Anderlecht v Manchester United: Jose's men to do it the hard way again

Anderlecht v Manchester United
Thursday April 13, 20:05
Live on BT Sport 2

Anderlecht

Anderlecht are arguably the biggest club in Belgium, and their name is well known beyond the borders of their own country. This group of players seems to be coping with that pressure. The Mauves et Blancs are on course to deliver a first league title since 2014, and this is the first time since the turn of the century that the club has made it to the last eight of a European competition.

Anderlecht have knocked out Russian giants Zenit and gritty Cypriot side APOEL, and they will have no fear of taking on Manchester United. They have kept clean sheets in their last five home games (including in wins over Zenit and APOEL), and in all competitions they have won seven of their last nine games at the Stade Constant Vanden Stock.

Imposing targetman Lukasz Teodorcyzk is a danger in attack, having scored 20 goals in 30 league games, as well as bagging seven goals in the UEL. Nicolae Stanciu is an unpredictable attacking player capable of moments of brilliance, while Kara Mbodji is a strong leader in defence.

Manchester United

Regular readers of these Europa League columns will know that I have felt for some time that Manchester United will win this competition, and I still believe that it is the case. The likes of Spurs, Shakhtar Donetsk, Villarreal and Roma have all crashed out since the knockout phase began, and United are the clear favourites in the Winner market at 2.54.

However, they did it the hard way against Russian side Rostov in the last 16, and they may have to grind their way through this tie too. United have only won two of their five away games in this competition this term, and they suffered humbling defeats at Feyenoord and Fenerbahce.

United boss Jose Mourinho has confirmed that keeper Sergio Romero will once against deputise for David De Gea, while Chris Smalling, Juan Mata, Phil Jones and Ashley Young are all out. Antonio Valencia has recovered and is in contention.

This competition is surely United's top priority, with a Champions League carrot dangling in front of them. As such, expect the big hitters to start, with Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic raring to go.

Match Odds

Manchester United are trading at evens to win this, and that seems far too short to me. Anderlecht are strong at home, they are defending well, and have some technically excellent players. In the previous round I advised laying United ahead of the away leg against Rostov, and I'm happy to replicate that advice here.

Over/Under 2.5 Goals

This should be pretty tight, especially when you consider Anderlecht's recent defensive record. Four of United's five away games in this competition have featured fewer than three goals, and I expect Mourinho to fully respect Anderlecht and keept the handbrake on.

Under 2.5 Goals seems a sensible play to me at 1.86.

Recommended Bets
Lay Manchester United at 2.00
Back Under 2.5 Goals at 1.86