Fenerbahce vs. Manchester United Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Fenerbahce:
Livakovic; Djiku, Soyuncu, Becao, Muldur; Amrabat, Fred; Tadic, Szymanski, Saint-Maximin; En-Nesyri
Manchester United:
Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Dalot; Ugarte, Casemiro; Garnacho, Eriksen, Rashford; Hojlund
Fenerbahce will welcome Manchester United to the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in the most interesting clash of the third round in Europa League. It is a match between the former United manager Jose Mourinho and under pressure Erik ten Hag. It is very hard to predict the winners here, but the fact Fenerbahce have the home advantage could decide the match. Fenerbahce have four points after two rounds, beating Belgian outfit Union Royale and playing an 1:1 draw with Twente. The domestic results are not at desired level, the Yellow Canaries have slipped eight points behind leaders Galatasaray. The Portuguese coach has five injury worries. The last reports confirmed that left-back Jayden Oosterwolde has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament against Samsunspor last weekend and most probably he will miss the remaining part of the season. This is the worst possible news for Mourinho. Four additional players are out injured - Cengiz Under, Ismail Yuksek, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Irfan Can Egribayat. To be worse, Filip Kostic, Oguz Aydin, Bartug Elmaz and Levent Mercan have all been left out of the club's Europa League squad.
Manchester United are in very complicated situation. Domestically, they sit in the middle of the table with 11 points from eight matches. The fans are frustrated, they are tired from waiting better times. Manager Erik ten Hag is under big pressure, but so far he managed to survive. The fact they lost 3:0 to Liverpool and 3:0 to Tottenham - both at Old Trafford - made them angry. The results in Europe are not much better. The Red Devils have just two points from the first two rounds of Europa League. The away draw with Porto could somehow be swallowed, but the home draw with Twente certainly not. Ten Hag has some injury and suspension worries ahead of this match. Captain Bruno Fernandes is suspended after being sent-off against Porto in the previous round. His absence is a huge handicap for Ten Hag as he has no adequate replacement. In terms of injuries, Kobbie Mainoo, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Mason Mount and Toby Collyer are all sidelined. Casemiro is rated as doubtful after coming off against Brentford with a calf injury. Leny Yoro has returned to training but it seems this match is coming too soon for him.
Fenerbahce vs. Manchester United Prediction:
I expect Fenerbahce to win this game. The key reason for my pick is the home advantage. The Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul will be the 12th player for the Yellow Canaries. They are unbeaten on the last seven home games in Europa League, winning four of them. Furthermore, Fenerbahce have won their last two home encounters with Manchester United. The Red Devils are in very complicated situation domestically and Erik ten Hag must think to the upcoming match with West Ham next weekend. The absence of suspended captain Bruno Fernandes is also a huge handicap for Ten Hag as he has no adequate replacement.
Fenerbahce vs. Manchester United Pick: Fenerbahce to win @ 3.01 with
Pinnacle