FC Rostov v Manchester United: Favourites to suffer a blow, but not a fatal one

FC Rostov v Manchester United
Thursday March 09, 18:00
Live on BT Sport

FC Rostov

These are heady days for FC Rostov fans. The club finished an unprecedented second in the Russian Premier League last term, and the European adventures of the Selmashi have been eye-catching to say the least.

This season they thrashed Ajax 4-1 in Russia on the way to reaching the Champions League group stage, and when they got there, they continued to sparkle. Bayern Munich were edged out 3-2 in a topsy-turvy, chaotic encounter. Rostov twice had the lead at home to PSV in a 2-2 draw, and only lost 1-0 at home to Atletico Madrid.

One of their most impressive results came on the road. They needed to avoid defeat in Eindhoven against PSV to make sure they dropped into the Europa League, and they dug in maturely for a 0-0 draw. They then dismantled a very good and very experienced Sparta Prague side 4-0 in Russia, finishing the job with a 1-1 draw in the Czech Republic.

Forward Sardar Azmoun - the "Iranian Messi" - is the poster boy, but there are plenty of good players in the side. Vastly experienced defender Cesar Navas leads the back three, while his fellow veteran Timofei Kalachev is a threat down the right flank. Aleksandr Bukharov and Dmitriy Poloz are also dangerous options in attack for coach Ivan Daniliants.

The Latvian manager has warned United that they are in for a bumpy ride in more ways than one. He intends to put the visitors under pressure early on, but also says they might struggle to deal with a rather uneven surface at the Olimp-2 Stadium.

Manchester United

After a brutal battle with Bournemouth which damaged their chances of qualifying for the Champions League via the Premier League, Manchester United now turn their attention to what I believe is their best chance of dining at European football's top table next season. I advised bettors to back United to win the competition at 4.60 during the last 32, and after shock exits for Spurs and Shakhtar Donetsk, those odds have shortened to 3.15. Remember, the winners of the Europa League get an automatic entry into the Champions League.

I still firmly believe that United will win the trophy, especially because Lyon and Roma will now face each other, but this is unquestionably a tricky tie. It may well be that Jose Mourinho's men have to grit their teeth and survive an uncomfortable first leg, before sweeping Rostov aside at Old Trafford.

United's road form in the Europa League has been mixed. They were well beaten at Feyenoord and Fenerbahce, but won at Zorya and St Etienne. No-one could accuse Mourinho of not taking the competition seriously - big guns like Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have consistently played, and both are expected to start in Russia.

Match Odds

Bayern, Ajax and Sparta Prague have all lost in Rostov this season, and the Russians rattled in 11 goals in those three victories. They have some exciting attacking players, and the uneven playing surface will be in their favour. The win over Bayern showed that Rostov have no fears about taking on star names.

I'm confident that United will come through the tie eventually, but I think they'll need 180 minutes to assert their supremacy. I think they are too short to win the first leg at 1.80, and that's a price I'd happily lay.

Both Teams To Score

Atletico Madrid are the only team to have stopped Rostov from scoring at home in European competition this season. Their home games against Bayern, PSV and Ajax all saw both teams find the net. Even though United have kept four consecutive clean sheets in the UEL (five would equal Napoli's record), they'll do well to escape Russia with a shut-out.

Rostov have conceded in all but one of their European home matches this season, so you can certainly make a case for backing Both Teams To Score at 2.20.

Recommended Bet

Lay Manchester United at 1.80