Man Utd destined for yet another Villarreal draw
2020/2021's Europa League finalists Manchester United and Villarreal will duke it out at Old Trafford this term in UEFA's elite club competition, mere months after they could only be separated via an epic penalty shootout, in which the Yellow Submarines won their first ever European trophy. The hosts have stuttered despite their big outlays in the summer transfer window, and once more, Ole Gunnar Solskjær is coming under external pressure to deliver results. The Red Devils have lost three of their last four in all competitions, including a last-gasp reverse at Young Boys in the first gameweek of the group stage. Read our preview here:
Telles like it is
Additionally, the 1-0 home defeat in the league on Saturday against Aston Villa was costly in terms of losing half of their first choice back four in the form of attacking left-back Luke Shaw and stopper Harry Maguire. Both are major doubts for Wednesday evening, and probably the coming weekend, too. Their absences will hand starts to Alex Telles and Victor Lindelöf respectively, but it is perhaps the former who will be under most scrutiny. The Brazilian has only seen 73 minutes of competitive action (in the EFL Cup) in 2021/2022, and could be somewhat short of match fitness. His likely adversary, Moi Gómez, has also been poor thus far, and a marked improvement from either of them could go a long way to deciding the game. Bruno Fernandes is almost certain to be removed from penalty duty after launching his injury time effort into the upper tier of the Stretford End, whilst Jadon Sancho could be shifted back to the left side of the attacking trio behind Cristiano Ronaldo, meaning an unlikely double pivot of Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matić.
Danjuma-n
Draw specialists in their encounters with Man Utd, Villarreal have translated that into six ties from their seven La Liga clashes in 2021/2022, including a very creditable stalemate away to leaders Real Madrid at the weekend. Unai Emery's men have won the remaining fixture, meaning their only 'defeat' was also on spot kicks in the UEFA Super Cup to Chelsea. They'll know exactly what to expect at Old Trafford, and the switch to a 4-3-3 might make them more effective in attack whilst losing relatively little in transition when possession is lost. On paper, they appear at their most potent in the left half-space, which could mean a testing evening for Diogo Dalot and Lindelöf. Dutch wide man Arnaut Danjuma's interventions this season have been crucial, netting in the 2-2 draws with Atlético Madrid and Atalanta. He'll attempt to cut inside on the dribble at every available opportunity, and finding space between the defence and double pivot will be essential. In that endeavour, he'll be well backed up by Manu Trigueros, whose through balls more often than not are of the 'eye of the needle' variety.
Ole's at a wheel
As ever in the red half of Manchester in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, the reactions to triumphs and defeats are far too extreme, and talk of a 'crisis' at the club is far off the mark. However, there's little escaping the reality that acquiring Ronaldo and Sancho has raised expectations for them to at least mount a serious tilt at reaching the latter stages of the knockout rounds in the Champions League whilst also running City (and whoever else challenges) much closer domestically. The form of the combatants on Wednesday once again translates to a draw being the likeliest outcome, which can be bet on at crazily long odds of 4.50 with Parimatch at the time of writing.
