Manchester United split the points with Chelsea on Saturday, and some could say they were even lucky to get that point given how they definitely got away with a clear red card card. Team captain Harry Maguire somehow got away with a bearhug/headlock/ultra-aggressive challenge on Cesar Azpilicueta.
Somehow, VAR did not review the call or did and saw nothing. Well, VARchester United moves on from an ugly, tedious game to host unfeated RB Leipzig in UEFA Champions League group stage play.
Manchester United vs RB Leipzig UCL Group Stage FYIs
Kickoff: Wed. Oct 28, 8pm local, Old Trafford
Manchester United Starting XI Prediction: go to this link
Odds: United win 14/11, Draw 5/2, RB Leipzig win 40/17
Press conference videos and quotes: coming Tuesday
Yes, Leipzig are undefeated, across all competitions, and the official Bundesliga website is confident the German side will pull off the upset victory here. It is their job to think that way of course, as they are essentially state television for the German top flight.
Leipzig feature a lot of quality and depth, including United States midfield sensation Tyler Adams and central defender Dayot Upamecano, a big transfer target that United missed out on this summer. And it’s in central defense where we begin looking at the United team news.
Phil Jones is out indefinitely (knee) and Eric Bailly (muscular injury) will be absent for a few weeks yet. Elsewhere, wing player Jesse Lingard (knock) faces a late fitness test, but who knows if he would even be selected. United got their Euro campaign off to an ideal start, by pulling off a big upset at Paris Saint-Germain last week.
If they can get another result here, they will all but secure passage to the knockout round.
Prediction: Manchester United 2, RB Leipzig 2
Not feeling confident enough in United right now to pick them to win.
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.