Draw full of drama to eliminate Leipzig
A mouthwatering, nail-biting showdown is on offer at the Red Bull Arena on Tuesday evening. Manchester United, although level pegging with their hosts in their group, need only a point to seal passage through to the knockout stages. Equally infamous this season for their stirring comebacks and insipid defeats, the Red Devils will have the 'luxury' of knowing a draw will be sufficient, whereas RB Leipzig have to go for it. Read our preview here:
Angeliño of destruction
Die Roten Bullen played out a ding-dong six-goal thriller with table-toppers Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga at the weekend, which was proof positive of how far the club has come in the past few years. One of the stand-out performers of that clash and the campaign to date is left-back Angeliño, who just so happens to be loan from Manchester City in an effort to have more top level gametime than he would in a sky blue shirt at the present juncture. The Spanish marauder underlined his burgeoning qualities with a number of brilliant crosses against the Bavarian giants, one of which directly led to a goal. The setup is likely to be narrow for both teams, so a lot will depend on if he can get in behind the more defensively-minded Aaron Wan Bissaka down his flank. If so, he's likely to have a number of waiting targets to aim for in the area, which will only increase if they're still chasing the crucial advantage.
Alex Telles the story
In a game where a lot of the approach play will be up to the full-backs, Angeliño's opposite number in red will have an important role, too. A more expressive and creative figure on the ball than either Luke Shaw or youngster Brandon Williams, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær will be counting on that drive to get up in support of Paul Pogba and the strikers. Mason Greenwood's excellent finish against West Ham United in yet another comeback from the clutches of real adversity will have done his confidence the world of good, and he will sit slightly wider to run in at the far post for any of Telles' centres. Pogba will again be under the spotlight. His agility will cause the double pivot in white and red plenty of cause for discomfort if he can fully grasp the mettle of the tie, and the space he can create for Bruno Fernandes will go a long way to determining the outcome.
Low on energy
The truncated football calendar has been punishing for both teams, but Leipzig are less likely to have uplift in their collective wings after two bruising encounters in a matter of days (which incidentally yielded 13 goals, seven of which were for them). The suspension of speedy centre-back Dayot Upamecano is also a big blow to their defensive solidity, which has not been on display in recent games with him in the side, let alone without him. Unless something incredible happens in the other group game, one of these teams will have to settle for Europa League football for the remainder of 2020/2021. Arguably, that would represent a larger disappointment to United, and once again have the wagons circling around Solskjær's long-term future as manager. 888sport are offering a draw with both teams to score at odds of 4.4, which would save his bacon for the meantime.
