Last night was another reminder of us just how far Manchester United and Arsenal have truly fallen from grace. In a 1-1 draw that exposed numerous flaws for both sides, it was rather apparent that the Europa League competition might be the more manageable route back into the Champions League for both clubs.
Probably more so for United (manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did say this was going to be a long rebuild), who definitely should take the UEL somewhat seriously this season. That said, we’ll still see Solskjaer rotate his squad for the visit to AZ Alkmaar. The Red Devils have a long laundry list of injuries.
Anthony Martial and Luke Shaw remain out with the hamstring injuries that have kept them out of commission since before the first international break. Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Diogo Dalot and Angel Gomes, all of whom missed the stalemate with the Gunners, are doubts for the trip to the Netherlands.
Meanwhile central defense could see a first team player, Victor Lindelof, come into the line up here as they may not be any other options. Phil Jones is ruled out until after the international break (which begins Oct. 7), while Eric Bailly remains a long term absentee.
Meanwhile the biggest damage here was done to the roof at AZ Alkmaar’s usual ground, the AFAS Stadium. The ceiling collapsed in August, due to high winds, meaning the Eredivisie side must now play their home games elsewhere. This Group L clash will be at the Cars Jeans Stadium in The Hague; about 50 miles south of Alkmaar.
This venue has an artificial surface, so United will be wary not to get any more injuries, in addition to all the ones they already have.
Manchester United Starting XI Prediction versus AZ Alkmaar (UEL)
Patrick Chong Juan Mata Jesse Lingard
Fred Nemanja Matic
Marcos Rojo Victor Lindelof Axel Tuanzebe Ashley Young
Sergio Romero
Manchester United vs AZ Alkmaar UEFA Europa League FYIs
Kickoff: Cars Jeans Stadium, The Hague, Thursday Oct 3, 5:55pm
TV: BT Sport 2 in the UK
Referee: Gediminas Mazeika
Prediction: United 2, Alkmaar 0
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is 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,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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