Following a shock loss to Young Boys on Matchday 1, Manchester United will be looking to kick-start their Champions League campaign when Villarreal visit Old Trafford on Wednesday.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men were beaten 2-1 a fortnight ago and find themselves rock bottom of Group F as a result.
😀 All smiles 💨 Intensity🧠 Focused on the @ChampionsLeague💭 What a match ahead of us 😍! pic.twitter.com/iPyfekHoBx— Villarreal CF English (@VillarrealCFen) September 27, 2021
😀 All smiles 💨 Intensity🧠 Focused on the @ChampionsLeague💭 What a match ahead of us 😍! pic.twitter.com/iPyfekHoBx
Villarreal, meanwhile, played out a thrilling 2-2 drew with Atalanta, meaning they sit one place and one point ahead of the Red Devils.
When Cristiano Ronaldo put Man Utd ahead on Matchday 1, every appeared to be going to place. Yet, after Aaron Wan-Bissaka's 35th-minute red card, everything changed.
Young Boys equalised on 66 minutes before Jesse Lingard’s error led to the Swiss side netting a 95th-minute winner.
Man Utd returned to winning ways with victory over West Ham in the Premier League, but they lost to the same opponents in the EFL Cup just days later.
Following a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday, the Red Devils have now lost three of their previous four games in all competitions.
Bruno Fernandes missed a stoppage-time penalty last weekend, leaving his team behind title rivals Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea in the EPL standings.
On the flip side, Villarreal came from behind to lead 2-1 on Matchday 1, only for Atalanta to score a late equaliser.
The Yellow Submarine also had Francis Coquelin sent off late on, meaning he and Wan-Bissaka are suspended for Wednesday’s clash.
Although Villarreal remain unbeaten in La Liga this season, they have only managed to win one of their six matches – recording five draws in the process.
After thrashing Elche 4-1 last weekend, Unai Emery’s men held Real Madrid to a goalless draw last time out.
Head-to-head: Villarreal beat Man Utd on penalties to lift the Europa League trophy last season, so the Red Devils will surely be eager to gain revenge this time around.
The two sides had faced each other four times before last term’s meeting. Remarkably, all four games ended goalless.
Team news: As we already know, Man Utd right-back Wan-Bissaka is suspended. Solskjear is also without injured duo Marcus Rashford and Amad Diallo at the moment.
As for Villarreal, Nigerian forward Samuel Chukwueze will miss the trip to Old Trafford as he continues to recover from a hamstring issue. Coquelin is also suspended.
Given that Man Utd have lost three of their past four outings in all competitions, the hosts could struggle to overcome the visitors on Wednesday.
Forebet predicts that Villarreal will hold Man Utd to a goalless draw at Old Trafford.