Man Utd October Fixtures Preview

Old Trafford

Manchester United will hope to put their lacklustre September performances firmly behind when club football returns to action in mid-October, and you can find the best bets for backing United on MBS.

The Red Devils have suffered a dip in form lately, going from three consecutive Premier League victories to back-to-back league matches without winning.

After falling to a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa at Old Trafford despite attempting 28 shots, United played out a 1-1 home draw with Everton and had the VAR intervention to thank they avoided another upset.

So, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should use the upcoming international window to rally his troops as the pressure continues to pile on the under-fire Norwegian manager.

United will return to action on October 16 when they head to the King Power Stadium to meet out-of-sorts Leicester City.

Leicester City (Premier League) – October 16

Brendan Rodgers has found himself in a similar situation as his United counterpart after Leicester went winless in all four Premier League fixtures on the back of the last international break.

A brace of single-goal margin losses to Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion, the Midlands outfit strung together a pair of 2-2 draws with Burnley and Crystal Palace.

In addition to their domestic struggle, the Foxes face an uphill task of making it out of the UEFA Europa League group stages following an underwhelming start to their Group C campaign.

Leicester squandered a two-goal against Napoli in their Group C curtain-raiser before succumbing to a frustrating 1-0 away defeat to Legia Warsaw last time out.

With four group phase games left to go, they sit five points adrift of section-toppers Legia, having failed to live up to their status of group favourites so far.

Rodgers starts to feel the heat as juggling domestic football with European commitments continues to curtail his side’s momentum.

So United’s visit to the King Power Stadium comes at a perfect time as the Red Devils look to snap a two-game winless Premier League streak against Leicester.

Solskjaer’s team drew this exact fixture 2-2 last season before going down 2-1 at Old Trafford in May, having won four straight league H2Hs against this opposition beforehand.

Atalanta (UEFA Champions League) – October 20

Man United will entertain Atalanta at Old Trafford in a must-win UEFA Champions League clash on October 20.

Solskjaer’s men have experienced mixed fortunes across their opening two group stage outings and can ill-afford more slip-ups if they are to avoid another Champions League fiasco.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s last-gasp winner handed United a precious 2-1 home victory over Villarreal last time out, helping the Old Trafford side bounce back from a dismal 2-1 loss to Young Boys in their Group F opener.

The Red Devils failed to negotiate their Champions League group stage campaign in 2020/21, though they subsequently reached the Europa League grand final, where they lost to Villarreal on penalties.

Trailing group-leaders Atalanta by a point ahead of the third round, United will be looking to take the three points and the Italians’ place in the standings.

Despite their recent European struggle, the Premier League heavyweights can draw confidence from their resounding 71.43% Champions League win rate against Serie A clubs at Old Trafford (via Transfermarkt).

Indeed, United have won ten of their 14 home meetings with Italian opposition in the competition, losing three of the other four, with one single draw.

Liverpool (Premier League) – October 24

Manchester United’s arguably sternest test in October comes in the shape of Liverpool, who headed into the international window as the only Premier League side yet to lose a league match this term.

Though the Red Devils will enjoy the privilege of playing in front of the Old Trafford faithful, it might be looming in the forefront of their minds that they lost this exact fixture 4-2 last season.

That reverse effectively brought United’s six-game unbeaten league streak at home against Liverpool to a halt.

Additionally, Solskjaer’s side conceded as many goals in that lone defeat as they had in their previous six top-flight H2Hs at Old Trafford combined.

With Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah scoring for fun this season, United will at least hope to have captain Harry Maguire fit and firing for this blockbuster showdown.

The England international picked up a calf injury during United’s 1-0 loss to Villa, forcing Victor Lindelof’s return to the starting line-up in the last two competitive matches.

Ahead of the international window, the Reds have netted a league-high 17 goals, including two during a 2-2 draw with Man City at Anfield last time out.

With United’s defensive display on full display in recent times, Solskjaer will have to shore up the leaks if his team are to keep Jurgen Klopp’s free-scoring attack at bay.

Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League) – October 30

Man United will cap off their October Premier League action with an exciting match-up against an inconsistent Tottenham side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Led by new manager Nuno Espirito Santo, Spurs have blown hot and cold in the early Premier League exchanges this season.

Yet to draw a top-flight match this term, the Londoners had gone from a hat-trick of 1-0 victories to three consecutive league defeats by an aggregate score of 9-1 prior to a hard-earned 2-1 home win over Villa last time out.

Tottenham’s topsy-turvy start to the season puts them in eighth heading into the international break, albeit they trail fourth-placed United by a mere two points.

However, it’s worth noting that the London giants have gone winless in their last three Premier League meetings with United at home since a 2-0 triumph in January 2018 under Mauricio Pochettino.

Spurs lost twice across that three-game sequence, drawing the other one, as they stare at the prospect of putting together four straight top-flight home H2Hs without winning for the first time since 2014.

Given United’s extraordinary away form in the Premier League, it’s hard to make a case for the Red Devils not stretching their unbeaten streak in north London.

Solskjaer’s men are riding on a record-breaking 29-match undefeated run away from home in England’s top-flight, having won their last two league trips by a narrow one-goal margin.




2 Comments

  1. I have five issues ole needs to solve to keep his job: 1. Keep ronaldo happy. Cr7 will like to start every game. 2. Fix the midfield. 3. Maximise sancho:ole needs to prove that he’s capable of developing young talents to world beaters. Sancho should be utd right winger, he can interlink with bruno if he drift to that possition. 4. Decide who’s filling the left wing: once the right wing is decided the left wing needs attention. Rashford is a guaranteed starter on the left wing before pogba and could swap wings with sancho even in game. 5. Rotate wisely: when you have a team that does better stick to that team.

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