HOME ADVANTAGE THE KEY FOR UNITED.

The matches are coming thick and fast for Manchester United now and next up they face FC Rostov in the Europa League.  The first leg ended 1-1 in Russia, on what was a terrible pitch and Jose Mourinho will be delighted the match is being played at Old Trafford, for more reasons than the quality of the playing surface.


The United boss will be keen to get back to winning ways having lost to Chelsea in the quarter-final of the FA Cup on Monday night.  Manchester United were well in the game and their tactical set-up was causing Chelsea problems, until Ander Herrera was sent off for what was a silly challenge but one which did not merit a booking.  The 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge was Manchester United’s first defeat since the League Cup semi-final at Hull in January and the Red Devils embarked on a ten-match unbeaten run after that game.  Mourinho will be hoping for more of the same following the loss at Chelsea.

FC Rostov are on a seven-match unbeaten run of their own, including the 1-1 draw in the first leg of this Round of 16 Europa League tie.  During that period of time, Rostov have scored 6 goals away at Tom Tomsk in the Russian Premier League and 4 goals at home against Sparta Prague in the Europa League.  However, it’s their European away form, which will light up the eyes of Manchester United fans.

In the Champions League this season, FC Rostov have won only one of five matches played, which was 2-0 at Anderlecht.  They were held 1-1 by Ajax, 0-0 by PSV and lost 2-1 to Atletico Madrid and 5-0 in Bayern Munich.  Their away Europa League record reads drawn one (1-1) and lost one (2-0), meaning they have only achieved one away European result in their history, which would be good enough to see them win this tie on aggregate.  Manchester United on the other hand, have been very good at home in the Europa League recently.

They have won five and drawn one of their last six Europa League games at Old Trafford and this season they have been very strong.  Results this season include 1-0 over Zorya, 4-1 against Fenerbahce, 4-0 against Feyenoord and a 3-0 win over Saint-Etienne.  In truth, FC Rostov should provide no more of a challenge than any of these teams.
The good news for Mourinho, following the defeat at Chelsea is the return to the team of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.  However, Marcus Rashford performed very well in the lone striker’s role at Stamford Bridge and will be disappointed to drop to the bench if the Swede comes back in to the team.

 Anthony Martial could also make a return to the starting XI and Henrikh Mkhitaryan will be hoping to stay on the pitch for longer than he did at Chelsea.

FC Rostov have won only two competitive games away from home all season and that’s unlikely to change after this game.  A 2-2 draw would be good enough to see them through but having been eliminated from the FA Cup and struggling to break into the top four of the Premier League, Manchester United need to win the Europa League to guarantee a place in the Champions League next season.  That should be enough motivation for Mourinho’s men to get the job done.