Manchester United host Roma at Old Trafford in the Champions League at 4am SGT on Wednesday 4 November, needing a first win in the competition since their opening game in September. Michael Carrick’s side are 20th of 36 in the league phase on three points, one behind their Italian visitors, after losing their last two European games away from home.
The start was easy enough. Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes and Benjamin Šeško all scored before half-time against Sabah on 10 September, and Lisandro Martínez added a fourth after the break in a 4-0 win.
Then came the road. Pablo Barrios scored inside the first minute at the Metropolitano on 13 October and Ademola Lookman made it 2-0 to Atlético Madrid with 11 minutes left. At Como on 21 October it was worse: Nico Paz scored after two minutes and again just before the hour, Tasos Douvikas and Jacobo Ramón also scored, and Joshua Zirkzee’s goal in the 90th minute was all United had to show in a 4-1 defeat.
Who is back for United
Patrick Dorgu has returned to full training after a hamstring injury picked up on international duty, but he will not play. “He’s worked ever so hard to be back with the group, but he won’t be involved tomorrow,” Carrick told his pre-match press conference on Monday.
Martínez, sent off at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, is available because his one-match ban covers the Premier League game with Aston Villa on Sunday. Leny Yoro is back after serving his European suspension at Como. Luke Shaw is out for the week, Marcus Rashford is being assessed day by day, and Manuel Ugarte and Šeško have also been missing with injuries. Amad, taken off at Chelsea, trained with the squad on Monday.
Roma arrive with Malen in form
Roma’s one Champions League defeat came late. Donyell Malen scored twice early in the second half to put them 3-1 up on Real Madrid at the Stadio Olimpico on 14 October, before Carlos Espí, Endrick and Antonio Rüdiger scored from the 82nd minute on to win it 4-3 for Madrid.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side drew 1-1 at Fenerbahçe on matchday one and beat Slovan Bratislava 4-0 at home on 20 October, Malen scoring from the spot for his third goal in the competition. Roma beat Udinese 5-2 in Serie A at the weekend.
Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Manu Koné are doubts. With Mile Svilar injured, Pierluigi Gollini, who came through United’s academy, is expected to stay in goal.
This is the ninth meeting between the clubs. The last two came in the 2021 Europa League semi-final, when United won 6-2 at Old Trafford and lost 3-2 in Rome to go through 8-5 on aggregate.
Villa take a perfect record to Barcelona
Aston Villa kick off at Camp Nou at the same time, second in the table and one of five clubs with three wins from three. Villa have scored 12 and conceded three, winning 3-2 at Club Brugge, 6-0 at home to Fenerbahçe and 3-1 at home to Viking. Ross Barkley and Nicolas Jackson have three goals each.
Barcelona are eighth on six points. They beat Feyenoord 5-1 at Camp Nou and won 4-1 at Galatasaray, then lost 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes on 20 October. Raphinha, Karim Adeyemi and Lamine Yamal have two goals each.
Villa come into it tenth in the Premier League on 12 points, after a 1-1 home draw with Fulham on Saturday.
Liverpool, Arsenal and City go a night later
Liverpool, also perfect and third, visit Fenerbahçe at 1.45am SGT on Thursday 5 November. Arsenal, seventh on seven points, go to Slavia Prague and Manchester City, tenth on six, travel to RB Leipzig, both at 4am SGT.
United and Villa then meet at Old Trafford at 12.30am SGT on Monday 9 November, with Martínez suspended.
