vs Competition: UEFA Champions League Venue: Old Trafford Time: 20:00 (BST), 15:00 (EST) Channels: BT Sport 4K UHD(UK), BT Sport 2(UK), MUTV(UK), Univisión Deportes en vivo(US), Univisión Deportes(US), UniMás(US), TNT(US), DAZN(Canada), Flow Sports 2(JA), SuperSport 5 Africa(Zambia) Manchester United injuries: Valencia (knock), Darmian (knock), Rojo (unfit) Paris Saint-Germain injuries: Diarra (knee), Neymar (metatarsal), Cavani (knock) Manchester United last 6: W-W-W-D-W-W Paris Saint-Germain last 6: W-W-W-W-L-W Manchester United last result: 0-3 away win at Fulham Paris Saint-Germain last result: 1-0 home win over FC Girondins de Bordeaux Manchester United league standing: 4th Paris Saint-Germain league standing: 1st Last Encounter: n/a Manchester United last starting XI (4-3-3): de Gea(c), Dalot, Smalling, Jones, Shaw, Matić, Herrera, Pogba, Mata, Martial, Lukaku Paris Saint-Germain last starting XI (4-4-2): Buffon, Meunier, Kimpembe, Thiago(c), N'Soki, Alves, Nkunku, Verratti, Diaby, Choupo-Moting, Cavani ===================== the one we've been waiting for. couldn't ask for better form leading up into it. no real injury worries as only fringe players have knocks bar Lindelöf. just about the ideal scenario. need a better start than at Fulham though. the tough run starts now. let's go let's go let's go let's go let's go let's go
Hoping for an old school top Euro night at OT, with us slapping them up solid and thus giving us a real chance for the return leg.
The team selection is pretty easy for this one: Dave AY Bailly Lindelöf Shaw Herrera Matic Pogba Lingard Rashford Martial Dalot showed vs Fulham that he deserves more opportunities until the end of the season (at minimum, he should almost share the load 50/50 with AY on the right). It stands to reason Ole will want to go with AY's experience on Tuesday but based on what he's shown, I'd be fine with Dalot getting a run. Everything else is pretty straightforward at this point. Smalling, despite showing a little rustiness, was a pretty good today, but let's turn it over to our best CB pairing (Lindelöf and Bailly) to deal with PSG's front 3. This team definitely can take PSG, especially one that is without Neymar and likely Cavani..
Dalot or Young is an interesting one. On one hand, I believe Dalot is faster and more physical. That'd bode well in a match up versus Mbappe. However, Young has in the past shown to be up for a big match-up. He will also be more defensively minded than Dalot, leaving less chance to be caught on the break. Given their injury problems and our excellent form, you have to imagine they will come to OT to hit us on the counter and make their chances count. With regards to our attackers, I just don't see a way that they shut us down. Martial and Pogba will be up for it, I believe, since they are playing the dominant French side. One thing I hope Ole instructs to Rashford is to stay off the left. It's fine for him to roam looking to get involved - it benefits us tremendously and gives CBs a nightmare of a time trying to keep him marked. But if he limits that roaming to the nine spot unto RW, specifically linking with Lingard, then I think our interplay will benefit more. He should play mostly as a 1-2 //give-and-go foil for Martial, limiting his leftward movement to no further than the midway point between the penalty spot and left edge of the box. Pogba already tends to occupy a left-of-center position in front of the midfield anyways. Maiximizing the Pogba-Martial and Rashford-Lingard relationships will be a key to success for us not only in this match, but over the next few seasons as well. Our left side would be considered more direct and sharp, whereas from the right our interplay, movement, and work ethic would be paramount to breaking sides down in an alternative manner. Pogba being the link between the two units. Multiple ways of skinning the cat and all.
Definitely Young over Dalot, but the close call is Bailly or Jones. One can make a case either way, but Bailly would be more rested.
This is how PSG lined up against Bordeux with Dani Alves in CM position as Rabiot been frozen out. 🔴🔵Après 3 tentatives et à 5 minutes du match voici le Starting XI #PSGFCGB , bon match à tous. pic.twitter.com/xFuF77FyAl— Paris United (@parisunited75) February 9, 2019 Cavani is doubt and same for RB Muenier (i wanted him at united) who couldnt continue and was substituted 10 min form time. We all want United to win this one and it will def put Ole on diff wavelength.
Meunier (concussion) and Cavani (torn thigh muscle) are both confirmed out. The predicted XI for PSG will look something like: Buffon/Areola Kehrer Thiago Silva Kimbembe Dani Alves Marquinhos Verratti Bernat Draxler Mbappe ADM A pretty good team still, but with all the significant players PSG are missing, we absolutely can take them.
Cavani out for a month and set to miss both home and away legs ... https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Act...i-psg-forfait-contre-manchester-united/987356
Was a nice gesture from Mbappe. PSG's Kylian Mbappe has donated £27,000 to a fundraising appeal set up by the family of missing pilot David Ibbotson.Read more 👉 https://t.co/EoNnjococ1 pic.twitter.com/63DwESY2aK— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 10, 2019
rashford martial lingard pogba matic herrera shaw smalling lindelof young we need to flood the midfield, they have no one that can track runners.
Martial on the left but otherwise this is it. Maybe Bailly, as Ashur has suggested, but I’d worry this is too big an occasion for Bailly. So Smalling, assuming fitness.
i don't trust bailly to stay focussed for a full 90 against someone like mbappé who can make you pay with even half a chance.
But you trust Phil Jones against Mbappe? For the sake of Lindelof, don't put Jones in there. Bailly is inconsistent, but when he's good he's excellent. Jones is consistently awful and always out of position.
Oh my bad, I didn't see that. I mean, at least you can make an argument for Smalling there as much as I don't like him. But Phil Jones has the potential to lose the tie all by himself. His bad games are that bad,
I can see the argument tbh. I'm aware you don't see it this way, but for me Smalling has been one of our best CBs in the past couple of years. He does have mistakes in him on occasion but with the right partner, which Lindelof is atm, he's a solid bet. Bailly has a higher ceiling, more pure talent and has looked pretty good himself with Lindelöf of late but he can be rash and reckless. Honestly, would not be upset whichever way Ole decided to go with on this one. Smalls was a bit rusty vs Fulham, but still solid overall and he looks ready. It's whatever for me really between the 2, as long as Lindelof is next to them.
If Bailly starts and performs in this game oy could kick start his united career. I can see Ole giving him all the necessary pre match confidence (if given chance) and it will be upto him how he handles his big moment.
lol jones is not even worth mentioning at this point, i'm still naively hoping that we signed him to an extension only to increase his resale value. i still think that we should move away from the smallings of the world (i.e. footballers who can't do anything with the ball) but i do have to concede that he's the best stopper that we have. we should still sell him this summer and have bailly deputize for lindelof and a new CB1.