Manchester United -v- FC Twente
UEFA Europa League
Old Trafford, Manchester
Wednesday 25 September 2024, KO 20:00 BST
Manchester United return to UEFA Europa League action on Wednesday evening as the welcome Dutch side FC Twente to the Theatre of Dreams. The Europa League has changed since United last participated, removing the group stage and making it a league where each team plays eight times.
United will need to be in the top eight of the league to make the round of 16 stage of the competition, if their finish ninth to 25th, they will need to play a play off round to make the round of 16. United should be up there in the first eight by the time the league stage finishes in January 2025.
United have had a change in fortunes since the international break – beating Southampton 3-0, Barnsley 7-0 and drawing 0-0 with Crystal Palace. Erik ten Hag will need to get United’s participation in the Europa League off to a flying start this season, which is much needed.
United – Form, Goals Scored & Assists
Palace 0-0 D, Barnsley 7-0 W, Southampton 3-0 W, Liverpool 3-0 L, Brighton 2-1 L, Fulham 1-0 W
Goals: 4 – Alejandro Garnacho, 3 – Marcus Rashford, 2 – Christian Eriksen, 1 – Amad, Antony, Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee
Assists: 4 – Bruno Fernandes, 3 – Alejandro Garnacho, 1 – Amad, Diogo Dalot, Christian Eriksen, Noussair Mazraoui, Marcus Rashford
Twente – Form, Goals Scored & Assists
Almere 5-0 W, Heerenveen 2-0 W, Zwolle 1-1 D, Utrecht 2-1 L, Sparta 1-1 D, Salzburg 3-3 (5-4) L
Goals: 7 – Sem Steijn, 3 – Sam Lammers, 2 – Alec Van Hoorenbeeck, 1 – Mees Hilgers, Anass Salah-Eddine, Ricky van Wolfswinkel, Michel Vlap
Assists: 2 – Bart van Rooij, 1 – Carel Eiting, Mees Hilgers, Bas Kuipers, Sayfallah Ltaief, Anass Salah-Eddine, Mats Rots, Sem Steijn, Ricky van Wolfswinkel
Previous Meetings & Connections
United and Twente have not yet met competitively so this will be a new experience for The Old Trafford club. Erik ten Hag will have in-depth knowledge about the Dutch side, having played them at least two times a season when he was the Ajax manager. He will know how to take on this team.
United have fared well against Dutch opposition and the Old Trafford club will need to continue that statistic as they embark on the UEFA Europa League in the 2024/25 season. United will be expected to qualify from the league stage into the knockout stages of the competition this season.
Erik ten Hag and Arnold Mühren are the only two players associated with both United and Twente. Both Ten Hag and Mühren have played for Twente with Mühren playing for United too. Ten Hag is the current United manager. Former United assistant Steve McClaren also managed Twente.
Team News
United: United were boosted ahead of the Palace match with the return to training of Victor Lindelof, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund. The Danish striker made his return coming off the bench but Mount was an unused substitute. Lindelof should be back to fitness soon too, which will be good.
Ruled Out: Tyrell Malacia (knee), Leny Yoro (ankle/foot) and Luke Shaw (calf/shin/heel)
Suspended: None
Close to Returning: Victor Lindelof
Twente: The Dutch side have just two injuries at this stage of the season, which is good for them. Younes Taha will be out for much of the 2024/25 season with Sadílek out for the foreseeable future, missing there clash with United at the Theatre of Dreams on Wednesday evening.
Ruled Out: Younes Taha (broken tibia), Michal Sadílek (laceration)
Suspended: None
Close to Returning: None
How to watch United v Twente in the Europa League
In the United Kingdom, the match is due to kick off at 20:00 BST at Old Trafford. It will be televised on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+. MUTV will be showing Matchday Live with former United defenders Wes Brown and John O’Shea in the stadium from 18:55 BST.
The duo will provide the match build-up, team news and insight ahead of kick off before the channel will revert to radio commentary when the match kicks off. At half time there will be analysis of the first half before radio commentary continues for the second half, then post-match reactions.
If you are not in the United Kingdom, you will need to check your local television provider for the UEFA Europa League matches this season. It is set to be a good match for United, who will need to hit the ground running in their opening Europa League clash of the season.
Predicted United Starting XI – 4-2-3-1
Bayindir;
Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Dalot;
Ugarte, Mainoo;
Amad, Fernandes, Garnacho;
Zirkzee
Predicted Twente Starting XI – 4-3-2-1
Unnerstall;
van Rooij, Hilgers, Bruns, Salah-Eddine;
Regeer, Eiting;
Rots, Steijn, van Bergen;
Lammers
Match Prediction
United have played well since the last international break of the season. They beat Southampton 3-0 at St Mary’s in the Premier League, then beat Barnsley 7-0 at Old Trafford in the Carabao Cup. Then came the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in the Premier League – some good results.
United dominated against Palace, having more than two thirds of the possession and many shots on goal. Their passes also showed their domination in the match but their finishing was not brilliant. It shows the team has come a long way seeing as they lost 4-0 in the same fixture last season.
United will need to commence the same gameplay against Twente to keep the side in their place as United seek to get three points on the board in this fixture, which will be much needed as they intend to start their season in the Europa League in good style – getting the victory at Old Trafford.
Manchester United 3-0 FC Twente
Written by Paul
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