[ad_1]
The Granada team arrive to a huge welcome
(Getty Images)
Manchester United are taking on Granada tonight in the Europa League quarter-finals, hoping to earn an away lead from this first leg encounter. United are the favourites to win the competition and will count themselves fortunate to have drawn a team who have never reached this stage before, and lie ninth in La Liga, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer won’t be taking anything for granted.
The good news for United is that Marcus Rashford is available and in the squad which journeyed to the south of Spain – and has been named in the starting line-up. The 23-year-old limped off in the second half against Brighton on Sunday and trained on Wednesday, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says he is unlikely to be “a 90-minute man” tonight. Anthony Martial could miss the rest of the season with a knee injury and Eric Bailly remains in the Ivory Coast after a positive coronavirus test.
Follow all the action from the first leg below.
Read more:
GRANADA FANS WELCOME THE TEAMS
Michael Jones8 April 2021 19:35
GRANADA’S EUROPEAN RUN
Granada earned a historic first qualification for European competition by finishing seventh in the 2019/20 La Liga, having been promoted just the season before.
Diego Martínez’s side began their first ever season in Europe with a 4-0 win at Albanian side Teuta before sealing further progress with a 2-0 home win against Locomotive Tbilisi of Georgia and a 3-1 play-off success away to Swedish side Malmö.
The Andalusian club made an impressive start to Group E, winning 2-1 at PSV although they lost the return fixture 0-1. Wins over Omonoia and two goalless draws against PAOK enabled them to advance into the round of 32.
They then saw off Napoli before defeating Molde in the last 16.
Granada’s record in this debut European campaign is won eight, drawn two and lost three. They’ve conceded just eight goals in those 13 matches and scored 21.
Michael Jones8 April 2021 19:32
THE FIRST MEETING
Tonight’s game will be the first ever meeting between the two clubs in competitive football. Granada will be the 11th different Spanish side Manchester United have faced.
They lost their first ever meeting with five of the previous 10, Athletic Bilbao in 1957, Real Madrid in 1957, Barcelona in 1984, Atletico Madrid in 1991 and Deportivo La Coruna in 2001.
United’s record in two-legged knockout ties against Spanish clubs is won seven, lost nine.
They have been eliminated from European competition by La Liga opposition in each of the last three seasons, by Sevilla twice, in the 2017/18 Champions League last 16 and in last season’s Europa League semi-final, and by Barcelona in the 2018/19 Champions League quarter-final.
Michael Jones8 April 2021 19:25
MAN UTD VS SPANISH TEAMS
Despite beating Real Sociedad 4-0 at the neutral venue in Turin during the round of 32 first leg Manchester United have won only four times in 27 away fixtures against Spanish opposition with 11 draws and 11 defeats.
Their most recent victory in Spain came in the semi-final first leg of the 2016/17 Europa League, when a Marcus Rashford free-kick earned a 1-0 victory at Celta Vigo.
The victory against Real Sociedad in Italy ended a nine-match, all-venues winless run against Spanish opposition, the last game in that sequence being their 2-1 defeat by Sevilla in neutral Cologne in last season’s Europa League semi-final, a game in which they had gone ahead with an early Bruno Fernandes penalty.
Michael Jones8 April 2021 19:19
SOLSKJAER ON GRANADA
They’re full of experience and character which you expect from teams who have been promoted recently. They had a great season last year and I think they’re one of the teams who have played the most games this season.”
Michael Jones8 April 2021 19:13
ROUTE TO QUARTER-FINALS
This is Granada’s debut season in European competition and they’ve made it all the way to the Europa League quarter-finals, where they face Manchester United.
Having started out in the Europa League second qualifying round, the Spanish club were runners-up to PSV Eindhoven in Group E before ousting Napoli in the round of 32 and Molde in the round of 16 with identical results, winning 2-0 at home before losing 2-1 away.
Man Utd dropped out of the Champions League after they finished third in their group behind PSG and RB Leipzig. They have subsequently eliminated Spanish side Real Sociedad with ease 4-0 on aggregate before edging past AC Milan in the round of 16 (2-1 agg).
Michael Jones8 April 2021 19:09
TEAM NEWS
Former Tottenham striker Roberto Soldado starts for Granada, while Yangel Herrera and Kenedy, on loan from Manchester City and Chelsea respectively, also play.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer makes three changes to his starting XI. David De Gea starts in goal for Manchester United with Dean Henderson on the bench, while Scott McTominay and Daniel James come in for Fred and Edinson Cavani. Marcus Rashford starts.
Michael Jones8 April 2021 19:04
TEAM NEWS – GRANADA VS MAN UTD
Granada XI: Rui Silva; Victor Diaz, Vallejo, Domingos Duarte, Neva; Herrera, Gonalons; Kenedy, Montoro, Antonio Puertas; Soldado
Man Utd XI: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; McTominay, Pogba, James, Fernandes, Rashford; Greenwood
Michael Jones8 April 2021 18:55
RASHFORD FIT FOR UNITED
Marcus Rashford is available for Manchester United this evening after he was subbed off against Brighton last Sunday following a strong tackle. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer doesn’t expect Rashford to play the whole game but says he will feature at some point. He said:
We’ve just got to make a decision if he starts or is on the bench, I don’t think he’ll be a 90-minutes man.”
Michael Jones8 April 2021 18:45
RECENT RESULTS
Granda have lost their last three matches across all competitions but they did manage to score away at Molde in the last round of the Europa League to set up tonight’s quarter-final with Manchester United.
Man Utd’s only defeat in their last 16 games came in the FA Cup quarter-final against Leicester City. They come into tonight’s match having come from behind to defeat Brighton 2-1 in the Premier League last Sunday and victory here will carry their momentum into a tough clash with Tottenham at the weekend.
Michael Jones8 April 2021 18:42
[ad_2]
Source link
