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Manchester United have a tough test at home on Tuesday night as they welcome Juventus to Old Trafford on match-day three of the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League. The Red Devils have not been in good form this season but there was plenty of encouragement during Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea.
However, Jose Mourinho’s side have little time to dwell on that result, as a much tougher opposition awaits in Europe. In truth, Old Trafford has missed such big European nights in recent years, but for Man United, the far bigger picture is the quality of opposition they will face on Tuesday.
While the Red Devils have not had the best of starts to the season, the situation is the exact opposite for Juventus who are yet to lose a game since the season started. The Serie A champions also sit above Man United in Group H, having won both of their opening two games in Europe.
This leaves the English side with a very long mountain to climb. That coupled with Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence at the opposite side makes Juve the favourites for this fixture. However, the Red Devils still have what it takes to steal a victory on Tuesday night.
Below are three reasons why Man United could beat Juventus:
#3 Man United have momentum on their side
The international break has often been described as a blessing and a curse depending on which side of the divide you find your club. This is because whiles some teams return from the break in resurgence, other also see their fortunes dwindle after the break.
The current situations of Manchester United and Juventus typify this scenario. The Red Devils went into the international break on a back of a torrid few weeks just before staging that 3-2 comeback win over Newcastle United in the Premier League. However, the break gave the club enough time to regroup.
With all the dressing room tension, players certainly had time to reflect and get their arts back together during the break and that was evident in the kind of performances they exhibited against Chelsea last weekend. On the contrary, the break seemed to have affected the momentum of Juventus who had not dropped a single point before then.
But over the weekend, the Old Lady drew with Genoa, bringing an end to the club’s 100% record this season. Although Juve remain unbeaten, the momentum is definitely now with Man United after that morale-boosting draw at Chelsea and that could just be what they need to break down the Italian side on Tuesday.
#2 The home advantage
Football is a very unpredictable game, but one thing that is certain is that home advantage often counts during matches. As a result, Manchester United will definitely feel buoyant going into their UCL tie with Juventus. The Red Devils have also proven countlessly that they are not an easy side to beat at home.
This season, United has only lost once at home in the Premier League, which came in that uncharacteristic 0-3 reverse at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur. However, the club has been decent in Europe, winning against Young Boys and drawing with Valencia.
In that draw against Valencia, it was obvious that Jose Mourinho opted to play it very safe, but following a period where fans have called for attacking football, the Portuguese will have no choice than to allow his players play with freedom on Tuesday night.
Juventus have a good team, but it will still be a daunting task to pick up three points in front of an Old Trafford crowd. That doesn’t happen quite often and it is likely to remain when the Red Devils face the Old Lady. Not many teams come to Old Trafford and win and psychologically this plays to Man United’s advantage.
#1 Players finally playing for Mourinho
There was a moment during Manchester United’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea that caught the attention of many football fans. Towards the end of the game when Jose Mourinho decided to substitute Anthony Martial, the Frenchman walked to him and gave him a big hug as both men smiled.
It was the perfect picture that things were getting back to normalcy between the players and their manager. In the 3-2 win over Newcastle United, the Red Devils showed zeal and fight to come back from 2-0 down. And against Chelsea, the players again showed that desire to keep fighting.
This is the kind of attitude that gets a team to win. There may still be lingering problems, but once the players find their desires to play for the manager again, almost half of those problems are solved. Juventus would have been happier facing Man United earlier in the season when things looked gloom.
However, currently, Mourinho’s charges are on a massive resurgence and seriously want to prove a point to their critics. The desire to play and to win is back, and Juventus could just be the latest club to fall at Old Trafford.
