Manchester United -v- Rangers
UEFA Europa League
Old Trafford, Manchester
Thursday 23 January 2024, KO 20:00 GMT
Manchester United return to UEFA Europa League football on Thursday as they welcome Rangers to the Theatre of Dreams in the penultimate match of the league stage of the competition. United sit seventh in the table with 12 points from six matches with Rangers in eighth with 11 points from six matches,
United will need to win their last two matches in the Europa League to secure their place in competition this season by qualifying for the round of 16 which means they will need to finish in the top eight to do that and they are close to falling out of those places meaning they could face two more play off matches this season.
United are still undefeated in the Europa League this season, drawing their opening three matches and winning the last three matches. Continuing that winning run will mean they will be in with a great chance of missing the play off round and reaching the knockout stages without needing additional matches, which would be a positive.
United – Form, Goals Scored & Assists
Brighton 3-1 L, Southampton 3-1 W, Arsenal 1-1 (5-3) W, Liverpool 2-2 D, Newcastle 2-0 L, Wolves 2-0 L
Goals: 9 – Amad, 8 – Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho, 7 – Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford, 4 – Christian Eriksen, Joshua Zirkzee, 3 – Casemiro, 1 – Antony, Matthijs de Ligt, Jonny Evans, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez
Assists: 11 – Bruno Fernandes, 7 – Amad, 5 – Alejandro Garnacho, 4 – Christian Eriksen, 3 – Marcus Rashford, 2 – Diogo Dalot, Noussair Mazraoui, Joshua Zirkzee, 1 – Rasmus Hojlund, Lisandro Martinez, Manuel Ugarte
Rangers – Form, Goals Scored & Assists
Fraserburg 5-0 W, Aberdeen 3-0 W, St Johnstone 3-1 W, Dundee 1-1 D, Hibernian 3-3, Celtic 3-0 W
Goals: 16 – Cyriel Dessers, 13 – Hamza Igamane, 12 – Vaclav Cerny, 6 – Danilo, 5 – Tom Lawrence, 4 – Nedim Bajrami, Mohamed Diomande, 3 – Ross McCausland, James Tavernier, 2 – Rabbi Matondo, 1 – Leon Balogun, Ianis Hagi, Clinton Nsiala, Robin Propper
Assists: 7 – Vaclav Cerny, James Tavernier, 5 – Cyriel Dessers, 4 – Nedim Bajrami, Mohamed Diomande, Ianis Hagi, 3 – Danilo, Hamza Igamane, Rabbi Matondo, Nicolas Raskin, 2 – Connor Barron, Jefte, Tom Lawrence, 1 – Leon Balogun, Ross McCausland, Clinton Nsiala, Dujon Sterling, Ridvan Yilmaz
Previous Meetings & Connections
United and Rangers have met four times in European competition. All of the matches were played in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League back in the 2003/04 and 2010/11 season. United have won three times, drawing once and losing none. United have dominated the Scottish side.
Back in 2003, United beat Rangers 1-0 at Ibrox with a Phil Neville goal and 3-0 at Old Trafford with goals from Diego Forlan and Ruud van Nistelrooy x2. In 2010, it was a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford with United winning 1-0 at Ibrox with Wayne Rooney scoring a late penalty in that match. United need to stay undefeated against Rangers.
Amad, Phil Bardsley, Henning Berg, Jack Butland, Bojan Djordjic, Andy Goran, Sean Goss, David Healy, Andrei Kanchelskis, Tom Lawrence and Lee Martin have all played for both United and Rangers during their careers. There has been a good history with players playing for both teams.
Team News
United: United will have four players out of the squad for the Europa League clash with Rangers with Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw, Jonny Evans and Mason Mount all out of action through injury. United will still have enough players for the clash though even if some players leave the club prior to the match, which seems likely.
Ruled Out: Victor Lindelof (other), Luke Shaw (calf/shin/heel), Jonny Evans (other) and Mason Mount (thigh)
Doubts: None
Suspended: None
Rangers: Rangers have two players out of action ahead of the clash with United, which should not affect them too much. United need to win this match to ensure they reach the knockout stages of the competition without playing in the play off round. This will be a big match at Old Trafford considering United’s recent form.
Ruled Out: Jack Butland (heel) and Neraysho Kasanwirjo (knee)
Doubts: None
Suspended: None
Predicted United Starting XI – 3-4-2-1
Bayindir;
De Ligt, Maguire, Martinez;
Mazraoui, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot;
Amad, Fernandes;
Hojlund
Predicted Rangers Starting XI – 4-2-3-1
Munn;
Tavernier, Propper, Nsiala, Jefte;
Barron, Diomande;
Lovelace, Bajrami, McCausland;
Dessers
History, training and the lead up to the big match
United have a short history with Rangers and have played them four times in the history of both clubs – all four matches were in the Champions League. United have won three times and drawn just once, which leave them undefeated against the Scottish side. Something United to ensure is still the case on Friday.
United have done well in the Europa League this season sitting undefeated in six matches so far with two remaining. Rangers are doing well in the competition too sitting just below United a point adrift. This will be an important match for United considering they just lost to Brighton 3-1 in the Premier League.
United will need to distance themselves from their form in the Premier League and look to the positive performances in the Europa League this season, which is where they should remain positive. If United put positivity into their minds, they could cement their place in the Europa League this season.
Manchester United 2-1 Rangers
Written by Paul
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