In what appears to be an easy task, Manchester United will be looking forward to a crucial and first victory in Europa League against PAOK on Thursday, 7 November. White Blacks will be traveling to Old Trafford for the fourth round of the European competition. The Greek side has also endured a rough start to the competition, recording only one point to their name after three fixtures.
Manchester United vs PAOK: Match Preview
Under the interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy at the end of October, Manchester United broke their winless sequence against Leicester in EFL Cup. However, the Red Devils were unable to sustain the form as they shared a spoiler with Chelsea in Premier League, surrendering the lead in the 74th minute. Manchester United had a terrible start to their Europa League campaign with three consecutive draws. matching their longest winless run in Europe, with six draws and two losses. In the most recent UEL fixture against Fenerbahce, Christian Eriksen put United in the front in the 15th minute but Youssef En-Nesyri scored the equalizer for the Turkish side three minutes after the break.
PAOK enter this game confidently after two domestic victories against Lamia and PAE Egalio. White Blacks came from behind against Lamia in Super League Greece with second-half goals from Zivkovic and Tissoudali for a 1-2 victory. However, the Greek side needs more discipline in Europa League as they have only a draw against Viktoria Plzen and two successive victories at the start of the competition. White Blacks featured a 2-2 thriller against Plzen in their previous Europa League game with equalizing goals from Tissoudali and Baba Rehman in the last ten minutes to seal their first point.
Manchester United vs PAOK: Head-to-Head
Manchester United will be facing PAOK for the first time but will head into this game with a strong sense of confidence, having a favorable record against Greek teams. The Red Devils have encountered Greek sides 12 times in all tournaments and emerged victorious in eight, along with three draws.
Manchester United vs PAOK: Team News and Predicted Lineups
Manchester United’s fitness concerns continue as Kobbie Mainoo, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Antony, and Leny Yoro will miss out on the game due to injuries. Mason Mount and Christian Eriksen’s appearances will also be in doubt in the upcoming fixture. On the other hand, PAOK are set to be without Jiri Pavlenka and Antonis Tsiftsis.
Manchester United Predicted Lineup
Onana(GK), Dalot, De Ligt, Martinez, Mazraoui, Ugarte, Casemiro; Diallo, Fernandes, Rashford, Zirkzee
PAOK Predicted Lineup
Kotarski(GK), Jonny, Kedziora, Colley, Rahman, Camara, Ozdoyev; Despodov, Konstantelias, Taison, Chalov
Manchester United vs PAOK: Match Prediction
Manchester United are unbeaten in their last three fixtures at Old Trafford, winning two of them. The Red Devils are also without a defeat in their previous six Europa League fixtures in front of the home fans while sealing four victories. With the strong H2H record against Greek opponents and a solid form at home, United will be favorites for a comfortable victory.
Predicted Result: 2-0
