Young Boys vs Man United: Red Devils look to kick off UCL campaign with a bang

September 13, 2021 By Michelle Bonsu

Topics: TV Schedules, TV Listings, Young Boys, Manchester United, UEFA Champions League

Manchester United will kick off their 2021/22 Champions League campaign with an away clash against Swiss outfit Young Boys on Tuesday, September 14th.

Preview: Young Boys vs Manchester United

Fresh off their resounding 4-1 win over Newcastle United last weekend, Manchester United will now turn their attention towards European football as they prepare to travel to Switzerland. The Red Devils' first opponents will be Swiss outfit Young Boys, who also come into this match having recorded a comfortable win over the weekend in league play.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men were simply outstanding in their last match as they cruised to all three points, with Cristiano Ronaldo marking his return to Old Trafford with a brace, plus Jesse Lingard and Bruno Fernandes grabbing a goal each. Interestingly, Villarreal, who beat them in the 2020/21 Europa League final via spot kicks, is also in this quartet, and it's safe to say that the English giants will be looking to get revenge on the Spanish outfit for ending their chances to win a European trophy last season.

Arguably, United are the heavy favorites to qualify from this group and should, with the quality of players they have, do so as group winners, leaving second spot to be a scrap between Villarreal, Young Boys, and plucky Italian side Atalanta.

That being said, they're not leaving anything to chance, and will come out in full force in Tuesday's match. Although Edinson Cavani has now reportedly recovered from a knock that kept him out from the clash against the Magpies, the Uruguayan could again miss out here if Solskjaer opts to field Ronaldo after the 36-year-old opened his account on Saturday - and it looks highly likely.

As for Young Boys, who are now under the guidance of American coach David Wagner, they've picked up eight points so far, which is enough to see them in third spot in the Swiss Super League table. However, they're very inexperienced at this level, and are making only their second ever appearance in the Champions League group stages.

In addition, their poor record against English teams - with just one win in their last eight meetings - means that indeed, the odds will be really stacked against them when the Red Devils come to town. Interestingly, their first Champions League venture also saw them take on Manchester United during the 2018/19 edition of this event, and they ended up losing by an aggregate score of 4-0 across both legs.

Team news: Young Boys vs Manchester United

Young Boys: Joel Monteiro, Esteban Petignat, Nico Maier, Fabian Lustenberger, and Jean-Pierre Nsame will all miss out for the hosts.

Manchester United: Both Marcus Rashford and Alex Telles remain out as they recover from injuries, and although Dean Henderson and Phil Jones have resumed light training, this match will come too soon for them to be involved. However, Brazilian midfielder Fred will be back in the starting XI after initially being blocked from featuring for his club team by FIFA, only to see that order reserved, but Scottish international Scott McTominay more likely will wait till this weekend to make his return, despite having recovered from surgery.

Match facts: Young Boys vs Manchester United

Young Boys are in the UCL group stages for only the second time in club history
Their first was during the 2018/19 edition of this competition
To date, they've won just one of their last eight meetings with English sides in European competition
Cristiano Ronaldo is just one game away from making the most UCL match appearances in competition history. The record, which is 177, is currently held by Iker Casillas
Young Boys have kept just one clean sheet in their last six UCL games