Manchester United are going into this match as favourites to qualify, however, one mistake on their part could let Celta Vigo back in with just one goal the difference between the two sides.
United lost their last match in the Premier League, bringing an end to their 25-match unbeaten run in the league in the process. Despite this, manager Jose Mourinho was not bothered and clearly stated that his priorities lie in the Europa League.
The Red Devils’ strength this season has been their solid back-line which, with just 27 goals conceded, is the second-best in the league. Additionally, their loss to Arsenal at the weekend was the first time United had conceded more than a single goal in a match in any competition in 16 games. The injury to star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has made United’s form in front of goal even worse and they have scored just two goals in their last four in all competitions.
Mourinho’s men have been relatively good at home this season and have not lost in any competition since 10th September. Having said that, there have been far too many draws for their liking, including four in their last seven at Old Trafford. However, they have won all but one Europa League match on home soil in normal time this campaign.
Celta have seemingly hit a bad patch at the worst time of the season and they have now lost their last five in all competitions and not won in six.
As you would expect from a team who are on such a horrendous losing streak, Celta’s defence has been poor in recent times with an average of two goals per game conceded in their five-match losing streak. However, it was also a problem before then and, including the five losses, the Celts have kept just one clean sheet in their last 11 in all competitions whilst they have also conceded an alarming 60 in 35 league games. Unfortunately for Celta, their poor back-line is not compensated by a decent attack and they have now failed to find the back of the net in their last 270 minutes of football.
Away form has unsurprisingly been poor for Eduardo Berizzo’s team in the last few weeks with no wins in their last three attempts. Furthermore, their La Liga away points haul of just 16 from 18 games is also rather pathetic. Having said that, in terms of Europa League away matches, Celta have been very good with three wins and one draw in their last four matches whilst they have also lost just once in Europe on their travels this season.
As mentioned earlier, United are the favourites here and, given Celta’s overall form I am siding with the bookies here. However, with this match being on such a knife edge, I think it could be quite a tense affair and, with neither side scoring for fun at the moment, I am not anticipating many goals. ‘Manchester United to Win & Under 3.5 Goals’ at a very reasonable 5/4 looks a good bet.
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