Yesterday was nothing short of disaster for Manchester United, as they got obliterated by AFC Bournemouth at home. Now comes potential for more embarrassment in front of the home crowd as juggernaut club Bayern Munich comes to town. Mason Mount (calf injury) and Victor Lindelof (unspecified knock) could come back into the side for United here, but otherwise their injury crisis won’t be alleviating much, if at all.
United, who sit last in their UEFA Champions League grouping, are on the verge of being eliminated from Europe.
Manchester United vs Bayern Munich FYIs
Kickoff: Tue. Dec. 12, 8 pm, Old Trafford, Manchester, UK
Competition: UEFA Champions League Group B Matchday 6/6
Team News: Bayern Munich Manchester United
Starting XI Predictions: Bayern Munich Manchester United
UCL Standing: Bayern Munich 1st, 13 pts, DWWWW Manchester United 4th, 4 pts DLWLL
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Google Result Probability: Bayern Munich 38% Draw 25% Manchester United 37%
Man United Team News
The last thing United needs right now, in the hopes of trying to salvage their UCL campaign, is to play the group-leading side. However, having failed to take care of business in the previous matches, they have no one to blame but themselves. In addition to potentially getting Mount and Lindelof back, Marcus Rashford is eligible to return here, having finished serving his European ban.
However, it is hard to imagine he’ll actually provide much of a boost here, given how far out of form he has been for most of this season.
There are, however, a whole host of long-term absentees, including the ostracized Jadon Sancho, who continues on completely frozen out.
You also have the following injury absentees: Lisandro Martinez (recovery from foot surgery), Casemiro (thigh muscle injury), Tyrell Malacia (recovery from knee surgery), Christian Eriksen (short-term knee injury) and Amad Diallo (long-term knee injury).
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.