Manchester United can secure their place in the knockout stages of the Europa League by avoiding defeat against FC Sheriff in their Group E fixture on Thursday.
The Red Devils secured a last-gasp victory over Omonia Nicosia in their last group game to put themselves in the driving seat for a place in the knockout stages, having won three of their first four games, and another win tonight would keep alive their hopes of claiming top spot.
However, Moldovan champions Sheriff must also win this fixture to stand any chance of advancing to the next round, as they look to close a six-point gap between themselves and their hosts ahead of their final game against bottom side Omonia next week.
When is Man Utd vs Sheriff?
Man United vs Sheriff will kick-off at 8pm on Thursday, October 27 at Old Trafford.
The last meeting between these two sides came in the reverse fixture on September 15, when the Red Devils secured a 2-0 victory over their hosts at the Zimbru Stadium in Chisinau.
A dominant first half display saw Jadon Sancho break the deadlock after 17 minutes, before Cristiano Ronaldo doubled the lead with a 39th minute penalty. And it proved to be enough as United held on to secure the first three points of their Europa League campaign.
Will Man Utd secure their place in the knockout stages against Sheriff on Thursday? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
How to watch
The match will be televised live on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Ultimate, while there will also be a live stream service online via the BT Sport app and BT Sport website.
Coverage will begin at 7:15pm.
Match odds
Man United vs Sheriff odds from Betfred
-
Man Utd - 1/9
-
Draw - 17/2
-
Sheriff - 28/1
*odds subject to change
18+, new UK customers only, T&Cs apply
Team news
Erik ten Hag is likely to make changes from the side which drew 1-1 with Chelsea on Saturday but will still name a relatively strong side in order to get the job done and avoid an embarrassment on home soil against the Moldovan minnows.
Victor Lindelof will come in for the injured Raphael Varane, while Tyrell Malacia, Fred, Scott McTominay and Anthony Elanga will all be pushing for starts. Anthony Martial (lower back), Harry Maguire (thigh) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are still doubts, while Donny van de Beek is out. The big talking point though is Cristiano Ronaldo, who is in line to start after clearing the air with Ten Hag and returning to first team training this week.
As for Sheriff, they suffered their first league defeat of the season with Sunday’s 1-0 defeat away to Petrocub, while head coach Stjepan Tomas resigned on Tuesday. Interim head coach Victor Mikhailov is likely to name a similar side from the one just four days ago as they aim to take something away from this fixture.
Striker Iyayi Atiemwen and midfielder Moussa Kyabou are back from suspension after missing last week’s 3-0 defeat to Real Sociedad, although defender Armel Zohouri will now miss out after receiving two bookings in that game. Top scorer Rasheed Akanbi, who has seven goals to his name this season, will pose the biggest threat up front.
