It's almost time to put the dismal Young Boys defeat two weeks ago behind us, with Champions League action returning to Old Trafford tonight. After the weekend loss against Villa (making it three defeats in four matches), it's time for United to face Villarreal. We all know what happened last time we faced Unai Emery's side...
The fixture is a repeat of May's Europa League Final, which saw United fall to the Spaniards on penalties in Gdansk. Gerard Moreno gave Villarreal a first half lead, before Edinson Cavani poached to cancel out the advantage early in the second period. Remaining level after extra time, spot kicks would decide the outcome - it was gruelling. The first 10 penalties were converted by each side, with the goalkeepers now next to step up; Geronimo Rulli finished, but David de Gea was denied after a tame effort. United paid the price for a really underwhelming display, with a distinct improvement necessary to flip the outcome later today.
Without the Europa League victory, Villarreal wouldn't have tasted Champions League football this season given their 7th place finish in La Liga. Their last appearance in the elite European competition was 10 years ago, with a clean sweep of losses tasted in a group alongside Bayern Munich, Napoli and Manchester City.
Ignoring a penalties loss to Chelsea in the Super Cup prior to the regular season, the Spanish outfit are unbeaten so far this campaign. However, only a single victory sees them sit 11th in La Liga (with a game in hand which could see them rise to 8th). They kicked their season off with back-to-back goalless draws, before holding reigning Champions Atletico Madrid to a 2-2 draw. Following a postponement of the scheduled fixture with Alaves, Villarreal once again experienced a 0-0 stalemate. They finally got off the mark with a 4-1 victory against Elche, before holding Real Madrid at the weekend for their 4th goalless draw of the season.
In the midst of the concoction of domestic draws, Villarreal also took a point from their Champions League opener against Atalanta. The 2-2 draw saw Francis Coquelin dismissed after Robin Gosen's equaliser for the Italians, seeing him suspended for tonight's encounter. In addition, the visiting contingent are without star man and Europa League Final goalscorer Moreno due to a muscular issue.
As for United, it’s contrasting fortunes for the pair who got injured at the weekend. Luke Shaw’s injury doesn’t appear serious; though he didn’t train yesterday, Solskjaer hasn’t ruled out the left back being involved come tonight. Harry Maguire - meanwhile - could face a few weeks on the sidelines with a slightly more severe calf issue. Aaron Wan-Bissaka is suspended after his red card against Young Boys, leaving United limited in terms of defensive options. Marcus Rashford and Amad Diallo have been present at Carrington, but aren’t yet training with the team.
Solskjaer claims it isn't a "must win", but we all know it is.
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