Old Trafford is the venue for Wednesday’s Champions League group stage match as Manchester United will take on Young Boys. The hosts are at the top of the group F table, while Young Boys are at the bottom. Can Manchester United conclude their group stage campaign with a win?
Following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United have been in a decent run of form. They have secured three wins in their previous four matches across all competitions. Despite their inconsistent form this season, Manchester United have made it into the knockout round of the Champions League. In their previous game in the Champions League, United won 2-0 away at Villareal. Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho late in the second half secured three points for United. This past Sunday, Ralf Rangnick undertook his first match in charge of Manchester United and secured a 1-0 victory against Crystal Palace in the Premier League. They are placed sixth in the league, with seven wins, three draws, and five losses in 15 games. United would be looking to finish their group stage campaign on a high when they face Young Boys. Varane and Pogba are unavailable for the match, while Cavani, Martial, Shaw, and Lingard are set to remain out as well.
In the previous game in the Champions League, United left it late to secure a 2-0 victory against Villareal. Both teams were marginally separated in terms of xG. Trigueros had the highest xG, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo. The latter also took the highest number of shots in the match. Lindelof won the highest number of aerial duels.
In terms of successful smart passes, United are the joint-third. They average more than three successful smart passes per match, indicating that they have been frequently successful in breaking the opposition line.
After producing an impressive comeback win against Manchester United on the opening day of the group stage, Young Boys are winless in their previous four matches and have lost three. They are in contention for the Europa League spot, two points behind Atalanta. A win at Old Trafford for Young Boys and a defeat for Atalanta in the other Group F fixture will hand the Swiss team a spot in the Europa League. Young Boys have been inconsistent in the Swiss Super League as well. They currently sit fourth in the league with seven wins, four draws, and four losses. Young Boys would be looking to replicate their impressive opening day win as they close out their Champions League campaign. Von Ballmoos, Zesiger, Fassnacht, Nsame, Garcia, and Mambimbi are all unavailable because of injuries.
In their previous fixture in the Champions League, Young Boys drew 3-3 at home against Atalanta. The Swiss team had a marginally higher xG than their opponents. Duvan Zapata had the highest xG, followed by Sierro. Ngamaleu and Elia made the joint-highest number of dribbles. Martins Pereira made eight recoveries in the opponent’s half.
In terms of shots on target from outside the penalty box, Young Boys are placed fourth in the Champions League. They average more than one shot on target from outside the penalty box per match.
Predicted XI
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Henderson; Wan-Bissaka, Mengi, Bailly, Telles; Matic, Van de Beek; Greenwood, Mata, Elanga; Rashford.
Young Boys (4-3-3): Faivre; Hefti, Burgy, Lauper, Lefort; Aebischer, Martins, Rieder; Elia, Siebatcheu, Ngamaleu.
Prediction
Ralf Ragnick will make changes to the starting XI ahead of the game against Norwich in the Premier League. Despite not playing their prominent starting XI, Manchester United should be able to secure the win at home.
