Fenerbahçe v Manchester United preview – hunt continues for first Europa League win

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·23 de outubro de 2024

Fenerbahçe v Manchester United preview – hunt continues for first Europa League win

This Thursday, Fenerbahçe welcome Manchester United in the third round of the Europa League league phase.

The opposition has plenty of ex-Manchester United personnel within their squad. Jose Mourinho is the boss of the Turkish giants – Fred and Sofyan Amrabat operate their central area.

Vídeos OneFootball

Erik ten Hag’s side earned their first win in six games after a well-earned comeback against Brentford at the weekend.

Manchester United recent form

Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images

United are still searching for the first win in the newly formatted Europa League. Two consecutive draws against FC Twente and Porto mean additional pressure is on the shoulders of Erik ten Hag.

Since the introduction of group-stage football in 1991/92, Manchester United have never failed to win any of their three opening games.

This side took the lead in both fixtures before surrendering the lead.

Jose Mourinho and his side will offer a stern test for Erik ten Hag. The 20-time champions will have to battle hard to acquire all three points.

Marcus Rashford put in a spirited performance in the weekend win over Brentford. He assisted Alejandro Garnacho in getting the equaliser and created four chances (the most he has produced in a single game since 2019).

Supporters will hope Rasmus Hojlund keeps up his goalscoring form after netting the winner. The Danish striker netted 8 goals in 8 appearances last season and has repeatedly shown how clinical he can be in front of goal.

A look at the opposition

The Turkish side is fourth in the league, 8 points off league leaders Galatasaray with a game in hand.

They are unbeaten in four fixtures and currently sit 13th in the Europa League after beating Union Saint-Gilloise in the opening round.

Jose Mourinho’s side have only suffered one loss this season – to league leaders Galatasaray.

Their joint top goalscorers are former Premier League stars Dusan Tadic and Edin Dzeko (5) as Fred (3) follows behind.

Expectations are high in Istanbul as supporters anticipated them to kick on from last season. The Yellow Canaries (Sarı Kanaryalar) had a busy summer by introducing eight players to boost their title hopes.

One of Fenerbahçe’s summer arrivals is former Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri. The Moroccan may appear in the nightmares of the Reds after his double last year knocked United out of Europe.

Must win fixture

Many expected Manchester United to have won at least one of the opening two Europa League fixtures. These expectations increased when this side took the lead on both occasions before giving it up.

Although ten Hag’s side will be in no immediate danger of an early European exit, a win is essential to keep hopes high.

On the back of a convincing victory over Brentford, retaining a winning mentality is crucial.

United head to London to take on West Ham this Sunday as Julen Lopetegui’s side will offer a tough test. Defeat has been the outcome of the last two visits to the London Stadium.

The other side of the coin is that Manchester United have lost one of their last eight games in all competitions.

This team must showcase a ruthless aspect to obtain two victories this week.