(4-2-3-1) Back to normal formation used by Nistelrooy”, Predicted Man United line up vs Victoria Plzen – As Amorim makes a bold step to bench Bruno Fernandez
(4-2-3-1) Back to normal formation used by Nistelrooy”, Predicted Man United line up vs Victoria Plzen – As Amorim makes a bold step to bench Bruno Fernandez
Manchester United’s UEFA Europa League campaign reaches a ‘make or break’ point as they travel to the Doosan Arena to take on Viktoria Plzen in a must-win game on Thursday evening.
Heavily fancied to take an all-important three points on numerous elite betting platforms, such as 1xbet, the Red Devils head to the Czech Republic to maintain their continental resurgence.
New manager Ruben Amorim triumphed on his touchline debut in Europe’s second-tier competition as United squeaked past Bodo/Glimt in a 3-2 thriller at Old Trafford.
It was their second consecutive Europa League win since Erik ten Hag’s dismissal, following a 2-0 victory against PAOK under interim boss Ruud van Nisterlooy.
Positive start
Despite a 2-0 defeat at Premier League title hopefuls Arsenal, Amorim’s arrival has already injected new energy and a sense of purpose into the Man Utd squad.
Amad Diallo is one of the players poised to thrive under the Portuguese manager, with Amorim looking to deploy the youngster in a new wing-back role.
That’s a ‘source of joy,’ as per The Athletic, considering the Ivorian talent has shown plenty of promise in the 39-year-old’s early days at the Theatre of Dreams.
Manuel Ugarte, who endured a troubled start to life in England, could also benefit from Amorim’s appointment as he bids to get his Man Utd career going after joining the club from Paris Saint-Germain.
Deemed ‘lucky’ for the arrival of his former Sporting CP manager, Ugarte could establish himself as a permanent first-team fixture at the expense of underperforming veteran Casemiro.
Both players could be in the starting line-up when the record-time Premier League champions lock horns with Plzen.
Automatic qualification on the line
With three games left in the newly formatted league phase, the margin for error is thin after the Red Devils commenced their European adventure with three successive draws.
Eighth-placed Rangers are just one point clear of United pre-round, yet only two separate the Gers from 15th-placed Fenerbahce, highlighting the fierce competition for automatic knockout qualification.
Man Utd will face the Ibrox outfit on home turf in the penultimate round before leaving for Romania to meet direct promotion rivals FCSB in the league-phase finale.
Given the circumstances, Amorim’s charges will likely have to amass at least seven points from the three closing matchdays to secure a coveted top-eight finish and, in turn, avoid the play-offs.
Underdogs on paper
Though Plzen enter the match as outsiders, United can ill-afford to take the Czech side lightly.
Indeed, there’s nothing but goal difference to separate the teams before kick-off, with Miroslav Koubek’s side mirroring Man Utd’s results in the league phase thus far.
Like the Red Devils, Plzen have gone from three straight draws at the beginning of their Europa League campaign to seeing off Dynamo Kyiv and Real Sociedad via an identical 2-1 scoreline.
Those wins formed part of Plzen’s five-match winning streak in all competitions before a disappointing 1-1 home league stalemate against 10-man Teplice hindered their momentum.
However, the Doosan Arena has been a fortress this season, as Koubek’s men haven’t lost any of their 13 home outings (W10, D3), including three victories in four Europa League fixtures.
Awkward match-up
Still relatively new to European football, Plzen’s only previous meetings with English clubs saw them suffer two multi-goal margin defeats to Manchester City in the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League group stages.
On the other hand, Man Utd’s record against Czech opposition hasn’t been as impressive as one would expect.
The Red Devils have only won two of their six historical games against teams from the Czech First League (D3, L1).
With this fixture coming on the road, Amorim’s side could face additional difficulties when factoring in their well-documented travel sickness.
The abovementioned slump at the Emirates Stadium extended United’s underwhelming winless streak on hostile turf to seven matches (D5, L2).
Prediction
No matter the odds, this won’t be a walk in the park for Man Utd.
But a sheer gulf in class should make the difference, enabling the Red Devils to fortify their position in the 36-team table.
