Manchester United head to RB Leipzig on Tuesday sitting on top of Group H in the UEFA Champions League group stage, but they still need at least a draw to go through. In order to win the group, they will most likely need a win as the other match in this group, Paris Saint-Germain vs Istanbul Basaksehir, has heavy qualification implications as well.
United, PSG and Leipzig are all level on points with 9, but United have a +3 goal differential on the Ligue 1 powerhouse and +8 on the Germans.
So this is definitely a “must win,” “do or die,” “win-or-go-home” (pick your cliche) kind of game. If you’re a betting man, and you go on sites like cachvaow88.com you will find the odds are slightly against United in this one. Leipzig are slight favorites here, with the home side typically backed at about +155 while visiting United are usually priced around +169. A draw can be had for about +265.
Manchester United vs RB Leipzig UCL Group Stage FYIs
Kickoff: Tue. Dec. 8, 8pm BST, Red Bull Arena, Leipzig
Team news for both sides: go to this link
UCL Form Guide: United LWLWW Leipzig WLWLW
Press conference videos and quotes: coming Monday
Given what we know of the team news, how might manager Ole Gunnar Solskajer set up side for this crunch clash? We think the No. 1 David de Gea will return to full fitness in time for this one, so Dean Henderson will probably get the night off.
The four in front of the goalkeeper will line up as you might expect, with the best quartet available, given the fitness situation. That’s three out of four, with Alex Telles staying in, as first choice left back Luke Shaw won’t be ready in time for this one.
Moving up to the midfield, Fred is suspended, due to his red card at PSG that Solskjaer should have really seen coming and tried to sub him off before it transpired. His absence, plus the fact that Scott McTominay has been less than inspiring lately, means the holding midfield selection is pretty straight-forward.
Bruno Fernandes is no doubt this team’s MVP, so he is undroppable for all games of consequence, so he’ll be in the final third, where he’ll be joined by the two main first team forwards that we know will be ready and fit in time for this one.
Manchester United Starting XI Prediction at RB Leipzig (Champions League)
David de Gea, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Alex Telles, Nemanja Matic, Donny van de Beek, Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood
Manchester United 2, RB Leipzig 1
Given that the reverse fixture was a 5-0 rout in favor of United, one would definitely expect the Red Devils to take all three points here.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.