Manchester United travel to The National Arena in Bucharest to take on FCSB in the last match of the Europa League opening phase.
The Red Devils have never played against their hosts in what will be an historic fixture.
The Romanians do not have the best record against English sides as they have lost their last seven games against them with an aggregate score of 20 goals conceded and two scored.
United’s travelling away fans will hope history repeats itself tonight.
Here are some storylines to dig into before the match.
Both sides aiming for the top eight
In what promises to be a frantic night with all 18 fixtures happening simultaneously, both sides will be keen to secure their place in the top eight.
United currently sit fourth in the table after the last-gasp victory over Rangers last week.
FCSB are eighth and only one point behind the Red Devils.
A win could see Ruben Amorim’s side rise as high as second but a loss could also see them drop out of the top eight which would mean United would need to take part in the playoff round to decide if they would make it to the last 16 phase.
Therefore, there will be much to play for tonight for both sides in what promises to be a highly competitive affair.
United’s strong record versus Romanian sides
Whilst the Red Devils do not have any previous matches against tonight’s opponents they have had experience with teams from Romania before.
“Manchester United have won five of their six meetings with Romanian sides in all competitions” according to the BBC.
In the 2004/2005 season they beat FC Dinamo Bucuresti 5-1 on aggregate to qualify for the group stage of the Champions League.
In 2011 they defeated Otelul Galati 2-0 home and away.
They also beat CFR Cluj 2-1 in Romania but shockingly lost 0-1 at Old Trafford in their final group game of the Champions League group in 2012.
Unbeaten away record in group stage
Despite poor form domestically, United have been relatively solid in Europe as they are unbeaten in their first seven games, winning four and drawing three.
They drew 3-3 away to FC Porto and 1-1 in Turkiye versus Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce. They also won 2-1 away to Viktoria Plzen before Christmas.
“Manchester United have not lost any of their last six away UEFA Europa League group stage matches, four wins and two draws, since losing 2-1 at Astana in November 2019.”
The travelling fans will certainly hope they can finish the league stage in similar fashion tonight to avoid the hassle of an extra two games and secure automatic passage to the last 16.
Featured image Vasili Mihai-Antonio via Getty Images
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Alex Browne
Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Proud owner of such niche shirts such as Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Gary Neville. Grew up pretending to be Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the back garden, with little success.
