Man Utd vs Wolfsburg preview
Juan Mata is counting on the Old Trafford crowd to make the difference when Manchester United welcome Wolfsburg for a Champions League encounter on Wednesday.
The Spaniard explained in his blog that the celebratory mood over the return of Champions League football will work in United’s favour.
Mata and his teammates will need the fans behind them because United are playing catch-up after a set-back in their group opener. Louis van Gaal’s side lost 2-1 to Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven, despite controlling that away game with more than 66 per cent possession.
That result in Netherlands, coupled with a 1-0 victory for Wolfsburg in the other Group B game, left United sitting bottom of the group with CSKA Moscow. Another defeat would leave Van Gaal’s men under huge pressure because they would be six points behind their German opponents.
United are currently top of the Premier League table in Van Gaal’s second year in charge. He is aiming to win the title within his first three seasons.
Wolfsburg are actually regressing from the success they enjoyed in Germany last season. They won the DFB Pokal and finished second in the Bundesliga, but are currently nine points behind pace-setters Bayern Munich.
Dieter Hecking’s team is recovering from the departures of key players, like Kevin De Bruyne and Ivan Perisic, in summer. They still have quality, with Julian Draxler doing a decent job as De Bruyne’s replacement.
Die Wolf also have a goalscoring midfielder in Andre Schurrle, who will hope to have a good game when he faces former Chelsea teammate Mata.
Manchester United team news
- Michael Carrick scored a late winner in United’s 2-1 victory over Wolfsburg exactly six years to the day when this fixture was last played out, but is unlikely to feature after he missed training on Tuesday.
- Antonio Valencia and Ander Herrera also missed training on Tuesday and are doubts.
- Marcos Rojo is expected to miss out with a hamstring problem while Luke Shaw (broken leg) continues his long-term recovery.
Wolfsburg team news
- Luiz Gustavo (knee) has not returned to training, so he is unlikely to face United.
- Koen Casteels (toe), Robin Knoche (ankle) and Vieirinha (thigh) are out as well.
- Felipe Lopes still lacks match sharpness.
Manchester United vs Wolfsburg prediction
If Valencia misses out, Phil Jones could start at right-back with Matteo Darmian continuing at left-back. That will allow Van Gaal to keep the Daley Blind-Chris Smalling partnership at the heart of United’s defence.
Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin are expected to start as the central midfielders, with Juan Mata joining Wayne Rooney from right attacking midfield position to create overloads in central midfield and control the game.
Memphis Depay should continue as a left attacking midfielder, with Anthony Martial leading the attack in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Schurrle has struggled to meet expectations at Wolfsburg, but should start as a left attacking midfielder. He and Daniel Caligiuri will probably flank Draxler as the attacking midfielders in a similar 4-2-3-1 formation, with Bas Dost spearheading the attack.
United should control this game and pose enough threat to score a couple of goals. The problem for Van Gaal will be at the back because of the recent reshuffling. Wolfsburg could nick a goal by exploiting United’s makeshift back-four.
Score prediction
Manchester United 2-1 Wolfsburg
