Man Utdvs.Rangers

While the Red Devils currently sit seventh in the 36-team table, the Gers are just one point and one place further back in eighth spot.

Match preview

Just three Premier League wins in 11 games does not make for good reading if you are Man United head coach Ruben Amorim, who has described his Red Devils side as "maybe the worst" in the club's 147-year history following last weekend's humbling 3-1 home defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Bruno Fernandes' first-half penalty was Man United's only shot on target against the Seagulls, while another mistake from goalkeeper Andre Onana - his fourth of the season leading to a goal - allowed Georginio Rutter to score the visitors' third and condemn Amorim's men to their fourth home defeat in five matches.

Languishing in 13th place in the Premier League table, Man United's hopes of securing European football for next season seem to be fading every passing week, with 11 points now separating the 20-time English champions from the top seven, while they are 10 points clear of the relegation zone.

Success in the Europa League would salvage something positive from what has been a dismal campaign thus far, and Man United are on course to secure an automatic last-16 spot as they currently sit inside the top eight, one point clear of ninth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, with two games remaining - they beat Viktoria Plzen 2-1 away in their most recent match last month.

The Red Devils, one of five teams who are yet to lose in this season's Europa League, will face FCSB in their final League Phase fixture, but they must first focus on Thursday's clash with a Rangers outfit whom they have never suffer defeat against in four previous meetings (W3 D1), keeping four clean sheets in the process.

Amorim is not the only manager under pressure to grind out positive results, as Philippe Clement is tasked with turning Rangers' fortunes around on all fronts after being backed by the club's hierarchy.

Since enduring a run of just two wins in eight games across all competitions, and since CEO Patrick Stewart revealed that "changing a manager isn't a silver bullet solution", Rangers have won each of their last three matches under Clement by an aggregate score of 11-1.

After securing maximum points in Scottish Premiership games against St Johnstone (3-1) and Aberdeen, the Gers cruised to an emphatic 5-0 win at home to Highland League outfit Fraserburgh in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup last weekend, with Cyriel Dessers netting a hat-trick.

Rangers may sit 13 points behind Old Firm rivals Celtic in the Scottish Premiership, but they are in a decent position to secure a last-16 spot in the Europa League, currently clinging on to a top-eight position, while they are four points clear of the elimination zone heading into their final two fixtures against Man United and Union SG.

The Glaswegian giants, who picked up a point in a 1-1 draw with Spurs in their last Europa League match, travel to Old Trafford on Thursday having won just one of their last eight European away games against English opposition - a 2-1 success over Leeds United in qualifying for the 1992-93 Champions League.

Manchester United Europa League form:

D

D

D

W

W

W

Manchester United form (all competitions):

L

L

D

W

W

L

Rangers Europa League form:

W

L

W

D

W

D

Rangers form (all competitions):

W

D

D

W

W

W

Team News

Man United quartet Luke Shaw (calf), Mason Mount (thigh), Victor Lindelof (unspecified) and Jonny Evans (muscle) all remain sidelined as they continue to recover from injury.

Marcus Rashford has missed the Red Devils' last nine matches since featuring in the Europa League win over Viktoria Plzen on December 12, and the attacker is set to remain away from Amorim's side amidst uncertainty over his future, while Antony is also unlikely to feature as he is reportedly close to joining Real Betis on loan.

Centre-back Lisandro Martinez and striker Rasmus Hojlund were both left out of the starting lineup last weekend, but they could be recalled at the expense of Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee respectively.

As for Rangers, Dujon Sterling (foot), John Souttar, Oscar Cortes (both unspecified), Neraysho Kasanwirjo (knee) and ex-Red Devil Tom Lawrence (knock) all remain sidelined with injuries, while Mohamed Diomande is suspended having picked up three yellow cards in the League Phase.

Rafael Fernandes has joined the Gers on loan from Lille, but he is ineligible to represent the club at this stage of the competition, while former Man United loanee Jack Butland is doubtful, despite returning to training this week after a spell on the sidelines recovering from 'internal bleeding'.

Nicolas Raskin has won possession more than any other player in this season's Europa League (48) and the Belgian is expected to start in centre-midfield alongside Connor Barron, while Hamza Igamane - who has scored four goals in his last four Europa League games - could be recalled at the expense of Dessers.

Manchester United possible starting lineup:

Onana; Yoro, Maguire, Martinez; Mazraoui, Eriksen, Ugarte, Dalot; Diallo, Fernandes; Hojlund

Rangers possible starting lineup:

Kelly; Tavernier, Propper, Balogun, Jefte; Barron, Raskin; Cerny, Bajrami, Yilmaz; Igamane

We say: Manchester United 2-2 Rangers

Victory for either side would significantly boost their chances of qualifying automatically for the last 16, while Amorim could become only the third Man United boss after Sir Matt Busby (1956) and Sir Alex Ferguson (1990) to win his first three European games in charge of the club.

However, considering their form, particularly at Old Trafford, the Red Devils could come up short once again against a rejuvenated Rangers outfit, who may find a way to claim a share of the spoils in Manchester.

Written by

Oliver Thomas

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