Confirmed XI: Amorim picks his XI to face Plzeň! Hojlund or Zirkzee to get the nod upfront? Fernandes, Casemiro & Amad to start?

Manchester United return to UEFA Europa League action on Thursday night where they will travel to the Czech Republic to face Viktoria Plzeň at the Doosan Arena. United have won their last two matches in the Europa League and will be seeking to end 2024 on a high in Europe by beating Plzeň.

United are currently on two defeats in a row having lost 2-0 to Arsenal in midweek last week and 3-2 to Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Saturday evening. Ruben Amorim will need to pull something out of the bag to get a result against the Czech side on Thursday evening, which is very important.

United sit in 12th place in the league phase table of the Europa League at the time of writing with Plzeň sitting in 13th place with both teams having nine points from their first five matches in the competition this season. United will need to go back to winning ways to get in the top eight to reach the round of 16, avoiding a play off round.

Manchester United

Onana;

Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez;

Dalot, Fernandes, Casemiro, Malacia;

Zirkzee, Rashford, Amad

Substitutes

Bayindir; Lindelof, Maguire, Yoro; Mount, Eriksen, Ugarte, Mainoo, Collyer; Hojlund, Garnacho, Antony

Viktoria Plzeň

Jedlička;

Dweh, Marković, Jemelka;

Cadu, Červ, Kalvach, Souaré;

Vydra, Šulc;

Vašulín

Substitutes

Tvrdoň, Baier, Hejda, Plaska, Kopic, Sojka, Mosquera, Panoš, Havel, Slončik, Jirka, Adu

United started well under Amorim but it soon went wrong with the club on the back of two defeats in a row in the Premier League. With the matching coming up this month, United will need to find winning ways especially with Manchester City on the horizon. United need another win in the Europa League too.

This is an unknown fixture for United, who have never played Plzeň in a European competition, however, they have faced opposition from the Czech Republic. but United have not won any matches in the country – this will need to be the first time for United. Can Amorim manage to get a victory with this team?

I am sure the manager and his coaching team will have studied Plzeň prior to this match and will work towards putting United in good stead from the start of the match. United’s attacking line should be strong and be up for working hard to get the victory – if only to stop the club from losing three matches in a row.

Written by Paul