Manchester United will look to bounce back from a disappointing draw against Everton when they face Zorya Luhansk. A point will guarantee passage through to the knockout stages of the Europa League, regardless of the result between Feyenoord and Fenerbache in the other group game. United can afford to lose in Ukraine if Feyenoord fail to win while to finish top of Group A the Reds just need to better Fenerbache’s result. Zorya are certain to finish fourth after failing to win any of their Europa matches.
In the match against Everton, where the Red Devils dominated in the early stages but could not add to the Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s opening goal, sustained pressure from Everton along with the tomfoolery of Marouane Fellaini resulted in a Baines penalty and another draw for Jose Mourinho.
While a draw will see the Red Devils through, Mourinho will want nothing less than a victory. With the vast chasm in quality between the two teams, only a win seems to be the logical and expected result. But United’s inconsistent form and various issues going on at the club depicts an unsettled atmosphere with most of the players unaware of their designated roles and first team standing till now.
TEAM NEWS
ZORYA LUHANSK
Zorya will be without their captain, Mykyta Kamenyuka in this tie. Evgeniy Opanasenko is likely to continue to fill in at right-back.
MANCHESTER UNITED
Michael Carrick, Antonio Valencia and Matteo Darmian have been left out of United’s trip. Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin’s absence amidst links with Everton points to imminent exits for the players. Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw remain unavailable through injury, while Bastian Schweinsteiger was not registered for the Europa League.
PREDICTED LINE-UPS
ZORYA LUHANSK (4-2-3-1)
Shevchenko – Sivakov, Opanasenko, Grechyshkin, Sobol – Yarmash, Kharatin – Karavaev, Petryak – Ljubenovic, Bezborodko
MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1)
Romero – Fosu Mensah, Jones, Rojo, Blind – Carrick, Pogba – Martial, Rooney, Mata – Rashford
KEY MEN
ZORYA LUHANSK
OLEKSANDER KARAVAEV
The attacking midfielder plays on the right-wing and is instrumental to their offensive endeavours. His footwork and propensity to find the back of the net are invaluable to the side who have overseen the departure of many a star in recent seasons. Karavaev has already scored 5 times and has assisted 2 so far.
MANCHESTER UNITED
WAYNE ROONEY
The United captain might have lost his starting spot for the time being but he has shown that he still belongs to the highest level. While he might have lacked his previous consistency, he still has the ability to turn a game on its head. He will be the man to watch out for.
BETTING ODDS
ZORYA LUHANSK- 10/1
DRAW- 4/1
MANCHESTER UNITED- 4/11
