Manchester United vs Twente: Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

At Old Trafford on Wednesday night, Manchester United will face Eredivisie team FC Twente to begin their Europa League campaign for the 2024–25 season.

The Red Devils have won eight of their last nine home matches against Dutch opponents; this match will be their first-ever matchup.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

After beating Manchester City in May in the FA Cup final, Manchester United are participating in the Europa League for the seventh time since its rebranding in 2009—this despite finishing in eighth place last season in the Premier League.

Following back-to-back victories over Southampton (3-0) and Barnsley (7-0), the Red Devils played to a scoreless draw at Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday, continuing their inconsistent start to the new campaign with three wins, three losses, and one draw from seven matches across all competitions.

Erik ten Hag said that United 'ate Palace alive' in the first half at Selhurst Park, but they couldn't find the winning goal and had to settle for a point. With five games to go, United are eleventh in the Premier League, three points behind the top four.

On Wednesday, Manchester United will host FC Twente in the first eight matches in the newly expanded 36-team Europa League. The Red Devils will then face Porto, Fenerbahce (coached by Jose Mourinho), PAOK, Bodo/Glimt, Viktoria Plzen, Rangers, and FCSB.

On matchday one against Twente, the Red Devils will be looking to continue their impressive Europa League home form—they have only lost once in their last 24 matches—and are among the bookmakers' favorites to win the tournament outright, which would be their second title in club history, following their 2016–17 victory.

FC Twente achieved a top-three finish in the Eredivisie rankings last season, their best showing in ten years. This season, they have won their first two top-flight matches against Heerenveen and Almere City for eleven points.

Last Saturday, the Tukkers strolled to a 5-0 away victory over Almere with two goals from Sem Steijn (2), Sam Lammers, Ricky van Wolfswinkel, and Anass Salah-Eddine. This followed a straightforward 2-0 home triumph against Robin van Persie’s Heerenveen.

Having finished fourth place in the Eredivisie, seven points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven, Twente will play in their first European campaign since the 2012–13 Europa League group stage. Earlier this season, they were eliminated from the Champions League qualifying phase following a 5-4 aggregate loss to Red Bull Salzburg.

On Wednesday, Twente will face its Europa League rivals, the Theatre of Dreams, to break their seven-game losing streak. Head coach Joseph Oosting has been in command of the team since July 2023, winning 27 of 48 games.

Although they have played 13 times against English teams in all competitions, the Tukkers have only managed a single victory—a 1-0 home victory against Fulham in the 2011–12 Europa League group stage—during their history versus English opponents.

Manchester United x Twente Team News

The summer addition Leny Yoro is still out with a foot injury, and United is also missing Luke Shaw (calf), Tyrell Malacia (knee), and Victor Lindelof (toe), all of whom are uncertain despite returning to first-team training.

Despite recording three straight shutouts, Ten Hag may opt to shake up his defense by starting Manuel Ugarte or Casemiro in midfield instead of Kobbie Mainoo Christian Eriksen or by bringing in Harry Maguire to replace one of Matthijs de Ligt or Lisandro Martinez in the center back position.

Marcus Rashford, who scored three goals in his previous two games, will be looking to reclaim his starting spot after being unexpectedly benched against Palace. While Rasmus Hojlund is being eased back into the first team by Ten Hag, Antony, Amad Diallo, and Alejandro Garnacho will compete for starts on the wings, while Joshua Zirkzee might keep starting up front.

Michal Sadilek, a first-team regular last season, is still nursing a leg laceration he sustained in a freak bicycle accident before Euro 2024, and Younes Taha, who broke his leg in an Eredivisie draw with PEC Zwolle a week ago, is also in the treatment room with him. This is all happening at FC Twente.

Oosting is expected to stick with his starting lineup for the most part. Bart van Rooij, who joined the team in the summer, will likely continue to play on the right side of the defense with Mees Hilgers, Max Bruns, and Anass Salah-Eddine.

The 22-year-old Sem Steijn has been outstanding for Twente this season, starting in the number 10 position behind Sam Lammers, a striker who used to play for Rangers. He has scored seven goals in eight games played in all competitions.

Our Predictions

Manchester United to win @ 1.35 on Sky247.ng

With forward Steijn in fine form, FC Twente may threaten Man United's defense on Wednesday, continuing their current goal-scoring streak.

Even though Ten Hag's team has been erratic for a while, we still think United will win the match and get off to a good start in the Europa League.

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