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On Thursday night, Manchester United will face Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League, where they will be looking for a much-needed lift. Please scroll down to see our match analysis and predictions.
Previous Matches and Head-to-head
The hosts, Viktoria Plzen, may be hoping for a miracle to win the domestic title back this season, but Miroslav Koubek's team has been on fire as of late. After a crucial comeback resulted in a 2-1 win away against Karvina last weekend, the Czech team now has 19 points from seven games played in all competitions.
The former coach of Slavia Prague, who has been outstanding since returning from the international break in November, will be looking forward to Thursday night's renowned duel at the Doosan Arena. Despite Plzen's propensity for success on home turf, they may be considered a true underdog here. So far this season, Koubek's squad has not lost a home game in front of their fans, including a remarkable 2-1 triumph against Real Sociedad last month.
Regarding the guests, Manchester United may have started December with a 4-0 home win over Everton, but they have since come down to earth. Since taking over at Old Trafford, Ruben Amorim has been unable to provide any instant stability, and last Saturday, they wasted what they hailed as an excellent chance, losing to Nottingham Forest 3-2 in an exciting match.
The former Sporting Lisbon manager will be doubly frustrated by his team's embarrassing defensive performance after a 2-0 loss to longtime rivals Arsenal. Manchester United had only managed one clean sheet since Amorim's arrival last month, even though they fought hard and won 3-2 against Bodo/Glimt on November 28th. Similarly, in three of their previous four games in all competitions, Thursday's visitors have let in two or more goals.
Viktoria Plzen x Manchester United Team News
Matej Valenta, a teenager from Slavia Prague, and Jan Sykora, a Czech player currently nursing a knee injury, will also miss Plzen's match. Prince Kwabena Abu, a Ghana national team player, is not likely to be included on Koubek's roster since he has not played since returning from the international break in November.
Ex-Burnley striker Matej Vydra, who scored last month against Dynamo Kyiv and has already scored twice this season in the Europa League, will play a role. Sampson Dweh will have Svetozar Markovic, a former Serbia U21 international, as his defensive partner.
Manchester United will be without England international Luke Shaw for a second game after he suffered another knee setback last month. Similarly, Swedish defender Victor Lindelof will not be traveling with Amorim's team since he has not played a single game since returning from the international break in November.
Rasmus Hojlund will be vying for a starting position after scoring a consolation goal last weekend against Nottingham Forest and now has three goals in as many games. Marcus Rashford will be playing Thursday night to earn a full recall.
Our Predictions
Goal to be scored in both halves @ 1.67 on Sky247.ng
Following last weekend's tense 3-2 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, Manchester United desperately needs a pick-me-up. The Reds have shown little signs of improvement defensively and have already lost three games since Amorim's arrival last month.
Not only have United failed to win a single away game this season, but they have also let in ten goals in their first five Europa League matches. Viktoria Plzen has won 19 points in their last seven games across all competitions, so Thursday's hosts will be pumped for a historic matchup.
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