MAN UTD could take a massive leap into the Champions League last-16 tonight but will need to beat Villarreal away from home with temporary boss Michael Carrick at the helm.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked at the weekend after a torrid run of form for the club, leaving Carrick in charge until chiefs can find a successor.
- Start time: 5.45pm GMT
- TV/Live stream: BT Sport 1
- Villarreal XI: To follow
- Man Utd XI: To follow
Follow ALL the action with our live blog below…
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What time does Villarreal vs Man Utd kick-off?
- Man Utd’s massive clash with Villarreal will take place on Tuesday, November 23 – TONIGHT.
- Kick-off is at 5.45pm GMT.
- The game will be held at the Estadio de la Ceramica, where Villarreal play their home games.
- There will be a full capacity crowd in attendance at the game.
What TV channel is it and can I live stream?
- Man Utd vs Villarreal will be shown live on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Ultimate.
- You can live stream the action from the BT Sport app, which is available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.
Can I watch for FREE?
- EE Customers with swappable benefits can add BT Sport to their plan at no extra cost.
- At the end of the three months you will automatically roll onto the £15 per month subscription.
- Or you can cancel the trial at any time during the three months by texting STOP SPORT to 150.
Team news
Paul Pogba and Raphael Varane are still out of action for Manchester United, while Diogo Dalot could play in place of sidelined Luke Shaw.
Edinson Cavani is still on the injury table with tendon issues but Donny van de Beek could start the game after his goal against Watford last weekend.
Gerard Moreno is out of the clash for the home side because of a hamstring injury.
Arnaut Danjuma, who caused United a whole load of problems in the first game, is in a race against time to play in the sequel.
Odds
- Villarreal – 15/8
- Draw – 12/5
- Man Utd – 29/20
*Odds courtesy of Betfair and correct at time of publication.
STAT ATTACK
- All four of Valencia’s games in the CL this season have seen a goal after the 80th minute (Ronaldo, anyone?)
- History is against the Yellow Submarine, with United winning five of the last six competitive meetings.
- Although defensively Man Utd are all over the place, with just one clean-sheet in their last 14 matches.
- A hat-trick from Cristiano Ronaldo tonight with put him level with Robert Lewandowski at the top of the CL scoring charts (8).
ALL CHANGE?
It won’t be long now until Carrick names his first United team-sheet.
The former England midfielder has already revealed he is ‘clear in his own mind’ who will start – but just who will make the grade?
Here’s how SunSport is predicting the Red Devils line-up tonight, with the XI confirmed around 4.45pm GMT.
CARRICK SPEAKS
He was always known as a steady hand on tiller and boy do Man Utd need someone to navigate them safely through this current storm.
Michael Carrick opened up on Ole’s sacking yesterday in his first press conference before the team flew out to Spain.
He said: “
First of all it’s been an emotional time for everyone at club. I worked with Ole for three years and known him for a lot longer.
“Knowing the person that he is, the values that he has, how he treats people. To see him lose his job was tough for me and a lot of people at the club. I think you can tell from the emotion yesterday what he meant to everyone.
“Results are everything, as much as you build the right environment you don’t get what you deserve. A massive thank you from us all.”
NEW BOSS, NEW ERA
Well, sort of.
Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s Man Utd reign is over, with the Red Devils legend dismissed on Sunday after a humiliating 4-1 defeat to Watford.
It follows a barren domestic run for United, but in Europe they’ve been kept afloat by Cristiano Ronaldo’s uncanny ability to score in stoppage time.
So now under the caretaker tutelage of Michael Carrick, United take on Europa League winners Villarreal tonight in Spain.
The Yellow Submarine aren’t enjoying the best of season’s in La Liga, but showed at Old Trafford in their 2-1 defeat that they are serious contenders for the knockouts.
And that has been demonstrated by back-to-back wins over Young Boys and Atalanta, making this a huge game in the context of Group F.
For the winners, most likely qualification and the pressure off going into Gameweek 6. For the losers, all very much to play for.
Kick-off in Spain is set for 5.45pm, so settle in for some tea-time football right here on SunSport.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
