Viktoria Plzen host Manchester United in the Europa League on Thursday evening and you can find our preview, prediction, the team news and confirmed lineups down below.
Viktoria Plzen vs Manchester United Preview
Ruben Amorim’s opening month as Manchester United has been far from ideal, as the Red Devils have lost their last two Premier League matches.
After a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates, United were beaten 3-2 by Nottingham Forest at home – leaving them in 13th.
The Portuguese coach has found success in the Europa League however, with Manchester United clinching consecutive European victories for the first time in over two-years.
The Red Devils are unbeaten from their opening five matches, drawing to FC Twente, Fenerbahce and Porto to then beating PAOK and Bodo/Glimt most recently.
Viktoria Plzen have enjoyed a strong Europa League campaign so far, sitting on the same number of points as United and claiming some scalps along the way.
The Czech side are undefeated in Europe after beating Dynamo Kiev and Real Sociedad while also holding PAOK, Ludogorets and Frankfurt to draws.
Miroslav Koubek’s side have been on a strong run of form across all competitions as of late, remaining undefeated in their last seven and losing just one of the last 16.
Viktoria Plzen vs Manchester United Team News
The hosts will be missing a vital member of their side, as Svetozar Markovic was forced off due to injury in their latest league victory over Karvina.
Prince Kwabena Adu will miss out once again after missing the last five fixtures with visa problems while Jan Sykora, Christophe Kabongo and Rafiu Durosinm are sidelined with long-term injuries.
Ruben Amorim will be without Luke Shaw, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans as the defensive trio all recover from injuries – however the latter two could feature following late fitness tests.
The Portuguese coach has tinkered with his lineup on several occasions and after the defeat to Nottingham Forest there could be a host of changes – including a start for Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee.
Viktoria Plzen vs Manchester United Confirmed Lineups
Viktoria Plzen: Jedlicka; Dweh, Markovic, Jemelka; Cadu, Cerv, Kalvach, Souare; Sulc; Vasulin, Vydra
Manchester United: Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez; Malacia, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dalot; Amad, Rashford; Zirkzee
Viktoria Plzen vs Manchester United Prediction
The visitors are favourites on the majority of UK betting sites, however, we expect Viktoria Plzen to offer a threat going forward and make United work hard to find the back of the net.
With that said, a narrow victory for Ruben Amorim’s side seems the most likely outcome for this Europa League encounter.
Prediction: Viktoria Plzen 1-2 Manchester United
