Europa League Preview: Manchester United vs Granada (2-0)

Manchester United vs Granada (2-0) | Europa League Quarterfinal 2nd leg | Old Trafford | KO 20:00 GMT | BT Sport

Having all-but-secured a top two finish in the Premier League at the weekend, Manchester United’s focus must again turn to the UEFA Europa League, a competition that provides a huge chance for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to win his first trophy as United boss.

The Reds play host to Granada on Thursday night, bringing with them a 2-0 advantage over the Spanish side, so must fancy their chances at progressing through to the semi-final, where they will face either Ajax or Roma.

How do Manchester United look?

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Manchester United will be without a number of key defensive minded players for the match, with Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Scott McTominay all set to miss the match due to suspension.

United were fined around £6,000 for their conduct in the first leg, with five of their players receiving bookings, however almost all of those seemed a little harsh, so the club are unlucky to have faced such sanctions.

Axel Tuanzebe is the likely candidate to replace Maguire, with Eric Bailly not back from his self-isolation period after testing positive for COVID-19.

Alex Telles will undoubtedly play in place of Shaw, and Matic is the most likely suitor to fill in for McTominay.

Marcus Rashford is struggling with a foot issue, and did not train on Wednesday, so may be a doubt, whilst Daniel James is back.

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Speaking on James, Solskjaer said “Dan James is back. He trained this morning so he should be available”.

Anthony Martial remains injured and is unlikely to play again this season, whilst Phil Jones is back in training, but is nowhere near full fitness, as he is training alone.

Opposition: Granada

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Granada posed little threat to United last week, with only a couple of half chances coming their way and should be no issue for them at Old Trafford on Thursday.

Roberto Soldado, their main striker, was rested at the weekend for this match, so will be fully fit, but is unlikely to cause many issues to United’s defence.

Brazilian winger Kenedy, who is on loan from Chelsea, was initially a doubt, but is expected to start for his side.

Key stats

Granada have won just one of their last five matches in all competitions, the only win coming at the weekend, beating Valladolid 2-1.

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United have conceded just one goal in their five Europa League games this season; if they limit Granada to one goal, then they will progress to the semi-final.