Manchester United travel to Spain on Thursday to face Celta Vigo at Estadio de Balaidos in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League semi-finals clash. The two teams have never met before in European competitions, but Celta Vigo can gain some hope from the fact that United have only won two of 22 matches against Spanish opposition on Spanish soil.
Celta Vigo can't go above a mediocre mid-table finish in LaLiga this season after losing their last three games, but they can have the excuse of having focused on the Europa League lately. This is a big chance for the club to make history by reaching the final, but Manchester United are a much better side than the ones they have knocked out in previous rounds. Giuseppe Rossi won't be able to play against his former club due to a knee injury, while Ruben Blanco and Carles Planas could also miss out.
Manchester United have drawn their last two Premier League matches, including last weekend's 1-1 at home against Swansea. They are fifth in the Premier League table and could miss out on Champions League qualification, a goal that they can still achieve if they win the Europa League. Jose Mourinho is facing an injury crisis in central defence as Marcos Rojo, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones are out and Eric Bailly also picked up a knock against Swansea. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Luke Shaw will most likely be out for the rest of the season.
Probable line-ups:
Celta Vigo: Alvarez - Mallo, Fonta, Cabral, Jonny - Hernandez, Radoja - Aspas, Wass, Sisto - Guidetti
Man United: De Gea - Valencia, Darmian, Blind, Young - Fellaini, Herrera, Pogba - Mata, Rashford, Martial
My prediction: 1-1 draw.
Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:
Celta Vigo win - 2.90
Draw - 3.20
Man United win - 2.70
05/07/17, 07:05:08 PM
