With three defeats in their last four games, Ole Gunnar Solskjær is a man under pressure to deliver and questions are being asked of United’s hierarchy, if they are really ambitious enough to drive the club forward.
The Norwegian has recorded numbers that got David Moyes sacked after the loss to West Ham United making it just five wins for the club in their last 10 games. Another loss in the weekend at home to Aston Villa worsened the criticism of the manager.
United’s home loss to West Ham is their first to the Hammers at the Old Trafford Stadium in 14 years, while it was also followed by their first defeat to Villa, ending a run of 16 games without losing.
They have disappointingly dropped points in the league to Southampton and Aston Villa and these dropped points will surely haunt them come the end of the season.
Villarreal after the Europa league final have kept their form and were unfortunate to be on the losing side in the UEFA Super Cup as they were the better side but lost on penalties to Champions League winner, Chelsea.
Coming into the contest against United, they last played a goalless draw against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu, a result that will bring much needed confidence for their trip to England.
The are currently unbeaten in the league this season and have drawn five of the six games played. Unai Emery’s side have played both Madrid clubs away from home, and that they are still unbeaten should give Manchester United the notion they have a difficult task at hand.
The Yellow Submarines will also be facing Cristiano Ronaldo, who was a thorn for them whilst in Madrid.
The Portuguese was directly involved in 18 goals in 19 games (13 goals, five assists) against the Spanish side and they will be wary of the havocs he can cause when they kickoff at the Old Trafford Stadium on Wednesday.
The duo of Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire picked up injuries in Saturdays loss to Aston Villa and Wednesday’s clash might come too soon for then, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka is suspended for picking up a red card in the 2-1 loss to Young Boys.
Francis Coquelin will also miss the game having been red carded in the 2-2 draw against Atalanta. Gerard Moreno, Juan Fourth and Samuel Chukwueze are all injured for Unai Emery side.
Both sides will be looking to avoid a defeat and knowing anything but a win will increase the pressure on him, Ole Gunnar Solskjær will be hoping his side can get a win to relief the tense atmosphere around the club.
Afolabi Kehinde Hassan
