Manchester United vs. Club Brugge: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
Manchester United vs. Club Brugge is a game of tremendous significance for Louis van Gaal. Last season's fourth-place finish will be for nothing if they fall at this hurdle. For Club, it represents an opportunity to claim a scalp of one of Europe's giant clubs, albeit one that is currently a little down on its luck.
United fans will rejoice in hearing the Champions League anthem blaring out at Old Trafford again, but any complacency on the part of their team will delay its return for at least another season.
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For Michel Preud'homme, the game represents a chance to solidify his reputation and build on the good start he made at the club last season. Having won the Belgian Cup and finished top of the regular league season—losing the playoff final—a trip to the Champions League proper with Club will look very good on his C.V.
Let's take a look at the key issues ahead of the game, analysing where United stand and aggregating some of the best information about Club from around the web.
Date: Tuesday, 18 August, 2015
Time: 7:45 p.m. BST/2:45 p.m. ET
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester
TV Info: BT Sport Europe (UK Only) / Fox Sports 1 (U.S. Only)
Live Stream: BT Sport (UK Only) / Fox Sports (U.S. only)
Form Lines
Manchester United: WW
Club Brugge: LLWWDW
Team News
Phil Jones is United's only absentee, as he is still "sidelined with mild thrombosis," according to the club's website. Marouane Fellaini is suspended for a further domestic game following his sending off at Hull City at the end of last season, but he is available for consideration here.
He was coached by Preud'homme at Standard Liege, and the two exchanged text messages after the draw, per the official Champions League website (via UEFA correspondent Berend Scholten):
Club Brugge's injury situation is much more complex than United's.
As Mark Rodden of ESPN FC reported, their "injury problems are so bad that they felt compelled to publish a lengthy website article last week in which the medical staff outlined the prognosis for 10 players concerned."
Twitter user and Club Brugge fan @stijnfcb mentioned Lior Rafaelov to me as one of the crucial players injured when the draw was made. He is still out injured, as is Jose Izquierdo, their top scorer last season, per ESPN FC.
In better news for the Belgian side, Rodden also reported that Costa Rica World Cup star Oscar Duarte "should shake off a knock to add steel at centre-back."
Victor Vazquez has fitness problems, also according to Rodden, but he has played a part so far this season.
Predicted Lineups
Belgian and Netherlands English language football site BeNeFoot reported that "Club Brugge’s side for Tuesday is anyone’s guess." Chris Mayer wrote:
"A lengthy injury list hasn’t helped Michel Preud’homme’s options, but he often likes to throw up a surprise anyway. As such, Club Brugge haven’t had a settled XI yet, and it’s fair to say the coach doesn’t know his best side yet with the right balance still lacking. A young defence, including the likes of Mechele and Laurens de Bock at left-back is covered by 38-year old Timmy Simons in midfield. This could well be a last hurrah for the elder statesmen.
Preud’homme is likely to opt for Tom De Sutter up front even though he’s agreed a move to Bursaspor but if the more dynamic Abdoulay Diaby starts wide, United will look to capitalise on the ex-Mouscron man’s lack of defensive cover.
"
Manchester United's lineup should be easier to guess.
Van Gaal's key selection dilemmas are in midfield and attack. There is no reason to break up a winning formula in the back five, who have kept two clean sheets in a row. Bastian Schweinsteiger has been assured and impressive in both of his cameo appearances so far, and if his fitness is up to it, he should start in place of Michael Carrick, with Morgan Schneiderlin holding.
The Englishman is 34 now, and having someone to share the midfield load with should keep him in fighting form for more of the season than he managed last time out.
Fans will be crying out for Ander Herrera's return to the starting lineup. However, Van Gaal has said (via Manchester Evening News), that he prefers "a second striker in that position (behind Rooney) more than a third midfielder. That is why, for example, Herrera is not playing but is always coming on as a substitute, because he is more of a controlling midfielder there."
Thus the debate around who should play at No. 10 will rage on. It will be fascinating to see if Adnan Januzaj—who shared a stage with Van Gaal at Monday's pre-match press conference—will be in the starting XI.
Players to Watch
For United, the vexed question of Wayne Rooney's awful form will need to be addressed sooner rather than later. Another performance like the one he put in against Aston Villa on Friday night will give Van Gaal a serious problem to deal with.
Memphis has looked very eager to impress, but he has so far been unable to really do so. Perhaps Belgian opposition will afford him the time on the ball he has been denied in the Premier League so far.
Much of United's defensive stability in their opening two games has come from fine performances from their two full-backs. Keep an eye on the so-far nearly faultless Matteo Darmian.
For Club Brugge, Vazquez will be vital, if he can shake off his fitness problems. Van Gaal said of him (via Jamie Jackson in the Guardian), "He is very good. He is one of the key players. He has very good vision. I like him when I have analysed him. He is the player of the year—and I can imagine how he is the player of the year."
Key Battle
As Pete Jenson pointed out for Mail Online, Duarte kept Rooney quiet during the World Cup and will be looking to repeat the trick here. He can certainly do so, if Rooney's form so far this season is anything to go by.
The midfield battle will be crucial, as ever. This is now probably United's strongest area of the pitch, so Vazquez and veteran Timmy Simons will have to be at their very best to get any joy out of Schweinsteiger, Carrick, Schneiderlin or Herrera.
Odds
The odds for the game, at the time of writing are, per Odds Checker:
Manchester United Win: 3-10
Draw: 5-1
Club Brugge Win: 11-1
