Manchester United v Astana
Thursday September 19, 20:00
Live on BT Sport
United must decide on Europa League approach
As much as Jose Mourinho’s spell at Manchester United is derided, he did give the club one of its brightest moments of recent seasons. United lifted the Europa League trophy into the Stockholm sky in 2017, having overcome a talented Ajax side in the final. Mourinho took the competition seriously, and it remains to be seen how his successor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will approach it.
Many United fans are crying out for the Norwegian to use the group stage to blood some of the club’s impressive youngsters. Forward Mason Greenwood is just 17, and yet has already shown flashes of immense talent. Tahith Chong, Angel Gomes and James Garner could also feature. Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo could make rare appearances in defence.
United have been far from hitting top gear on a consistent basis this term, but they have won two of their three home games in the Premier League, beating Chelsea 4-0 and Leicester City 1-0. They have scored at least once in every single match.
Astana far from naïve
Given that they have only existed in their current form since 2009, Astana have packed a lot into their short history. They have been crowned as champions of Kazakhstan five times, they have qualified for the group stage of the Champions League, and they have racked up plenty of experience in the Europa League.
This trip to Old Trafford is arguably the high point of the club’s existence, and there’s a sense that they are representing Kazakhstan in general. However, while Astana can be tricky opponents on home soil, their record on the road suggests they may struggle. They have won just three of their last 16 away games in the competition, and one of those victories was at Maltese minnows Valletta. In this season’s playoffs, they nearly managed to blow a 3-0 first-leg lead in Belarus against BATE, ultimately losing 2-0 and sneaking through.
Their dangerman is Croatian winger Marin Tomasov, who has rattled in 12 league goals in 24 appearances, and has scored seven times in UEL qualifying.
United to make a good start
Astana are no pushovers, but they rarely win on the road in the Europa League, and this is a big step up from the level of opposition they usually face. They didn’t win any of their away games in last season’s group stage, and they lost 2-0 at Rennes, who were the best team in that group.
If United do play their talented youngsters, they’ll be desperate to impress, as will any fringe players who come in. While this will be far from the strongest United side, they should have enough quality to win this game comfortably.
I’ll back United -1.5 on the Asian Handicap here at [1.75].
Keep an eye on Greenwood
Anyone who has seen him play raves about Mason Greenwood, and one commentator I know who has covered him regularly at youth level has even compared him to Atletico Madrid starlet Joao Felix. Wile that might be a bit of a stretch, Grenwood is clearly very talented, and this could be his big night. Keep an eye on the team news, but if he starts, Greenwood is worth backing to score at any time at [2.34].
Source: Betfair Europa League
