Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
Manchester United will certainly come into this game with their tails up after their win over Premier League leaders Chelsea on Sunday. That win would have been all the more sweeter as Jose Mourinho masterminded victory against his former club.
That win keeps their hopes of a top four finish very much alive and with the Manchester Derby this time next week they could make serious inroads on their cross town rivals should they manage to win at The Etihad.
But before then they have to make sure that their back up plan is not foiled as they play host to Belgian giants Anderlecht at Old Trafford. The tie is neatly poised at 1-1 after the first leg but you get the feeling that away goal United have in the bank will put them in the driving seat this Evening.
That’s not to say the tie is anywhere near complete though and United will once again have to look out for the likes of Youri Tielemans and Lukasz Teodorczyk. They have been linked with the young starlet Tielemans and Tonight they will be able to have another look at him up close and personal.
United’s club captain Wayne Rooney did not feature in the first leg due to injury but could feature this evening while club talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic is expected to start after being rested due to fatigue in the clubs win over Chelsea.
Who starts upfront is still to be decided but we know who will start in goal as Sergio Romero will once again start in place of David De Gea. While at the back long term absentees Phil Jones and Chris Smalling are once again not considered
Many felt that had United lost on Sunday then they would have given up qualifying for the Champions League through the league route but that dream is still very much alive. That though takes nothing away from the importance of this game.
It’s not just the fact that they could gain backdoor entry to Europe’s top club competition but also not forgetting that it would also give Jose Mourinho a third trophy in his first season at the club (yes he is counting the Community Shield in all of this)
United missed many chances in the first leg to all but wrap up the tie, they may be at home tonight but that has been the place where there has been most frustration this season. So the question is how much will they rue those missed opportunities from last Thursday.
I would have though the answer to that would have been not all that much as they will go into this game as favourites and I have a feeling that they will be in the Europa League Semi Final Draw. It’s a home win for Moruinho’s Manchester men.
