Preview: A chance for Moyes to calm down nerves
Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and company offered David Moyes an explosive start to his 2013/14 UEFA Champions League campaign. The hosts triumphed 4-2 over Bayer Leverkusen to justify their intentions of claiming glory at the Estadio da Luz come May 24, 2014.
However, three weeks after this great night at Old Trafford, Manchester United find themselves lacking confidence following a series of unconvincing records and results on the domestic front. Things are not going their way in the English Premier League where they are 12th behind teams like Southampton, Hull City, West Bromwich Albion and even Cardiff City.
Wednesday’s Champions League away game against Shakhtar Donetsk is decisive and David Moyes knows it. Both teams have never met in the history of the competition but the Ukrainians have a very good record against English teams at home.
Shakhtar first played Arsenal in November 2000 and won 3-0. Ten years later, they hosted the Gunners again and beat them 2-1. Last season, they played their third and last Champions League home match against English opponents so far. Shakhtar Donetsk went up against Chelsea and embarrassed the Blues 2-1.
As for Manchester United, the only side from Ukraine they have ever faced in the tournament is Dynamo Kyiv; the Red Devils won on both occasions. Can they get lucky a third time to avoid pressing the panic button?
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
Watch Shakhtar Donetsk vs Manchester United live on Wednesday, October 2, 2013:
In Canada at 14:45 ET on: Sportsnet World
In UK at 19:45 BST on: Sky Sports 4/HD
In USA at 14:45 ET on: Fox Soccer 2Go, Fox Sports 1, SiriusXM FC
Watch this UEFA Champions League match live on SuperSport 5 (in African countries), Futbol+ (in Ukraine), and several other channels worldwide. Visit the Shakhtar-Man United match page for full live stream and TV listings as well as live scores upon kick-off.
