Manchester United are sitting near the drop zone in the Premier League, but riding extremely high in the Champions League right now. At home they have been so bad that the last time they had a start this dismal, it was a generation ago.
Yet away from Old Trafford they have been close to unbeatable. What gives?
“It’s hard to put your finger on it,” team captain Harry Maguire said after the 1-0 loss to Arsenal last night. “It was disappointing from us. We didn’t start the game well and gave the ball away far too much in the first half.”
Manchester United at Istanbul Basaksehir FYIs
Kickoff: November 4, 17:55 GMT, Istanbul
United Starting XI Prediction: go here
“We thought we were confident going into the game,” Maguire continued. “It was important to start the game well. We just gave the ball away too much. If you’re playing any Premier League game and give the ball away as much as we did, you’re not going to win games of football.
“We haven’t won in the league at Old Trafford this season. It’s disappointing, we want teams to have a tough time coming here.”
The good news for United is that the next match is on the road, in Champions League competition.
Let’s take a look at who could start on Wednesday night at Istanbul Basaksehir. Given the strong position United have in group H, not to mention that two of their toughest games are already behind them, we could see a couple first choice guys take a seat here.
It will still be a strong side, and one that can easily overmatch the club that is Turkish champions for the first time.
Manchester United Starting XI Prediction at Istanbul Basaksehir
Henderson; Wan-Bissaka, Tuanzebe, Maguire, Shaw; Pogba, Van de Beek, Matic; Greenwood, James, Martial
Prediction: United 2, Istanbul 0
Even with some squad rotation here, United will still have the much stronger side, and they should claim the first ever meeting between these two sides.
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.