It’s a group stage rematch of the UEFA Europa League final as Manchester United host Villarreal on Wednesday in UEFA Champions League on Paramount+. Heading into Matchday 2 in Group F, a group consisting of Atalanta, Villarreal, United and Young Boys only sees one team with three points after Matchday 1, and to everybody’s surprise, that’s Young Boys after their shock win over United in Switzerland. So now, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team looks to avoid digging themselves a potentially dangerous hole. On the other side, Villarreal have one point after drawing Atalanta at home and a loss here could put them on track for third place and Europa League, a path that’s all too familiar to manager Unai Emery.
Here’s are storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Wednesday, Sept. 29 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Old Trafford — Manchester, England
- TV and Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Man. United -205; Draw +325; Villarreal +600 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
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Storylines
Manchester United: With one win in their last four games, and coming off a shock 1-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa, the Red Devils are in their worst form of the season. They have only scored multiple goals in one of their last four, and that defense is really having trouble. A failure to react quick enough in the air led to the loss to Villa, and Villarreal also pose a set piece threat in the air with their center backs. United simply need to be a bit sharper in front of goal. If they do that, they shouldn’t have much of an issue, but Villarreal have the technical quality to cause them trouble.
Villarreal: Can they find some consistent scoring? They go from scoring two to scoring zero. Then they grab four and fail to score again. If that trend continues, they should expect goals in this one at Old Trafford, and why not? United have conceded in their last four home matches in all competitions. If Villarreal can take the lead or make it 1-1, expect them to shift to a slower pace and be ultra defensive, with Unai Emery knowing what a point could mean here.
Prediction
Ronaldo does damage against Villarreal once again, scoring twice in the victory. Pick: Man. United 2, Villarreal 1