Manchester United will be looking to build on a positive performance against Liverpool when they play Partizan Belgrade in the Europa League on Thursday evening. The game kicks off at 17:55 at the Stadion FK Partizan.
The Reds will have to be very patient and professional, and make sure the formidable atmosphere doesn’t get to them. Partizan fans are renowned for creating a hostile and intimidating atmosphere, especially when a club like Manchester United come to town.
This being said, it’s definitely a game Manchester United should be winning. It’s easy to draw parallels with the Alkmaar game, but the Dutch are a much tidier and resolute team than Partizan. They sit fifth in the Serbian Super Liga, seven points behind arch-rivals Red Star Belgrade. They also suffered defeat last time out.
United looked so much more aggressive and sharp against Liverpool than they have all season, but that’s something we’ve come to expect. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is clearly good at getting the team up for the big games, but it’s these away matches against smaller opposition where we seem to go through the motions and take a slow approach. If United come out the blocks against Partizan like they did against Liverpool, there’s no reason why the forwards can’t enjoy themselves.
Marcus Rashford has to view this game as a wonderful opportunity to ignite his season. He was excellent against Liverpool, showing again that he’s so much more effective when playing in that left channel. The return of Anthony Martial as a number nine has to be positive for Rashford. The forwards should look to bully the Partizan defence and bag a couple confidence boosting goals.
Although it was disappointing to concede a late equaliser, there is a much more positive feeling going into this game than we expected. A good win could be imperative as we go into two more tough away fixtures. If the team can use this game to get rid of the hoodoo around winning away from home, it might make them more relaxed ahead of Norwich and Bournemouth away.
This would’ve been another good chance for Axel Tuanzebe to impress, but he’s unlikely to feature after being injured in the warm-up against Liverpool. It also seems very unlikely that Paul Pogba will feature, meaning it’s a great chance for Fred to finally take control of a football match. Assuming he gets, the start he needs to really pull the strings from midfield. Unfortunately for him, it’s more likely that Scott McTominay will outshine him again.
I think United will take charge of Group L on Thursday with a comfortable 3-1 win. I don’t see us going 90 minutes without one silly mistake leading to a goal, but the forwards might be able to have some fun here.