Europa League: Man United Must Not Slip Up at Sheriff

Sheriff Tiraspol vs Manchester United

Manchester United’s Europa League campaign got off to a bumpy start after they lost 1-0 at home to Real Sociedad in their group opener.

But Erik Ten Hag’s Red Devils should be more than ready to redeem themselves as they travel to Chisinau to take on Moldovan champions FC Sheriff.

The Wasps famously stung eventual champions Real Madrid in last year’s group stage, and they will be eager to defy the Champions League 2022 betting odds once again and claim another famous European scalp.

Talking Points

Man United midfield still a work in progress

After Manchester United’s recent resurgence in the Premier League – four consecutive wins, including big home victories over rivals Liverpool and league leaders Arsenal – they stumbled to a 1-0 defeat in their Europa League opener at home to Real Sociedad.

Head coach Erik ten Hag significantly rotated his side for their midweek European match. That meant a start for Cristiano Ronaldo, whose relegation to the bench coincided with United’s winning run, in place of Marcus Rashford. But the Portuguese poacher was unable to make a significant as none of his four shots were on target.

ten Hag also fielded a curious midfield of Casemiro – who was making his first start for his new club – partnering Christian Eriksen as the double pivot, with Fred playing further forward in place of Bruno Fernandes.

It will take a while for this new-look United midfield to gel, but the added preparation time brought about by the postponement of their Premier League match will give ten Hag some much-needed practice time on the training pitch.

With Anthony Martial still out injured and Marcus Rashford missing in training, Ronaldo may very well keep his starting place against Sheriff.

Although, Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho are prime candidates to return to the first XI after the front line stuttered against La Real.

Sheriff hoping to shoot down another European giant

FC Sheriff are off to another strong start this season. The Moldovan champions for the last seven straight years are once again running away with the Moldovan National Division. They have won five of their first seven games and are six points clear at the top.

Sheriff are coming off a 2-0 win over second-placed Milsami Orhei in a top-of-the-table clash last weekend. It was their third clean sheet in a row and seventh in their last eight games.

And Sheriff also began their Europa League campaign on the right foot as they beat Omonia Nicosia 3-0 in their Group E opener. They were up after just two minutes through Rasheed Akanbi. Iyayi Atiemwen and Mouhamed Diop then scored in the second half to seal the victory.

The Nigerian duo of Akanbi and Atiemwen are new additions to the side this season. They came in over the summer to help fill the void left by Adama Traore and Sebastien Thill, who were key players for Sheriff last season.

The pace of those two lends itself to Sheriff’s counter attacking style, which they used to shock Real Madrid in the Champions League last season.

History

This will be the first-ever competitive meeting between Manchester United and FC Sheriff.

After failing to qualify from the Champions League group stage, Sheriff successfully made it back to the Europa League group stage for the first time since the 2017-18 season. They finished third in their group that year behind Lokomotiv Moscow and FC Copenhagen.

As for Man United, they are back in the Europa League group stage for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign. They made it all the way to the semi-finals that year, losing to Sevilla in a one-legged tie.

United also made the final of the Europa League in 2021 after they were knocked out of the Champions League group stage. However, they suffered a dramatic penalty shootout defeat to Villarreal.

Betting Tip 

SBOTOP odds have Manchester United installed as heavy 1.22 favourites to pick up the away win in Chisinau. FC Sheriff are priced at 7.80 while a draw is 5.80.

Man United will no doubt be keen to get off the mark in the Europa League, and with all the quality they possess, they should come away from Chisinau with all three points.

But Sheriff have shown that they are not to be underestimated. While it would be a tough ask for them to beat Man United, they are still capable of giving the Red Devils a close and competitive match.

 

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