'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Manchester United will start their Europa League campaign against Kazakhstan’s champions, FC Astana, on Thursday at Old Trafford. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men are coming to this game at the back of a 1-0 win over Leicester City in the English Premier League. It was Marcus Rashford's penalty that gave United the lead, after the Foxes’ centre-back Caglar Soyuncu brought him down in the box. However, the Red Devils have had their fair shares of problems, on both the attacking and defensive fronts.
On the other hand, Roman Hryhorchuk's men won their last league game 2-1 against Shakter Karagandy. They are currently sitting on third position in the Kazakhstan Premier League. Despite that, they will want to make amends and perform at their very best in Europe.
The odds at BigPesa are clearly in Manchester United’s favour, as they are favourites to win at 1.25.
Last meeting between the two sides
Both the sides will meet each other for the first time. In fact, it will be the first match against any English opponents for the side from Kazakhstan. Roman Hryhorchuk's men have won only two of their last six away games. Beating United at Old Trafford will be a mammoth task for them and they won’t mind escaping with a point, as it would be a huge thing for the Kazakhstani champions.
However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men are very well versed in the Europa League, as the Red Devils have won their last nine Europa League fixtures. BigPesa confirms that it is United’s game-to-lose, as they are favoured at 1.25. A draw is valued at 7.0, while a win for the visitors is placed at 14.0.
Will Manchester United run riot once again?
On paper, it looks like that it will be difficult for Roman Hryhorchuk's side to get anything out of this game. Astana will look to put up a good fight and give a good account of themselves at Old Trafford. Marin Tomassov will be vested with the responsibility to score goals against the Red Devils, as the Croatian winger is the highest goal-scorer for Astana. Icelandic midfielder Runar Mar Sigurjonsson will also add steel to the Astana midfield. Experienced players like Ivan Mayevsky, Dmitry Shomko and Yuri Logvinenko in defence and 37-year old goalkeeper Nenad Eric, will be crucial for the visitors in this big tie.
Meanwhile, Solskjaer may field a less experienced line up containing a few academy players and non-regular squad players for this match, but will want nothing less than a win from this tie. Therefore, we can see Sergio Romero between the sticks, with youngsters like Alex Tuanzebe, Tahith Chong, Mason Greenwood and Angel Gomes featuring in the starting eleven.
BigPesa adds that Marcus Rashford (1.61) is the favourite to score in this fixture, while Greenwood (1.76) is also a good choice. Anthony Martial, if fit, will also be a player to watch out for (1.63).
