Anxiously waiting for MU to stop fluctuating

MU wants to prove its championship candidate status

This match marks the first time the two teams have met, while the "Red Devils" have previously lost just one of their nine home games against opponents from the Netherlands. Despite finishing eighth in the Premier League last season, United still qualified for the Europa League after winning the FA Cup.

MU (left) is confident of beating FC Twente in the Europa League 2024 - 2025 warm-up match

Erik ten Hag's side have had an inconsistent start to the season, winning three, losing three and drawing one in all competitions. The Dutchman admitted his side have lacked a sharpness in front of goal, most recently in a 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace last weekend which saw them drop to 11th in the table after five games.

United will now turn their focus to the Europa League with the first of eight first-round fixtures in the newly expanded 36-team Europa League. After their opening home game against FC Twente, the Red Devils will face Porto, Fenerbahce, PAOK, Bodo/Glimt, Viktoria Plzen, Rangers and FCSB.

Having lost just one of their 24 home games in the Europa League, United are confident of a win over FC Twente. They are also one of the bookies' favourites to win the title this season. However, United still have many concerns in defence as they are without new signing Leny Yoro, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and Victor Lindelof due to injury. Despite keeping three consecutive clean sheets, coach Ten Hag may consider refreshing the defence, with Harry Maguire replacing Matthijs de Ligt or Lisandro Martinez in central defence, while Manuel Ugarte or Casemiro could start in midfield alongside Kobbie Mainoo or Christian Eriksen. In addition, another concern for the "Red Devils" is the decline in form of number one striker Marcus Rashford. Faced with the above situation, coach Ten Hag will likely place his hopes on young talents Alejandro Garnacho, Amad Diallo and Joshua Zirkzee in attack.

Meanwhile, FC Twente, despite being rated as underdogs, still have the potential to cause a surprise. They are currently 4th in the Dutch top flight this season with 11 points after 6 matches. Coach Joseph Oosting's team is preparing to enter their first match in European competition since the 2012-2013 Europa League. Mr. Joseph Oosting is tasked with ending the team's 7-match winless streak in the Europa League when they travel to the "Theatre of Dreams". Their hopes will be placed on 22-year-old player Sem Steijn, who has scored 7 goals in 8 matches in all competitions this season.

Former European champions Porto fear "frozen feet"

FC Porto make the long trip north to face Bodo/Glimt in their Europa League opener tonight at 11.45pm (Vietnam time). They leave sunny Portugal to face the cold weather in Norway.

Bodo/Glimt are notoriously difficult to play against at home in European competition and caused a stir in the competition two years ago, beating AS Roma 6-1 in the group stage and reaching the quarter-finals. Coach Kjetil Knutsen's side have been drawn in one of the toughest groups in the Europa League this season. Despite being ranked quite low in the UEFA rankings, Bodo/Glimt's home ground has always been a "easy to come, hard to leave" place, as evidenced by their eight wins in all competitions.

Meanwhile, Porto have made a good start to the Portuguese top flight this season. Vitor Bruno's side aim to leave Norway with three points before facing Manchester United next week. This is only Porto's third season in the Europa League since the competition was rebranded from the UEFA Cup.

Other notable matches taking place tomorrow morning are Dynamo Kiev - Lazio, Nice - Real Sociedad, Galatasaray - PAOK FC.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lich-thi-dau-moi-nhat-europa-league-hoi-hop-cho-mu-het-phong-do-phap-phu-185240924215511132.htm