Manchester United vs Braga – Match Preview

Champions league football is back as Manchester United take on Sporting Braga at Old Trafford. Sir Alex’s team will be without experienced defenders Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra, as the Scot gives them a much needed off ahead of the Premier League clash against Chelsea next weekend. Here’s a look at the stats, the formations and much more.

Manchester United

The Red Devils will be in action after a convincing 4-2 win against Stoke City during the weekend, with a chance to go one step further in cementing a berth in the next round of the Champions League. With Rio Ferdinand and Evra being rested, chances are that Scot Wootton and left back Alex Buttner will start against the Portuguese outfit. Ashley Young also stands a chance of making his come back into the team, after being sidelined since August due to a knee injury. Sir Alex has hinted that Phil Jones and Chris Smalling are now on the road to recovery and will be back in a couple of weeks time. United may field a team focusing on wing play, even though the diamond has worked well. Other changes may see Nani featuring on the right wing, with Hernandez playing at the top. Don’t be surprised to see the conventional 4-4-2 being employed in this game. The Red Devils will be going for their third win in a row and are unbeaten against Portuguese teams in their last eight meetings.

Probable Line up: De Gea, Rafael, Evans, Wootton, Buttner, Valencia, Kagawa, Cleverly, Young, Welbeck, Hernandez

Sporting Braga

Braga finished third in the Portuguese league last season enabling them to qualify for the Champions League. Jose Peseiro’s team suffered a shock defeat in their opening fixture against Cluj, and then bounced back with a 2-0 win against Turkish club Galatasaray. Known for their counter attacking style of play, Braga would try to unlock the United defense which has conceded first in 7 out of the total 11 games that they have played in this season. They are also expected to field a team with 4-2-1-3 formation, with the tall Guyanese forward Eder leading the attack. They also have the expertise of the experienced Brazilian Alan and Hugo Viana in the center of midfield, with the latter having played for Newcastle and Valencia previously. Braga have won four of their last five matches against English opponents in Europe, conceding just one goal. Peseiro’s team would try to maintain the impressive run against the Red Devils.

Probable Line up: Beto, Salino, Douglas, Vinicius, Elderson, Custodio, Viana, Alan, Amorim, Eder, Micael