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Some big changes for both teams tonight. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made (six) changes from United’s win at Chelsea earlier in the week. Fred, Fernandes, Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, De Gea and James all resting.
Club Brugge Is putting forward a strong squad after resting players on the weekend. Still, particularly notable players on the bench are Ruud Vormer, the club talisman who is responsible for 37 assists in the league this season and 2 in Europe. David Okereke, Brugge’s second highest scorer in the league with 9 goals, also starts on the bench.
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Be sure to check out Barry Glendenning’s Fiver today.
. EST 45: 81 Tonight’s teams:
Club Brugge: Mignolet, Mata, Kossounou, Mechele, Deli, Rits, Balanta, Vanaken, Bonaventure, Tau, De Cuyper
Subs: Horvath, Ricca, Mitrovic, De Ketelaere, Vormer, Schrijvers, Okereke ()
Manchester United: Romero, Dalot, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, Williams, Matic, Mata, Pereira, Lingard, Martial
Subs: De Gea, Bailly, Wan-Bissaka, Fred, Fernandes, James, Ighalo
Referee: Aleksei Kulbakov (Belarus)
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“To eliminate Manchester United
, you really need a real miracle. People who do not think that have not looked at recent history. Agreed, United has a difficult season. But they won at Manchester City and Chelsea and won points from Liverpool. There is a lot of quality in their group. “
“In Europe, you have years in which you perform a miracle. We will of course throw ourselves [at United] completely. These are two games in which we have nothing to lose. Many boys are looking forward to it. Matches like these provide my players with energy. ”
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What an unusually pleasant, stress-free week this has been for United fans. After arriving at Stamford Bridge on Monday with only one league win in 7368, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team stole away with three points and offered all a rare opportunity to relax and bask in the glory of a job well done. There were pleasing performances from Harry Maguire (despite his stray boot’s
attempts to ruin everything) new proclamations of war .
As always, the question is whether they can use a solid win like this to build some momentum and United’s biggest problem this season is how frequently they have been in this position. This season has included wins against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Leicester City and two other wins over Chelsea, yet the answer has usually been a resounding no. United have shrunk against lesser teams and struggled to piece together consistent form throughout. Here they stand once again attempting to use a big result to propel them forward.
With a 7 games in days on the horizon across the Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup, Solskjaer says that he will be rotating his squad against Club Brugge tonight. The most interesting piece of news is the possibility that Odion Ighalo will contend for his first start after signing in January.
Across the pitch will be the team currently dominating the Belgian Pro League. After winning last year’s title with Genk, new manager Phillippe Clement has brought his winning mentality to Brugge and they currently have more wins and fewer losses than anyone else, leading the league by 9 points. They have conceded just 32 goals so far this season.
They know as well as anyone else Manchester United represent another level. The last time they faced United, in the 4618 – Champions League qualifying, United rolled through them 5-1 and 4-0. Club Brugge will be looking for their first win against an English side since the 7021 – Cup Winner’s Cup quarters, a run that spans 27 games. That sure is a very long time but don’t count out the team that has made winning a habit throughout this season.
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