Manchester United are back in the Champions League and their return to the elite European stage brings with it a testing fixture schedule.
Erik ten Hag’s men played a gruelling 62 club games last season as they reached both domestic cup finals and the last eight of the Europa League. But a return to the Champions League raises the quality and provides the Reds with stern tests as they attempt to navigate their group.
Bayern Munich are the obvious danger but Turkish side Galatasaray and Danish club FC Copenhagen will both be keen to show what they are made of when taking on United. And the Premier League fixture list has thrown up a quartet of key weeks for the Reds as they attempt to compete on two fronts.
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The first staging post comes immediately after the international break when United are thrust back into action with a daunting doubleheader. A top-flight trip to Brighton, where the Reds have struggled in recent seasons, is followed by a visit to Bayern. With Ten Hag’s side losing their opening two away matches this season, defeat at the Amex would represent a worrying start to the campaign domestically. And while Munich will be favourites for the European opener, United will hope to compete and prove they belong back at Champions League level.
A month later, United reach the halfway point in the group stage with a home game against Copenhagen on Tuesday, October 24. It is simply a must-win from a European standpoint with the Reds surely needing to take maximum points off the Danes if they are to reach the knockout stage. It will be a special night for former Copenhagen striker Rasmus Hojlund but Ten Hag must also factor in the small matter of the Manchester derby the following Sunday. That Old Trafford fixture gives the Reds a chance to repeat their home success of last season and prove their progress as they seek to close the gap to City at the top of the table.
A big stumbling block for United under Ten Hag has been their away form and they must try and rectify that this term, even if the early signs have yielded two defeats. There are not many more tougher European away days than a hostile trip to Galatasaray, which is where the Reds head on Wednesday November 29. With Bayern expected to top the group, the matches against the Turkish side will have a big bearing on who else qualifies. And with this fixture the penultimate in the group, the stakes could be high for a winner-takes-all all contest.
Days later United are on the road again in the Premier League as they visit Newcastle United. Eddie Howe’s side are in the Champions League themselves this term but European exertions will have to be put to the back burner as the two clubs chase important top flight points.
The Champions League group phase ends on Tuesday, December 12, with United welcoming Bayern to Old Trafford. The Reds will hope to have wrapped up qualification ahead of the finale but could well require a result against Harry Kane and co. to progress. It has the hallmarks of a classic European night under the lights.
If United have booked their place in the last 16, then Ten Hag could look ahead to a mammoth weekend fixture at Liverpool. A trip to Anfield is always an eagerly awaited contest in these parts and those few days represent the big occasions United want to be commonplace once again.
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The transfer window will soon close and although United got their hands on three players well in advance of the September 1 deadline, with Rasmus Hojlund joining Mason Mount and Andre Onana at Old Trafford, activity has stalled since Hojlund’s announcement.
A goalkeeper, a midfielder and a striker were Erik ten Hag’s priorities heading into the summer window, but injuries early on in the season mean United are in need of further reinforcements.
Our team of experts will be on top of all the goings-on at Old Trafford for the remainder of the window and beyond, and you can get the latest updates and inside information to your phone by joining our new free WhatsApp community below.
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