There’s a feast of narratives on Thursday night as Fenerbahce take on Manchester United in the Europa League on Matchday 3 of the league phase.
The duel sees current Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho face up against his former club having unceremoniously departed Old Trafford in 2018. Mourinho has since taken jobs at Tottenham Hotspur and Roma, winning silverware with the latter in the form of the Conference League.
The Portuguese icon was appointed by Fenerbahce in the summer after they narrowly missed out on the Super Lig title last season, but his team are already eight points adrift of league leaders and eternal rivals Galatasaray through eight games.
Erik ten Hag faces up against the once ‘special’ coach for the very first time on Thursday, aiming to build on the promise shown during the second half against Brentford on Saturday. United’s form has been steady since getting thumped 3-0 at home to Tottenham, with the Dutchman requiring a considerable uptick in form to ease the pressure on his shoulders.
The winless United head into this fixture 21st in the league phase table, while the hosts are 13th with four points having beat Union Saint-Gilloise on Matchday 1.
Mourinho was dealt a big blow at the weekend with starting left-back Jayden Oosterwolde tearing his ACL and likely to miss the remainder of the season. Former United midfielder Fred could be used in Oosterwolde’s absence, but Turkish international Murt Muldur is also an option.
Sofyan Amrabat is another familiar face poised to start for the home side, with Mourinho also boasting the likes of former Premier League stars Allan Saint-Maximin and Edin Dzeko in his ranks.
Cengiz Under, Ismail Yuksek, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Irfan Can Egribayat are all out injured. Filip Kostic has not been included in the Europa League squad.
Fenerbahce predicted lineup vs Man Utd
Fenerbahce predicted lineup vs Man Utd (4-2-3-1): Livakovic; Djiku, Soyuncu, Becao, Muldur; Amrabat, Fred; Tadic, Szymanski, Saint-Maximin; En-Nesyri.
The visitors are without the suspended Bruno Fernandes after he received a pair of yellow cards in Man Utd’s 3-3 draw with Porto last time out.
Ten Hag cannot call upon the injured Mason Mount to replace the Portuguese international, while Kobbie Mainoo is also nursing a muscle injury. United’s saviour in Porto, Harry Maguire, is also out injured, as are long-term absentees Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw.
Leny Yoro is back in training having broken his foot in pre-season, but the young defender will not be returning on Thursday night. There could be a recall to the starting XI for Noussair Mazraoui, however.
Man Utd predicted lineup vs Fenerbahce
Man Utd predicted lineup vs Fenerbahce (4-2-3-1): Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Dalot; Ugarte, Casemiro; Rashford, Eriksen, Garnacho; Hojlund
Fenerbahce vs Man Utd score prediction
After a dire first-half, United offered signs of life against Brentford and should secure a big European win away from home if they can replicate their second-half display from Saturday for the duration of Thursday’s bout.
Mourinho has a pretty good squad at his disposal, but his side are struggling to find any sort of rhythm. However, he’ll be ever so desperate to score a victory over United here.
Given the away side’s unpredictability and Mourinho’s desperation, Fenerbahce may eke out a point to extend United’s winless start to the league phase.
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