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Manchester United face FC Porto of their second league stage recreation of the Europa League after a disappointing 1-1 draw with FC Twente on opening night time.
The Crimson Devils have performed the Portuguese facet eight instances of their historical past, successful three, drawing three and shedding two extra.
The house facet have began their league marketing campaign off in spectacular fashion successful six out of their opening seven league video games.
Nonetheless, they misplaced 3-2 to 10-man FK Bodø/Glimt of their first European tie of the season, so they are going to be determined to choose up a constructive outcome tonight.
Listed below are three storylines to savour.
United’s spectacular document towards Portugal’s most interesting
Not solely has Portugal been a productive procuring marketplace for United with the signings of Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot, Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani over time however the Crimson Devils have additionally loved lots of success towards Primeira Liga groups.
Manchester United are unbeaten of their final 12 main European matches towards Portuguese golf equipment, successful 9 and drawing three, since shedding 2-1 to Benfica in December 2005.
They haven’t performed Porto for the reason that Champions League quarter finals of 2009 when Sir Alex Ferguson’s males got here out on high 3-2 on mixture after successful 1-0 in tonight’s venue, the Estádio do Dragão.
Extra lately they’ve received 4 video games on the trot within the Champions League, with two victories over Sporting Braga in 2012 and two extra wins versus SL Benfica in 2017 when Jose Mourinho was coach.
In actual fact, relationship again to 1964, United have solely misplaced three out of their 27 ties towards Portuguese sides, and will probably be hoping their luck continues tonight in what already looks like a must-win match.
Iconic moments on this fixture
For 2 groups who don’t play one another fairly often, a few fashionable soccer’s most iconic moments have taken place.
The primary comes in the course of the 2003/2004 season when after United dominated the match and have been seemingly heading via to the Champions League quarter finals, Porto’s Costinha smashed house a ninetieth minute winner after a Tim Howard fumble that despatched United crashing out of the cup in entrance of a shocked Outdated Trafford.
Porto would go on to brilliantly win the Champions League that yr however the fixture is remembered for the response of a younger Portuguese coach.
A a lot lesser-known Mourinho celebrated by working half the size of the pitch to have a good time along with his gamers in what would develop into one of the crucial well-known celebrations by a supervisor and introduced himself on the worldwide stage.
The following was a considerably sweeter one for United followers, when in 2009 in a good encounter between the 2 sides, Cristiano Ronaldo fired in a spectacular 40 yard drive to present the Crimson Devils the lead, which they’d not relinquish as they progressed to the semi-finals, after successful in Porto 1-0.
The aim is definitely one among Ronaldo’s most interesting and arguably probably the greatest scored within the Champions League period.
Can United sustain away day aim feast?
Europe has hardly been a contented looking floor as of late for Ten Hag’s facet as they have been dumped out of the Champions League on the group levels final yr.
Curiously sufficient, regardless of struggling to attain within the league, the Crimson Devils have been deadly in entrance of aim in Europe, scoring 9 objectives of their three away video games.
Sadly for everybody related to the membership, this extremely didn’t end in any victories as they misplaced 4-3 to each Bayern Munich and FC Copenhagen earlier than drawing 3-3 with Galatasaray.
Whereas followers of the membership would like to see three extra strikes tonight, most would snap your hand off for a boring 1-0 victory to stem the tide of adverse feeling on the membership as of late.
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