Atalanta tipped to expose Man Utd flaw that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must solve

Atalanta have been backed to "put Manchester United in difficulty" by former player Massimo Taibi.

The two teams will square off at Old Trafford in the Champions League with the Red Devils in desperate need of a result.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer watched his team lose 4-2 at Leicester on Saturday with their defensive flaws exposed by the Foxes.

Atalanta, one of Europe's most-improved teams over the past few years, are known for their possession-based game that could harm United.

Solskjaer's star-studded line-up has been accused of being top heavy, which allows teams to cut through them.

The Serie A outfit secured a memorable win at Liverpool in this competition last season and another positive result could be on the cards.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saw his side well beaten at Leicester on Saturday

Taibi told BergamoNews : "With classy players like [Josip] Ilicic and [Luis] Muriel, yes, they can put them in difficulty, because United attacks but also leaves you the space to reply.

" Manchester United are strong. On paper they can be even stronger than Atalanta. But La Dea must not distort itself. They must respect the opponent and yet be aware of their own strengths.

"After all, at Anfield or in Amsterdam, Atalanta were able to grasp results that seemed almost impossible on paper.

"Atalanta have a good chance of claiming a positive result."

The Italian club beat Empoli 4-1 at the weekend and come into the game against the Red Devils having won four of their last six in all competitions.

United have three points from their opening two fixtures in Europe having beaten Villarreal last time out courtesy of a late Cristiano Ronaldo strike.

Solskjaer is under increasing pressure at Old Trafford and former teammate Gary Neville has challenged them to find a formation that helps them defensively.

United have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight games and have been exposed out of possession on numerous occasions.

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Their team sheet boasts some incredible names, but their lack of cohesion has seen questions asked of Solskjaer.

Neville said on Sky Sports : "The disconnected team was exacerbated by individual errors, and they ended up losing the game and rightly so... this Manchester United team play in moments, they haven't got a style or identity, but they have brilliant players.

"What you've got to try and do is get into a shape of some kind, and work on that shape so you can keep a clean sheet or lose one goal while always scoring two or three."