Manchester United v FC Twente Tips: Back both teams to net at Old Trafford | OneFootball

UEFA Europa League

Marcus Rashford is raring to go after he was benched at the weekend

Manchester United begin their Europa League campaign on Wednesday night, and Kevin Hatchard expects goals at Old Trafford.

Manchester United v FC TwenteWednesday 25 September, 20:00Live on TNT Sports

Red Devils improving, but still short of the top teams

There are clear signs that Manchester United are recovering under Erik ten Hag this term, but it's always worth remembering that the Dutch coach is at the helm of one of the biggest sporting institutions on the planet, and as such the expectation levels are suffocatingly high. Despite INEOS casting their net far and wide in the summer, they couldn't agree a deal with a suitable replacement, and ten Hag's victories in the League Cup and FA Cup finals spoke loudly enough to give him another shot.

United were swept aside 3-0 at home by Liverpool a few weeks ago, a defeat that came hot on the heels of a 2-1 reverse at Brighton, and the Red Devils are only 11th in the Premier League standings at this early stage. Cup competitions have generally been the former Ajax boss' refuge, and there's every reason to think United have have a deep run in the Europa League. On the Betfair Exchange, United are 6.4 second favourites to win the UEL, a smidge behind the market leaders Tottenham.

Ten Hag's men should really have won the weekend's trip to Crystal Palace. They dominated possession, had six shots on target and racked up an Opta xG figure of 1.7. However, after completely bossing the first half, United faded in the second, and actually needed some second-half heroics from Andre Onana.

Rasmus Hojlund and Mason Mount are back in contention, with the Danish striker a substitute at Selhurst Park and Mount part of the squad. Injury-plagued England left-back Luke Shaw is still struggling with a calf problem.

Ten Hag to face the club where it all began

Erik ten Hag started his playing career at FC Twente back in 1989, and had three separate spells as a centre-back with the Reds. He then went on to start his coaching career with the club, running several youth teams under the guidance of senior coaches like Fred Rutten and Steve McLaren (who of course later became ten Hag's assistant at United).

Twente were Dutch champions under Louis van Gaal in 2010 (another United connection) but they were relegated eight years later. Since their return to the top flight, they have produced some impressive seasons. They finished fourth in 2022, fifth in 2023 and third last term. Former Waalwijk coach Joseph Oosting has done an excellent job.

Twente have some exciting attacking players. Sem Steijn netted 19 goals in all competitions last term from an attacking midfield position, and he already has six league goals this term. Sam Lammers has made a good start after returning to Dutch football from Rangers, while veteran striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel was excellent last season.

Despite a fairly kind fixture list so far, Twente have been hit and miss in the Eredivisie, with three wins, two draws and a defeat. In the Champions League they gave Pep Lijnders' Salzburg a big scare, drawing the second leg 3-3 after a 2-1 first-leg defeat in Austria.

Oosting could be without right-back Bart van Rooij after he picked up a knock at the weekend, and there are doubts over Younes Taha and Michal Sadilek.

Twente can breach United defence

We can back Both Teams To Score here at 1.92, and I like Twente's chances of grabbing a goal. They put four goals past Salzburg over two games, and they have scored in all six of their Eredivisie matches this term. At the weekend, Twente won 5-0 at Almere City.

United are improving in terms of the solidity of their play, but they still allow their opposition too much freedom, and are giving up ten shots per game in the Premier League. In attack I'm happy to back United to score at least once, as they have in five of their seven competitive games this term.

Rashford raring to go

Ten Hag left Marcus Rashford out of his starting XI for the Palace game, leading to speculation that there had been another falling out between player and coach. The Dutch coach responded angrily to that suggestion, taking aim at "crazy pundits". That suggests Rashford is in line for a start here, and he is in better goalscoring form after bagging a brace in the 7-0 League Cup win over Barnsley, a result that followed his goal in the 3-0 victory at Southampton.

We can back Rashford to score at 2.442.84, as the young Argentinean has also netted three goals in his last three games.

Now read our other UEL previews here!

Recommended bets

Back Both Teams To Score @ 1.92

Back Marcus Rashford to score @ 2.44

Kevin Hatchard 2024-25 Season P/L

Points Staked: 42

Points Returned: 55.17

P/L +13.17 points