STAR PREVIEW Weds: Manchester United v Villarreal

Manchester United have the chance to take revenge on Villarreal for last season’s Europa League final when the two sides meet again at Old Trafford in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage on Wednesday night.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is coming under increased pressure for success this season. After adding Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo to the squad in the summer, it’s becoming more and more difficult to make excuses for United not winning trophies or challenging for titles.

And, as much as United now have several players who are capable of winning a match in an instant, we’re still yet to see consistent team performances – as was displayed at Old Trafford at the weekend when they were beaten 1-0 by Aston Villa.

Solskjaer’s men had the chance to snatch a late draw, though, when they won a penalty in the dying seconds. However, it was blazed well over the bar by Bruno Fernandes, prompting him to post a public apology to the United fans on social media later that evening.

The Red Devils could really do with picking up a result in this one, not just for their confidence levels, but due to the added pressure that they are under after they were defeated by Young Boys in their opening group match a couple of weeks ago.

Manchester United v Villarreal
UEFA Champions League Group Stage
20:00 BT Sport 3 / BT Sport Ultimate

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
(Maximum 10 matches)
MAY 2021 UEFA Europa League Villarreal (p) 1-1 Man Utd
NOV 2008 UEFA Champions League Villarreal 0-0 Man Utd
SEP 2008 UEFA Champions League Man Utd 0-0 Villarreal
NOV 2005 UEFA Champions League Man Utd 0-0 Villarreal
SEP 2005 UEFA Champions League Villarreal 0-0 Man Utd

Reigning Europa League champions Villarreal have struggled in the league so far this season, only winning one of their opening six LaLiga fixtures.

However, five of those matches have been draws and, in typical Unai Emery fashion, Villarreal have once again proven that they are a tough side to beat so far this season.

They are also currently unbeaten in their last 16 European matches across both the Europa League and Champions League, the longest run of any team in the competition. Although this side isn’t full of freedom and attacking flair, Emery’s men won’t roll over easily in this one.

United have a plethora of attacking players, but they still might find it hard to break that Yellow Submarine resistance. This fixture is notoriously low-scoring with, rather incredibly, four of the five meetings between the two sides ending in a goalless draw. We’re backing Under 2.5 Goals in this one.

RECOMMENDED BETS
BACK Under 2.5 Goals 3pts at  ? CLICK PRICE TO BET with starsports.bet

⚠️ Stakes advised on a scale of 0-10 points depending on confidence from our preview team

---

(Current ante-post recommendations CLICK HERE)

---

STAR PROMOTIONS

<