Manchester United have a tough task this week as they face the league-leaders of two of Europe’s top five leagues in a span of five days. The Red Devils face Juventus at Turin on Wednesday before heading to the Etihad for the derby on the weekend.
Will Jose Mourinho go for the win? Should Alexis start as a number nine? We take a look at the talking points ahead of the big fixture.
Mourinho’s pragmatism
United are currently second in their Champions League group, five points behind leader Juventus who have managed to claim all nine points. Valencia are third with just two points and bottom placed Young Boys have a solitary point.
United entertained Valencia in a 0-0 stalemate earlier this season and the two teams will lock horns for the runners-up spot with Juventus winning the group in all probability. This means that a draw away to Juventus wouldn’t be the worst result in the world for Mourinho’s men. They would then postpone the job to Spain on the last match-day.
Given how poor Valencia have fared in the league, United can afford to place their bets on the final game rather than attempting to upset Juventus, risk being beaten and have their morale shattered going into the weekend’s derby.
This also aligns with Mourinho’s line of thinking and it’s possible that we’ll see a boring game with no team trying hard, not unlike the France v Denmark game in the World Cup. Mourinho will be looking to “park the bus”, with retreating wingers and a physical presence like Fellaini in midfield to win the 50-50 balls at the expense of someone creative like Fred.
Lukaku’s loss Sanchez’s gain?
Lukaku was left out against Bournemouth due to a training-injury. Alexis Sanchez, an unlikely replacement at the number-nine position did have a fairly good game and Mourinho might look to the Chilean to inspire the Reds on Wednesday.
Although the size of the sample set is not great, Alexis managed to produce 2.28 key-passes per 90 minutes, more than the Belgian (1.18). The Chilean also boasts of a higher xA (Expected assists) of 0.18 per 90 minutes, 0.07 greater than Lukaku and did get himself an assist thanks to Anthony Martial. Lukaku’s lack of involvement in build-up paves the way for Alexis who can provide some creativity.
Marcus Rashford is another potential candidate for Lukaku’s spot. The youngster came on as a substitute and scored a late winner against Bournemouth but had an average game overall. A fixture of this magnitude demands experience and the Chilean might be preferred here.
Juventus’s unbreachable defence
Juventus have not conceded a single goal in the tournament. The Old Lady haven’t lost a group stage game at Turin since December 2009. The odds are clearly in their favour and will remain to do so, barring a miracle. Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini have been solid at the back and Cancelo has been fruitful in attack.
Giorgio Chiellini
Wojciech Szczesny has been in top form for the Old Lady of late and will be looking to add another cleansheet to his tally. Juventus can mathematically qualify as group-winners if they beat United on Wednesday and they will try to get the job done.
Verdict
Manchester United can do with a draw and take the group to Spain on the final day. Note that they will be playing Manchester City on the weekend. Juventus will look to keep their 100 percent record but with the group virtually in the bag and a trip to San Siro to face Milan on the weekend, the players can afford to play a relaxed game on Wednesday and take home just one point. This high-voltage tie can prove to be a pallid one, should both managers think pragmatically.
Prediction: Juventus 1-0 Manchester United
