On Thursday evening, from 20:00 pm, the “devils” of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer meet at Old Trafford with AZ Alkmaar, in the last stage of the UEFA Europa League groups. The hosts cannot count on Bailly, Dalot, Fosu-Mensah, Pogba, Matic and Rojo, injured. Chatzidiakos is missing from the guests, otherwise AZ’s attacking players are capable of playing.
The hosts are ranked 1st in the L group in the Europa League, with one point more than AZ, which will also qualify in the next phase. Partizan and FC Astana did not count until the end in the fight for qualification, so we have premises for a good quality match. The two formations are relaxed, but the “devils” will pull to win the group, and the share of hosts seems tempting. The tour was 0-0 in the Netherlands, when the batsmen dominated the hostilities!
Alkmaar is a quality team, which has kept the inspiration for years with Louis Van Gaal, former manager at United. Without defeat in the group, after having passed the preliminaries, Alkmaar often seems to have the ability for extra speed, which can give the hosts a big headache. However, the secret of the final result depends on the formula that Solskjaer will play. If the British also use reserves in the first “11”, then Alkmaar has a good chance.
United are in shape after the draws with Aston Villa (2-2), Tottenham (2-1) and Manchester City (2-1), while Alkmaar is performing in Eredivise. The Dutch come after 3-0 with Zwolle, 1-0 with Venlo, 3-0 with Utrecht and 3-0 with Emmen, after good offensive performances. We rely on an open game, in which neither formation has pressure and can express freely.
PROBABLE TEAMS AT AZ ALKMAAR – MANCHESTER UNITED
Manchester United: Rosemary; Young, Tuanzebe, Red, Williams; Matic, Pereira; James, Mata, Chong; Greenwood
AZ possible: Bizot; Svensson, Wuytens, Vlaar, Wijndal; Wit, Clasie, Koopmeiners; Stengs, Druijf, Straighten
PREDICTION: Manchester Utd to win @ 1,80
