It is advantage Manchester United at the halfway point of this epic European tie after the English outfit edged past Celta Vigo, 1-0, in their first leg clash last Thursday. Marcus Rashford scored a stunning free-kick for the Red Devils, who are just 90 minutes away from securing their first-ever Europa League final.
With United holding a slim one-goal advantage, it’s crucial for Jose Mourinho’s men to pack the midfield and pick apart Celta Vigo on the counter-attack. Fortunately for Mourinho, he can utilize the speedy Rashford for this specific game plan. The 19-year-old has been superb for United in this competition. He also scored a game-winner in the quarterfinal tie against Anderlecht. Another guy who’s expected to contribute in this critical contest is Henrikh Mkhitaryan. He has scored five goals in nine Europa League matches this season.
A draw would be enough for United to advance and they are more than capable of achieving that because of their excellent home form. The Red Devils have won all six of their European games at Old Trafford this season. They have not lost in their last 17 UEFA home games.
Manchester United are pegged at -270to score first in this match.
Celta Vigo’s season is crumbling before their eyes. They arrive at Old Trafford on a five-match losing streak, their worst run since 2014. That includes their 1-0 first-leg loss to Manchester United. Celta also lost 3-0 to Malaga over the weekend, although they sat a handful of their first-choice players in preparation for this pivotal second leg.
It won’t get any easier for Celta Vigo against a United side that has never lost a two-legged UEFA tie after winning the first leg away from home. The one saving grace for Celta will be their impressive away form. Celta, who are bidding to win their first major trophy in Europe, have scored in all six of their Europa League away matches this season.
One guy who needs to step up for Celta in this second-leg tie is Iago Aspas. The 29-year-old has been superb for the Spanish outfit in this competition, scoring five goals and dishing out two assists in 11 Europa League matches this season. Aspas will need to be at his best, though, against a United defense that has surrendered just seven goals in this competition, the fewest in the Europa League this campaign.
Celta Vigo are pegged at +245to score first in this match.
Writer’s Prediction
Manchester United (-202) barge into the Europa League finals with a nervy 1-0 win.
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