Manchester United will look to secure top spot in Group L in the Europa League when they entertain AZ Alkmaar at Old Trafford on Thursday night.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer elected to field a young side in the Red Devils' previous European outing at Astana in late November, losing 2-1 as they failed to win the group outright ahead of a few important domestic fixtures.
While he was previously under pressure, Solskjaer has managed to pull out two massive results in consecutive Premier League games, beating Tottenham 2-1 at home before edging Manchester City by the same scoreline at the Etihad.
However, Alkmaar have been one of the standout sides in the Eredivisie so far this season and trail leaders Ajax by just three points following a run of six consecutive league wins.
Thursday night is essentially a straight shootout for first place in Group L, with the losers potentially facing a tie against a team that will drop down from the Champions League.
Here's 90min's preview of the game.
Where to Watch
| When Is Kick Off? | Thursday 12 December |
| What Time Is Kick Off? | 20:00 (BST) |
| Where Is it Played? | Old Trafford |
| TV Channel/Live Stream? |
BT Sport 2 |
| Referee? | Sandro Scharer |
Team News
Changes are expected from Saturday's Manchester derby success. Juan Mata, Axel Tuanzebe, Mason Greenwood and Brandon Williams are among those who could come in for United.
Nemanja Matic could be gifted a start if deemed fit enough to start, but there are also doubts over Luke Shaw and Marcos Rojo's fitness. Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Eric Bailly, Paul Pogba and Diogo Dalot all remain absent.
For the visitors, Myron Boadu is suspended, while Albert Gudmundsson and Pantelis Hatzidiakos are out injured. Jordy Clasie, who had an unsuccessful spell at Southampton, is expected to feature in central defence.
Predicted Lineups
| Manchester United | Romero; Young, Tuanzebe, Bernard, Williams; Matic, Pereira; Mata, Gomes, Chong; Greenwood. |
| AZ Alkmaar |
Bizot; Svensson, Clasie, Wuytens, Wijndal; De Wit, Midtsjo, Koopmeiners; Stengs, Druijf, Idrissi. |
Head to Head Record
United and AZ met for the first time ever in UEFA competition earlier this season in The Hague, the contest ending in a bore 0-0 draw.
The Premier League side have faced Dutch opposition a total of 17 times, with their most recent meeting with Ajax ending with United lifting the Europa League trophy in 2017. They have beaten sides visiting from the Netherlands in six of their eight home fixtures, most recently smashing Feyenoord 4-0 in 2016/17.
Alkmaar's last five away games against English sides have all ended in defeat, including losses at Ipswich and Arsenal.
Recent Form
The pressure was building at United, and then suddenly, the unthinkable happened.
Solskjaer managed to outsmart both Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola in the space of barely three days, securing 2-1 wins over Tottenham and Manchester City.
Previous to those games, United had been held to draws with Aston Villa and Sheffield United, also losing to Astana.
AZ have scored six league wins on the bounce over the last few weeks and have won two of their last three Europa League games.
| Manchester United | AZ Alkmaar |
| Manchester City 1-2 Manchester United (7/12) | PEC Zwolle 0-3 AZ Alkmaar (7/12) |
| Manchester United 2-1 Tottenham (4/12) | AZ Alkmaar 1-0 VVV-Venlo (1/12) |
| Manchester United 2-2 Aston Villa (1/12) | AZ Alkmaar 2-2 Partizan Belgrade (28/11) |
| Astana 2-1 Manchester United (28/11) | Utrecht 0-3 AZ Alkmaar (23/11) |
| Sheffield United 3-3 Manchester United (24/11) | AZ Alkmaar 3-0 Emmen (10/11) |
Prediction
There should be plenty of confidence running through the United ranks after their two monumental wins, but there will be more pressure on them to create chances through possession rather than sitting back and attacking on the break as we've seen recently.
However, even if the players fielded on Thursday lack the killer instinct to unlock a low block, United still ought to have enough to breach the visitors' defence and secure the positive result that will see them top Group L.
Prediction: Manchester United 2-1 AZ Alkmaar
Source: 90min
