Will Power

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

The week ahead for Reds

It is another jam-packed week of football for Manchester United as our first team face two away trips in the Champions League and Premier League . With the women's team, Under-23s and Under-18s also in action, there is plenty to look ahead to over the next seven days...

MONDAY

Fresh from our 2-1 win over West Ham on Saturday, Juan Mata reflects on our return to form and looks at the week ahead in his latest blog. Meanwhile, the United squad lands in Barcelona and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Diogo Dalot will speak to the media from 16:15 BST which you can follow on MUTV and in our Official App.

The Paddy Crerand Show is taking a break this week, with his Monday 18:30 BST slot on MUTV being taken over by the Under-23s and their live match away to Newcastle United. Kick-off is at 19:00 BST.

Today also marks 10 years since Cristiano Ronaldo's 40-yard screamer against Porto in our 2008/09 Champions League quarter-final second leg.

TUESDAY

Today is the day our Champions League fate will be decided as the Reds face Barcelona at the Nou Camp. Solskjaer's squad will need to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg at Old Trafford last week and can draw inspiration from our stunning turnaround against Paris Saint-Germain in March.

Our hosts head into the game having drawn their most recent La Liga fixture against bottom-of-the-league Huesca. Several first-team players were absent for the Catalan side with Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi not even in the squad.

Kick-off for the big game is at 20:00 BST and you can follow exclusive build-up on MUTV from 18:30 BST, plus full coverage in our Official App.

WEDNESDAY

United Women return to action after the international break as Aston Villa visit Leigh Sports Village. Casey Stoney's Reds are closing in on promotion to the Women's Super League and a win against the Villans would be enough to seal a spot in the top flight with three games to spare.

The Women's Championship campaign opened with a 12-0 win in the West Midlands back in September with Jess Sigsworth scoring five and being joined on the scoresheet by Lauren James, Katie Zelem, Kirsty Hanson, Mollie Green and Ella Toone. You will be able to see the match unfold on MUTV with kick-off at 19:00 BST.

Wednesday also marks nine years since Paul Scholes headed in a 93rd-minute winner in a hotly contested Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium.

THURSDAY

Following Tuesday's game against Barcelona and the flight home in the early hours of Wednesday morning, Thursday's training session will enable the Reds to step up preparations for the weekend's trip to Everton at Goodison Park.

FRIDAY

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will provide an update on the fitness of his squad and more when he speaks to the media in his pre-match press conference on Friday. You will be able to follow what the boss says on MUTV and through our Official App.

SATURDAY

It is the second game in four days for United Women as Crystal Palace come to Leigh Sports Village (kick-off 12:00 BST). It could again be another big day for Stoney's Reds, against a side that sit 10th in the Women's Championship table, and you will be able to see it all on MUTV.

There was a five-star performance in the previous meeting with the Eagles in Bromley back in November, featuring braces from Lizzie Arnot and Mollie Green plus a strike from skipper Alex Greenwood.

Elsewhere, our Under-18s are also in action with Neil Ryan's side travelling to the East Midlands to face Derby County. It is set to be a closely fought contest with the Rams sitting second in the Under 18 Premier League with a slender three-point margin over the Reds who are in fourth place.

SUNDAY

Solskjaer's squad will make the trip to Merseyside on Easter Sunday as we face Everton at Goodison Park. We are unbeaten in our last eight games against the Toffees and will be looking to make it nine when the game kicks off at 13:30 BST. The live build-up on MUTV begins at 12:00 BST. You will also be able to follow full coverage in the Official App.

United got the better of Everton in October, when Paul Pogba's penalty rebound and a brilliant curling finish from Anthony Martial helped the Reds to claim a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford. We were also triumphant in our last fixture on Easter Sunday with Marcus Rashford and Ander Herrera on the scoresheet in a 2-0 win over Chelsea in 2017.

Today also marks another #Treble99 anniversary - 20 years ago, Sir Alex Ferguson's side famously came from behind to record a 4-3 aggregate win against Juventus in Turin. Strikes from Roy Keane, Dwight Yorke and Andrew Cole ensured United progressed to the semi-finals of the Champions League on a memorable night at the Stadio Delle Alpi.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home