Manchester United return to Europa League competition on Thursday as the Red Devils will host Partizan Belgrade at Old Trafford.
United can all but book their spot in the Round of 32 of the tournament with a win on the night. They’ve done decently enough in Group L already, picking up seven points from their opening three games.
It’s been a different story in the Premier League, however, as they lost once again this past weekend.
Campaign so far
Travelling to the Vitality Stadium to take on fellow mid-table side AFC Bournemouth, the Red Devils were beyond poor. Allowed plenty of possession, they failed to do much with the ball throughout the contest.
Bournemouth were more than willing to sit back and absorb pressure before hitting on the counter. Callum Wilson got free down the wing before forcing a good save out of David De Gea early on, and the rebound attempt from Ryan Fraser rolled wide of the target.
United were hoping to earn yet another penalty this season in the 33rd minute, as Anthony Martial went down in the area after a challenge from Jefferson Lerma. VAR did look at it, but there wasn’t much contact, so the referee simply gave a corner instead.
The Cherries would get their goal at the stroke of halftime. Joshua King was given too much time in the penalty area, allowed to lift the ball over Aaron Wan-Bissaka before smashing a shot into the back of the net from close range.
United couldn’t do much in the second half, with their only chance coming when Mason Greenwood hit a volley off the post following a clever ball from Fred. They were handed another defeat at fulltime, which dropped them back down to 10th place in the league.
Belgrade go into Thursday’s game in 3rd place in Group L, one point behind AZ Alkmaar.
They only managed to draw against the Dutch side at home in Matchday 1, even though they were up 2-1 on the scoreline and up a man on the field after Jonas Svensson was sent off for Alkmaar. However, Partizan would concede with a half-hour to go, leaving crucial points on the table.
They rebounded well two weeks later, beating FC Astana 2-1 in Kazakhstan. Umar Sadiq grabbed a brace to give Partizan a commanding lead, but the deficit was halved with minutes to go after a goal from Runar Mar Sigurjonsson.
Belgrade held on for the needed victory, and they will now look towards picking up a tough road point at Old Trafford.
Last time out
It’s not been too long since these two sides last faced off, as the reverse fixture was played only a fortnight ago.
Taking place at the Stadion Partizana in Belgrade, the contest was cagey to start. The rowdiest atmosphere many young United players had ever been in front of, the situation clearly affected them early on.
They did start to grow into the game as it went on, and the Red Devils even managed to take the lead before halftime as a result.
19-year-old Brandon Williams was wiped out in the penalty area, and the ref had no other choice than to point to the spot. Martial would convert the resulting spot-kick with ease, grabbing a crucial goal for United.
That would prove to be all they needed on the afternoon, as United survived a late flurry from Partizan to take all three points.
Team news
Not much has changed for the Red Devils on the injury front, as those who missed out last weekend will likely be unavailable for selection once again.
Eric Bailly posted a picture at the training complex yesterday and seems to be close to a potential return. There’s less information on Diogo Dalot, Axel Tuanzebe, and Angel Gomes, but they aren’t dealing with major injuries, which is good.
Luke Shaw, Paul Pogba, and Nemanja Matic have all been out for a while, and they probably won’t be back until after the international break at the very earliest.
Meanwhile, Timothy Fosu-Mensah is still dealing with a long-term knee injury of his own.
A familiar face will be absent for Partizan, as former Liverpool winger Lazar Markovic has been ruled out with a groin injury.
Predicted lineups
Manchester United: Romero, Jones, Lindelof, Rojo, Young, Fred, Lingard, Mata, Williams, Greenwood, Martial
Partizan Belgrade: Stojkovic, Miletic, Ostojic, Pavlovic, Urosevic, Zdjelar, Scekic, Stevanovic, Natcho, Asano, Sadiq
What to watch for
3-5-2 or 4-3-3 for the Red Devils?
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has switched up the way the team lines up on the field in recent weeks, and it’s unclear what formation he’ll turn to on Thursday.
Solskjaer used a standard 4-3-3 at the start of his tenure at the club, and he went back to it against Bournemouth this past weekend. It’s a simple formation to understand, but a difficult one to master.
The weaknesses in United’s midfield was exposed as a result, as they were put under pressure to tie the team together, and they bottled it.
In cup competitions, the Norwegian has experimented with a 3-5-2, which has actually produced some promising results on the field. The amount of bodies in the middle of the park makes United a hard team to break down, and they’ve given up fewer chances as a result.
It makes things tougher going forward, but the Red Devils were already useless on the attack beforehand, so nothing has really changed there.
If Solskjaer wants to permanently move to the 3-5-2 in the future, he’ll need to give the team chances to use it during games.
That opportunity will come against Partizan in a game with less on the line. United are in desperate need of a spark, and maybe a new formation will do just that.