Europa League Round of 16 Match Preview: Rostov vs Manchester United
Published March 9, 2017 by Sol FH
A big battle for Mourinho today at 18:00 GMT as Man. U takes on FC Rostov in the round of 16.
The Europa League is down to the round of 16 and for the teams left in the competition, each match is incredibly important. FC Rostov takes on Manchester United tonight at 18:00 GMT and it will be the first time that these teams have met. Rostov are not the same caliber of team, as other Russian outfits, like Spartak Moscow, CSKA or Zenit, but after an excellent showing in the Champions League, they are definitely a team not to take lightly.
Rostov were great in the Champions League. No one thought that they would well with such a difficult draw in their group, alongside Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and PSV Eindhoven, but after finishing above PSV, and actually beating Bayern Munich 3-2 in the group stages, a lot of minds changed over this Russian team.
For United, they traveled a very long 2,000+ mile trip to Rostov, coming off of a dismal 1-1 draw against a 10-man Bournemouth in the Premier League. Rostov on the other hand are coming off of an incredible 6-0 win and are playing at home where they have only lost one game in their last seven at Olimp-2 Stadium. To make matters worse for United, defender Eric Bailly will be out due to suspension and Wayne Rooney and Luke Shaw did not make the trip to Russia.
The Russians will be without their starting goalkeeper Soslan Dzhanayev, but aside from him they have a healthy squad. Jose Mourino came out and criticized the quality of the pitch at Rostov, as pictures have shown very little grass, many holes and other problems therein. "It is a very bad draw for us in every aspect. It is far, it is difficult and comes at a bad period for us. It is difficult because they are a very difficult team. They had a very good Champions League campaign," related the Portuguese manager.
Online Betting Markets and Prediction
bet365 Sports has posted odds very much in favor of Manchester United at 1.90, while Rostov rolls in as underdogs at 5.00. A draw might be the best bet, as the feeling of a 2-2 draw is a final result that is very much possible. Rostov will most-likely play for the draw at 3.40.
