Jose Mourinho will be eager for an emphatic win over La Liga opponents to lift spirits around Old Trafford following a miserable run of results
Manchester United coach Jose Mourinho will be hoping his squad deliver a positive response when they host Valencia in their second Champions League group stage game on Tuesday, following a miserable 3-1 loss to West Ham in the Premier League.
The defeat at London Stadium rounded off a miserable week for the Red Devils which also saw them crash out of the Carabao Cup at the hands of Championship side Derby.
A win against Valencia would surely lift the mood of both players and fans alike, as Mourinho’s troubles are not found only on the pitch – with rifts involving Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez having exacerbated in recent weeks.
| Game | Manchester United vs Valencia |
| Date | Tuesday, October 2 |
| Time | 8pm BST / 3pm EST |
| Stream (US only) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Univision Deportes | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on BT Sport 1 and streamed on BT Sport Live.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BT Sport 2 | BT Sport Live |
| Position | Manchester United players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | De Gea, Grant, Romero |
| Defenders | Lindelof, Bailly, Jones, Smalling, Dalot, Shaw, Valencia, Darmian, Dalot |
| Midfielders | Pogba, Mata, Lingard, Pereira, Fred, Fellaini, Matic, McTominay |
| Forwards | Sanchez, Lukaku, Martial, Rashford |
The quartet of Ashley Young, Marcos Rojo, Ander Herrera and Jesse Lingard have all been ruled out of the squad to face Valencia.
There was uncertainty regarding Alexis Sanchez’s involvement on Tuesday after missing out on the 18-man matchday squad to face West Ham on Saturday despite traveling to London with the team, while Pogba is also still in hot water with Mourinho. However, both are in the XI.
Manchester United XI: De Gea, Shaw, Bailly, Smalling, Valencia; Pogba, Matic, Fellaini; Rashford, Sanchez, Lukaku.
| Position | Valencia players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Domenech, Neto, Cristian |
| Defenders | Vezo, Miguel, Murillo, Paulista, Diakhaby, Gaya, Lato, Piccini, Garay |
| Midfielders | Kondogbia, Guedes, Soler, Parejo, Coquelin, Wass |
| Forwards | Gameiro, Rodrigo, Cheryshev, Batshuayi |
Santi Mina and Ferrano Torres have been excluded from the squad traveling to Manchester with both unavailable to feature due to injury and illness.
Jose Gaya, Cristiano Piccini and Ezequiel Garay have returned to the side after missing out on the clash against Real Sociedad.
Valencia XI: Neto, Gaya, Paulista, Gaya, Piccini; Guedes, Kondogbia, Parejo, Coquelin; Rodrigo, Batshuayi.
Man United are priced at 3/4 to win, according to bet 365, while a draw is available at 11/4. A win for Valencia is priced at 17/4.
Click here to see all of bet 365’s offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.
Manchester United have experienced a troubled and inconsistent start to the season, having lost three of their opening seven Premier League games and being stunned by a Derby County side led by former Chelsea star Frank Lampard.
The Red Devils do top their Champions League group ahead of Juventus – albeit on goal difference – having defeated Young Boys 3-0 in the first matchday, but two difficult fixtures against the Italian champions await them.
Mourinho’s side have amassed just 10 points from seven Premier League games and currently sit in mid-table – five points behind fifth-placed Arsenal and nine adrift of league leaders Manchester City – and success against Valencia on Tuesday will be key in gathering momentum amid a turbulent time for the club.
Pogba’s relationship with his manager took a turn for the worse after Mourinho stripped him of the vice-captaincy following his comments that United didn’t implement enough of an attacking style, and the two were caught on camera having a verbal altercation before the 3-1 loss to West Ham at the weekend.
Sanchez was also snubbed for the game against West Ham, raising questions about the player’s future at the club amid inconsistent performances and a disappointing run of form.
Valencia lost their opening Champions League game at home to Juventus 2-0 but will be keen to retain their hopes of qualifying for the round of 16 by capitalising on United’s worrisome form on Tuesday.
The two sides have met eight times previously, with the Red Devils having won two of the clashes, Valencia one and the pair sharing five draws.
The last time the two sides met was in the 2010-11 season of the Champions League group stage, where United registered a 1-0 away win and then a 1-1 stalemate at Old Trafford.
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