Man Utd vs PAOK Preview & Prediction | 2024-25 UEFA Europa League | League Phase

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In what is Ruud van Nistelrooy’s penultimate match in interim charge of Manchester United, the Red Devils are searching for their first win in this season’s UEFA Europa League as they prepare to take on PAOK Salonika at Old Trafford. 

KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Thursday 7th November, 2024 - UK – 8:00pm / US ET – 3:00pm / US PT – 12:00pm

HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – TNT Sports / US – Not televised

HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – Discovery+ / US – Paramount+

MAN UTD PREVIEW: RED DEVILS’ INCONSISTENCY

Manchester United have appointed Sporting CP coach Ruben Amorim and he will arrive on Monday to take charge of the Red Devils. They have been genuinely awful throughout this campaign and were a little fortunate to take a 1-1 draw away from a game against Chelsea at Old Trafford at the weekend in what was a lacklustre affair.

The home team have been, as mentioned, genuinely awful and those poor performances have been shown in their results in the UEFA Europa League so far this season with United having shared a 1-1 draw at home to Twente before then a 3-3 draw against Porto at the Estadio do Dragao followed by a 1-1 draw in Istanbul against Fenerbahce. 

PAOK PREVIEW: CHALLENGING IN GREECE

Under the management of former Al Hilal coach Razvan Lucescu, who is in his second stint in charge of PAOK Salonika, the Greek champions have started the defence of their Greek Super League title with six victories, two draws and two defeats in their ten matches as they sit behind city rivals Aris Thessaloniki at the top-of-the-table.

In the UEFA Europa League, PAOK have started the season really poorly. They started by sharing a 3-1 loss to Galatasaray in Istanbul before then being beaten 1-0 by FCSB at the Toumba Stadium in Thessaloniki. Their most recent outing saw them share a 2-2 draw at home to Viktoria Plzen a couple of weeks ago. 

MAN UTD TEAM NEWS: SEVERAL ISSUES

Manchester United are dealing with several defensive injury absentees for this one as centre-back Leny Yoro and left-backs Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are sidelined.

As well as that trio, the Red Devils are still expected to be without England internationals Harry Maguire, Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount as well as Christian Eriksen and Antony. 

PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Onana; Diogo Dalot, De Ligt, Lindelof, Martinez; Manuel Ugarte, Casemiro; Rashford, Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho; Hojlund

UNAVAILABLE: Yoro (Injured), Shaw (Injured), Malacia (Injured)

QUESTIONABLE: Maguire (Injured), Mainoo (Injured), Collyer (Injured), Eriksen (Injured), Mount (Injured), Antony (Injured)

PAOK TEAM NEWS: COUPLE OF INJURIES

Former Manchester United attacker Shola Shoretire has not been a part of the PAOK squad in recent weeks and he is expected to be left out for the Greeks for this one, too.

As well as no Shoretire, PAOK are also dealing with three injuries with former Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko sidelined alongside Antonis Tsiftsis and Giannis Konstantelias. 

PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Kotarski; Joan Sastre, Kedziora, Jonny; Camara, Ozdoyev; Zivkovic, Schwab, Taison; Brandon

UNAVAILABLE: Tsiftsis (Injured), Bakayoko (Injured), Konstantelias (Injured)

QUESTIONABLE: 

KEY STATS

• Man United have won all their previous six UEFA competition matches at home against Greek teams (GF-20 GA-1)
• Man United have scored three or more goals in their last five UEFA competition matches at home against Greek teams.
• Man United have kept five clean sheets in their previous six UEFA competition matches at home against Greek teams.
• Man United have lost only one of their previous 12 UEFA competition matches against Greek teams (W9 D2).
• Man United are unbeaten in their last eight UEFA Europa League group/league phase matches (W5 D3).
• Man United have won only one of their last 11 UEFA competition matches (D5 L5).
• Only one of Man United’s last 54 UEFA competition matches finished without a goal being scored.
• Man United have lost only one of their last 23 home matches in the UEFA Europa League competition proper (W17 D5).
• Man United have lost only two of their last 28 matches in the UEFA Europa League competition proper (W17 D9).
• Man United are without a win in their last six UEFA competition matches (D4 L2). This is their joint-longest winless sequence in UEFA competition history, equalling a six-match run between September 1980 and September 1983 (D5 L1).
• PAOK have won only one of their last 13 matches in the UEFA Europa League competition proper (D4 L8).
• PAOK have lost five of their last six away matches in the UEFA Europa League competition proper (W1).

MAN UTD VS PAOK PREDICTION

Manchester United started the mini Ruud van Nistelrooy reign with a predictably free hammering of Leicester City in the fourth round of the EFL Cup last week as they won by five goals to two at Old Trafford. They face a PAOK side that go to Manchester looking to be solid and sit back but the expectation is still for United to win this one quite comfortably, especially with their home advantage.

MAN UTD VS PAOK TIP: MAN UTD TO WIN -1 HANDICAP