Manchester United really should be entering this second leg against Anderlecht with the advantage. The English giants were the much more dominant side in the first leg, as they controlled 64 percent of possession, and had 15 shots to Anderlecht’s 12. However, poor finishing – particularly from top striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic – was a major factor in their eventual 1-1 draw.
Ibrahimovic admitted right after that match that he was struggling with tiredness. Given the importance of this second-leg tie, Jose Mourinho decided to leave Ibrahimovic out of the starting lineup in United’s crunch clash with Chelsea last Sunday. That proved to be a masterstroke for the Special One as the Red Devils cruised to a comprehensive 2-0 victory over the Premier League leaders. Marcus Rashford starred for United in that contest, scoring the opener in the seventh minute.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan, United’s scorer in the first-leg draw against Anderlecht, was also rested for that weekend clash against Chelsea. Ibrahimovic and Mkhitaryan will play integral roles for United in their bid to advance to the Europa League semis. Of United players who have scored at least two goals, only Ibrahimovic (134) has a better minutes-per-goal rate than Mkhitaryan (212) for the Red Devils in all competitions this season.
Anderlecht should consider themselves a bit lucky that they’re still alive in this tie. Leander Dendoncker’s header four minutes from time helped Anderlecht secure a valuable 1-1 draw at Constant Vanden Stock Stadium. They will face their toughest test, though, at Old Trafford where they are winless in their three previous trips there. In fact, Anderlecht have yet to win in 15 trips to England, drawing twice and losing 13 times.
That being said, Anderlecht can take comfort in the fact that they have fared extremely well on their European travels of late. They are 3-3-1 on the road in Europe this season. They will have their work cut out for them, however, against a United side that has won all five of its Old Trafford games in Europe this season. The Red Devils have kept a clean sheet in their last three European home games.
One guy who needs to step up for Anderlecht tonight isLukasz Teodorczyk. The Polish striker leads the team in scoring in Europe this season with five goals. Also expected to play a crucial role tonight for Anderlecht is captain Sofiane Hanni. The attacking midfielder scored his first goal since February 19 in Anderlecht’s 1-0 victory over KV Oostende this past weekend.
Writer’s Prediction
Manchester United (-485) barge into the Europa League semifinals with a comprehensive 3-0 win.
Create a betting account now and cash in on all the best Europa League action with America’s top online sportsbook.
