Manchester United will be bidding to end a successful 2021-22 Champions League group-stage campaign on a positive note when they welcome Young Boys to Old Trafford on Wednesday night.
This will be the fourth meeting between Manchester United and Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League – the Red Devils won the first two in the 2018-19 group stage, before losing 1-2 away from home earlier in this season’s competition.
Swiss teams have only won two of their last 27 away games against English teams in European competition (D8 L17), with both of those victories being achieved by Basel – 2-1 v Chelsea in September 2013 and Manchester City in March 2018. Young Boys are winless in their four attempts among these fixtures, drawing once and losing three of them.
Since losing to Young Boys on MD1 of this season’s UEFA Champions League, Manchester United have gone unbeaten in their last four games in the competition (W3 D1) – they last went five without defeat in the UEFA Champions League in the 2013-14 group stage under David Moyes (6), winning four and drawing two.
Young Boys have lost their last six away games in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, between 1986 and 2021, with their last away win coming back in August 1960 against Limerick. The Swiss side have failed to score in five of their last six away from home across the competitions (one goal in total), while they’ve conceded 15 goals in return.
Manchester United have won three games with goals scored in the final 15 minutes of play in the UEFA Champions League this season (v Villarreal x2 and v Atalanta); the most of any team. This season’s reverse fixture between the Red Devils and Young Boys was also won with a goal scored in the final 15 minutes of the game, with Jordan Siebatcheu netting a 95th minute winner for the Swiss side.
Manchester United Team News:
United will again be without the services of Raphael Varane and Paul Pogba for the Champions League contest, while Edinson Cavani, Luke Shaw, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard are all doubts.
There is a chance that Martial could return from the issue that forced him to miss out against Palace, but it would not be a surprise to see the likes of Cavani and Shaw miss out once again.
Ahead of Saturday’s clash with Norwich, Rangnick will make wholesale changes to his side, with Dean Henderson, Eric Bailly, Teden Mengi, Donny van de Beek, Juan Mata, Mason Greenwood and Anthony Elanga all potentially coming into the XI.
Nemanja Matic and Aaron Wan-Bissaka could also be back in the side, having returned to the bench against Palace after missing the win over Arsenal through injury.
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Henderson; Wan-Bissaka, Mengi, Bailly, Telles; Matic, Van de Beek; Greenwood, Mata, Elanga; Martial
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