Follow the latest squad news and match updates as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Man Utd continue their Champions League campaign
Manchester United resumes their Champions League campaign in Turkey tonight, as they face Istanbul Basaksehir (5 Kick-off at 55h)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have beaten Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig so far in their squad and three more points tonight would bring them closer to qualifying Solskjaer will be keen to see excellent European form of his team, which contrasts with his national performances, continue tonight
Dean Henderson makes his Champions League debut, while there are also starts for Donny van de Beek and Axel Tuanzebe Tuanzebe started Matchday 1 for United against PSG and impressed in his debut appearance in 10 months, expertly chaining players like Kylian Mbappe and Neymar
Owen Hargreaves, Robin van Persie and Paul Scholes are all part of BT Sport’s expert squad tonight
There is never a shortage of former United players ready to analyze their former squad these days
Starting Van de Beek makes a lot of sense, given that Fernandes is untouchable as 10 (for now), despite his declining level of performance United have prepared for Paul Pogba’s likely departure for the year next by signing two attacking midfielders to Fernandes and Van de Beek, so it is high time to start them in the same XI
Van de Beek is adept at playing deeper, so there’s no reason he can’t complete Fernandes in this midfield troika
It’s a bit of a surprise that Solskjaer included Rashford alongside Martial in his top three, with Mata in the other spot, but you think the two might be cheering against this Istanbul defense Basaksehir, which includes Martin Skrtel in the center back
The 35-year-old wasn’t particularly quick in his prime, so United’s pace could be a threat Skrtel’s partner is Alexandru Epureanu, a 34-year-old relative spring chicken
If United supporters were present at Fatih Terim Stadium, they might have paid tribute to Demba Ba, as they did at Old Trafford against Liverpool in December 2014:
Ba is widely credited with preventing what would have been a monumental Liverpool title triumph (and denying Gerrard a league-winning medal) six and a half years ago with his Kop strike
Tonight reiterates how United have made the squad stronger, rather than the first squad this summer Their bench XI could be: De Gea, Fosu-Mensah, Lindelof, Mengi, Williams, Fred, McTominay, Pogba, James, Greenwood , Cavani (apologies, Odion Ighalo) The cavalry waits, if necessary, and that swayed United’s previous European relations
From this squad, it looks like Van de Beek will finally have his chance in one of the deepest midfield roles, playing alongside an ideal foil in Matic, who can do much of the defensive week
Fred, McTominay, Matic and Pogba all started in those roles ahead of the Dutchman this season, but United have been lacking in creativity lately and Van de Beek deserves the chance to show that he can be the perfect bond with Fernandes and the before three, while offering more protection than Pogba did in the first weeks of the season
Solskjaer made an appropriate number of changes while making sure United are strong enough to win I think I went for 10 out of the 11 he started tonight
Henderson, Tuanzebe, Van de Beek and Mata deserved to start and Martial would always come back Matic’s recall is also a good idea
It’s a big compliment to Victor Lindelof that he’s the rested center-back tonight Yes, Maguire started in meaningless matches when he should have taken a break, but Lindelof’s omission in the tonight’s game seems to be more a reflection of his recent return to form
United XI: Henderson, Wan-Bissaka, Tuanzebe, Maguire, Shaw, Matic, Van de Beek, Mata, Fernandes, Rashford, Martial
Looking briefly beyond tonight, if you were to try and assume the XI for Everton, you’d think the bottom five will be unchanged from Arsenal with a forward four from Fernandes, Rashford, Greenwood and Martial Although United played a diamond at Everton in March
Midfielder gripped in uncertainty after Arsenal scolded United Few United fans would want Pogba in the squad at the moment and Matic could be a stable option if Van de Beek performs tonight , this late start to the championship could come to Goodison
United’s success in this competition so far this season has given Solskjaer leeway to make changes in Istanbul, while the rule allowing five subs also gives him the freedom to make changes if the match does not go as planned but after the loss to Arsenal on Sunday Solskjaer cannot afford to take too many risks, another setback will hurt confidence and put pressure on Saturday’s trip to Goodison
The two-week hiatus for the internationals still means the narrative is framed around the previous game and if United head into that period without having managed to beat Everton then the knives could be at Solskjaer A win tonight will give them at least some momentum ahead of the trip to Merseyside
Just a reminder that with a 555pm kick-off tonight (UK time), that means we’ll be hearing from the team around 4:40 a.m.
We will of course bring you this news on this blog live when it comes out
Dean Henderson expects to start tonight, although this is not a confirmation that he will start It would be a surprise if there weren’t at least five changes from Sunday’s loss, reckoning given the listless performance and early 1230pm kick-off at Everton on Saturday,
Axel Tuanzebe, Donny van de Beek and Juan Mata are competing for recalls, as is Anthony Martial after serving the last game of his national suspension
Pogba could fall on the bench tonight, after playing poorly in the 1-0 loss to Arsenal
Trips to Istanbul once brought a considerable dose of fear for the English teams and United know this better than anyone, having experienced the ‘Welcome to Hell’ banner at the Ali Sami Yen stadium in Galatasary and the feverish atmosphere that has followed in 1993 Empty stadiums take away the advantage, but Istanbul’s Basaksehir are about as far removed from their city cousins as they can get
Their tiny house is in a neighborhood with a high student population, and as a fairly new club, they have a small fan base, averaging just 4,000 at most games and with a huge fan base. ‘students who see a trip to Fatih Terim Stadium as a day rather than an opportunity to intimidate visitors, even a packed house here wouldn’t compare to the old days in Galatasaray and Besiktas
Frighteningly, the last time United played in Istanbul was four years ago yesterday when America counted its votes in a presidential election United lost 2-1 to Fenerbahce and Mourinho came off afterwards:
« We started the game sleepy I know we have a problem because it is difficult to play away without two good center-backs We play with two left-backs as center-backs (Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo) »
Going to bed feeling victorious only to wake up and realize you’re not as popular as you thought Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been through a few nights like this recently and United’s European victories have masked the true gauge of their progress, or their absence: the league
United’s priority this week is not tonight’s game but Saturday’s trip to Everton Changes are inevitable tonight after the soulless loss to Arsenal and the changes which are billed as’ rests or may seem like rests could turn out to be demotions
United fans want to see six side changes for their Champions League game against Istanbul Basaksehir on Wednesday night
United can take a giant step towards qualifying for the tournament’s final 16 and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been asked to make several changes for the game
The United manager wants his side to bounce back from the terrible loss to Arsenal this weekend, but knows he needs to find the right balance ahead of a crucial trip to Everton on Saturday
However, United fans are still keen to see some big changes for the trip to Turkey, with MEN readers choosing which side they want Basaksehir to take
United may be struggling domestically right now, but their efforts in Europe so far have been extremely encouraging and they’ve managed to put themselves in a position to know that a win tonight will almost secure the qualifying a difficult group with three games to go
The victories against Paris and RB Leipzig warned last season’s finalist and semi-finalist and if Solskjaer’s side can secure a victory in Istanbul, their perfect record will take them to the edge of the round of 16 , an extremely impressive achievement in what looked like a difficult group
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke on United’s official website about the upcoming matches against Istanbul Basaksehir and Everton and why rotation certainly comes into play for him:
« It’s always important to bounce back and react after a disappointing day. We’ve had time to think about this [Arsenal loss] now and it’s gone, and we need to get a performance in Istanbul and we hope to get three points, then we will go to Everton
« This may impact the squad selection and the subs we create based on the game of course 1230 on a Saturday doesn’t help us but that’s what the Champions League gives you, this gives you a challenge because you want to be in this competition playing midweek and we just have to take it as it comes
Pick your squad for the Man Utd vs Istanbul Basak game, then share it with others and check out all fans’ most popular selection
United can take another step towards the Champions League round of 16 against Istanbul Basaksehir tonight
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were poor in their weekend loss to Arsenal, but they still have a flawless record in Europe so far this season
United will be looking for the perfect answer from their last outing and know that a midweek win will put them on the verge of qualifying for the last 16
As for the first team news, Alex Telles and Facundo Pellistri did not travel for the game as Dean Henderson is expected to return in goal
Our united writers take sides to take on Basaksehir in this article – and there is a possible line in the image below
Michael Owen has given his thoughts on how Manchester United will fare against Istanbul Basaksehir tonight
United look to continue their perfect start to the Champions League group stage, against the Turkish champions
« They have been excellent in Europe, but they don’t find a rhythm in the league Back to European duty, I think they can get another positive result
« United appear to be a team which are better suited to play away and are at their best on the counterattack
« Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will see the perfect opportunity to bounce back from the weekend’s loss to Arsenal, and I think they will bring the points back to Old Trafford »
United are in Istanbul later – a 5 Kick-off at 55 a.m., remember – for another Champions League group game Stay tuned
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