up and down all season, a good result will be cancelled out by a poor result. Due to the underwhelming season for Tottenham rumors have begun to circulate about losing some of their top players this summer, including Harry Kane.

A win for Tottenham would see them keep pace with their rivals in the table. Chelsea currently have 54 points, Liverpool has 52, West Ham has 52 and Tottenham currently have 49 points.

A Manchester Untied win will see the Red Devils continue to secure second place. Manchester United currently have 60 points in second but have not overly distanced themselves from their rivals because the teams around them continue to pick up points.

With only eight games left in the season for Manchester United all three points would see them extend their cushion on Champions League places to nine points. United currently sit on 60 points.

MANCHESTER UNITED TEAM NEWS

The big news injury over the last week has been Anthony Martial, the French forward is unlikely to return this season.

A comfortable victory in Granada saw no major injury concerns, but Marcus Rashford has not been 100% of late and Luke Shaw possibly picked up a knock. In the press conference, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said they will keep an eye on the players and will likely have a late fitness test for both players.

Dean Henderson could also start in goal, Dean started the last league match and was replaced during the week for David De Gea in Europa League. Both continue to rotate in goal for Manchester Untied.

No news on Eric Bailly, the Ivory Coast international tested positive for COVID-19 and was stuck in the Ivory Coast until a negative test.

Manchester United Matchday: Europa League Quarterfinals

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Manchester United face Granada in the Europa League Quarterfinals later this evening. This is the first time they have ever played against each other in any competition.

Granada come into the game on a three game losing streak in all competitions. They suffered a big 0-3 loss at home against Villarreal, Granada gave up two penalties and a hat-trick to Gerard Moreno.

Manchester United will head to the south of Spain when they take on 9th place Granada. Granda are Jekyll at home and Hyde away this season. At home in the league, Granada have eight wins and away they have only two wins.

Granada are a decent side with a good work rate, they have some players that are willing to run. They should be up for the opportunity to play against Manchester United, they do have one huge scalp in the tournament already, against Napoli.

MANCHESTER UNITED TEAM NEWS

Manchester United will be without Eric Bailly for sure, the Ivorian is currently stuck in the the Ivory Coast after testing positive for COVID-19. Bailly will not be able to return to the UK until he passes all health requirements.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hinted at Amad Diallo getting play time in the match. It is pretty likely, Solskjaer also said that Marcus Rashford might not be fit for 90 minutes.

Anthony Martial also missed last game against Brighton after picking up an injury while playing for France, Solskjaer said he would be surprised if Martial comes back before the end of the season.

This could be a game Daniel James starts or gets minutes. Despite some injuries Solskjaer still has some options to choose from. Mason Greenwood has been in good form lately and will likely start. Edison Cavani could also be in the mix.

Anthony Elanga will also be traveling to Spain. The 18-year-old could make his debut, not likely though, the trip will be a good experience for the teenager.

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