Good evening! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for tonight's match as
Manchester United host
Young Boys at Old Trafford!
The Red Devils could book their place in the last 16 tonight depending on results elsewhere, but they come into the game off the back of a couple of disappointing domestic results either side of the international break. Young Boys, by contrast, are flying domestically but only a win will do for them tonight if they harbour any hopes of qualifying for the Europa League in the New Year.
Let's start with a look at the team news...
MAN UTD STARTING XI: De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, Jones, Shaw; Fred, Fellaini, Matic; Lingard, Rashford, Martial
MAN UTD SUBS: Romero, Bailly, Pereira, Mata, McTominay, Pogba, Lukaku
YOUNG BOYS STARTING XI: Von Ballmoos; Mbabu, Camara, Von Bergen, Benito; Sulejmani, Sow, Lauper, Aebischer, Assale; Nsame
YOUNG BOYS SUBS: Wolfli, Bertone, Ngamaleu, Fassnacht, Schick, Garcia, Seydoux
What can we make of those two sides, then?
Well, the first thing to note is that Jose Mourinho has left Paul Pogba out of his starting lineup for tonight's game, despite the French midfielder having been the star of the show in the reverse fixture between these two sides.
Pogba scored two and assisted another during the 3-0 win over Berne but only makes the bench tonight. Dropped or just rested for a match United should be able to win without him?
Pogba is not the only big name missing either; Romelu Lauku also only makes the bench after his drought at club level extended to 11 matches at the weekend, and there are six changes in total compared to that stalemate against Palace.
One notable inclusion is Antonio Valencia, who has been very much out of favour under Mourinho in recent weeks but makes his return to the starting lineup in place of Matteo Darmian at right-back tonight.
Luke Shaw also returns to the fold after serving a one-game domestic ban at the weekend, while Phil Jones is handed a rare start in a much-changed defence from Mourinho.
That latter change is an enforced one, though, with Lindelof having been ruled out after picking up an injury against Palace at the weekend. Bailly was thought to be first in line to replace him, but Mourinho has opted for Jones and he will now hope to forge a partnership with Smalling at the back.
Fred and
Marouane Fellaini come into the midfield, meanwhile, as Pogba and Mata drop out from the draw with Crystal Palace.
Further forward there is a start for Marcus Rashford through the middle in Lukaku's absence, while Alexis Sanchez misses out on a place in the squad entirely having led the line against Juventus. Lingard and Martial will flank Rashford.
As for Young Boys, they arrive at Old Trafford with a number of injury concerns and one of the players absent today is top scorer Guillaume Hoarau.
The big striker has 10 goals in just 13 league games so far this season, but he was forced off at half time of his side's weekend win over Lugano and has not recovered from the ankle injury in time for this one.
Hoarau had scored six goals in his last eight appearances for the club, so his absence will most certainly be felt by Young Boys, who start Nsame through the middle instead.
There are goals throughout this Young Boys team, though, and United will have to keep a close eye on all of their players considering their 47 league goals this term have come from 11 different sources.
The visitors are also without Wuthrich and long-term absentee Jordan Lotomba, while there is no Sekou Sanogo in midfield as he serves the suspension for his red card against Valencia on matchday four.
Sanogo has been replaced in the starting lineup by Aebischer as Young Boys go for a more reserved 4-5-1 formation compared to their usual 4-4-2 system.
Lauper will move out of his usual centre-back role into defensive midfield as Camara comes in alongside Von Bergen at the heart of the defence, while Benito and Mbabu - the latter of whom shown signs of real promise in the reverse fixture - providing the defensive width.
In all there are three changes from the weekend, with Nsame, Aebischer and Camara replacing Fassnacht, Sanogo and Hoarau.
There will not be any names on that Young Boys teamsheet that strike fear into the heart of Manchester United's players or fans, but the latter have certainly begun to learn not to take wins in these matches for granted any more.
There is always a question mark over United at the moment, even going into games like tonight when they are the overwhelming favourite, as they have been so inconsistent lately that it is difficult to know what to expect from them.
Indeed, a quick look at the formbook show exactly how inconsistent United have been; four wins, four draws and four defeats in their last 12 matches across all competitions.
It is not only the final results which have been inconsistent either, with United often playing poorly in one half and then improving in the other. The variety of quality of results in that time also speaks volumes, with the 12-match run including a famous away win over Juventus but also a home defeat at the hands of Championship side Derby.
The victory over Juventus in Turin will surely go down as one of United's best results of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, and it also helped to blow Group H wide open when it looked as though Juve had a simple passage to the last 16.
The Italian giants still lead the way in Group H, but United are now only two points behind while Valencia are another two points further back. Valencia take on Juventus in Turin tonight - a match the home side will be heavy favourites to win.
Should Valencia fail to beat Juventus then a win for Manchester United would seal their place in the last 16 with a game to spare tonight, while they could even go top of the group should Valencia draw or win - although the latter would prevent them from qualifying tonight.
Anything other than a victory for United would make things very interesting with one game remaining, though, as United would face a trip to face Valencia at the Mestalla on matchday six.
The win in Turin came completely against the odds for United - particularly after they were outclassed in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford, where they slumped to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Italian giants.
Indeed, United have now failed to win any of their last three European home games, and any slip-up tonight would see that run extend to four for the first time in the club's history.
Mourinho's side have failed to even score a
Champions League goal in front of their own fans this season, having drawn 0-0 with Valencia in addition to their Juventus defeat, making it the first time since 2005 that they have gone back-to-back European home games without finding the net.
Another unwanted piece of history beckons if they fail to break that duck tonight, with the club having never gone three European home games in a row without scoring.
Interestingly, though, United have lost more Champions League group stage games on matchday five than any other matchday in the competition, and they come into tonight's match off the back of a fairly uninspiring result at the weekend.
Crystal Palace had arguably the better chances at Old Trafford as the two sides played out a goalless draw which leaves United closer to bottom of the table than they are to leaders Manchester City.
A glimmer of hope for Young Boys, perhaps?
In truth, the visitors are still at the stage of their European development when trips to Old Trafford are an occasion to savour rather than line up as a serious opportunity for points.
This season is the first that Young Boys have ever made it into the group stages of the Champions League, having seen all of their previous five appearances in the competition end during the qualifying rounds.
The Swiss side have found it suitably tough too; they come into tonight's match sitting rock bottom of Group H and knowing that anything other than a victory at Old Trafford will guarantee that they finish in that position at the end of the group stages.
Even if Young Boys do pull off an almighty shock tonight by beating United, they would still sit fourth in the table and would require another huge win over Juventus on home turf on matchday six to finally leapfrog Valencia into third place.
Even the consolation of Europa League qualification looks unlikely, then, but Youngs Boys would have expected such difficulties as soon as they were drawn in a group alongside Juventus, Manchester United and Valencia.
Their first ever Champions League group game saw them lost 3-0 at home to tonight's opponents, before Paulo Dybala's hat-trick condemned them to defeat by the same scoreline on matchday two. A first ever Champions League point followed at home to Valencia, but defeat at the Mestalla in the return fixture has left them cut adrift at the bottom.
Young Boys earned their place in this season's competition by beating Dinamo Zagreb in the qualifying playoffs, drawing 1-1 in the home first leg before winning 2-1 in Croatia to seal the aggregate victory.
That triumph is Young Boys' only one in 16 away European matches, though, and if you exclude qualifiers then it is nine games since Young Boys last won on the road in Europe - a 3-1 triumph over Slovan Bratislava in the 2014-15 Europa League.
Indeed, home and away Young Boys have won just two of their last 14 European games, losing half of those in the process. The only two victories have come against Skenderbeu in last season's Europa League and the aforementioned qualifying triumph over Dinamo Zagreb.
They are not complete novices in European competition, though, and way back in 1958-59 they even reached the semi-finals of the European Cup, when they were beaten by Reims.
Young Boys set up their qualifying playoff by virtue of winning the Swiss Super League title for the first time since 1986 last season, and they are well on course to retain their crown this term too.
Indeed, the league leaders have won 13 of their 15 outings so far, dropping only five points from the 45 on offer to open up a whopping 16-point gap over closest rivals Basel.
Young Boys could extend that lead further when they take on Basel this weekend, and they will be heavy favourites for that match considering they have already beaten them 7-1 this term.
That triumph was one of nine in a row at the start of the league season for Young Boys, and after a brief wobble they have now won each of their last four. Indeed, their lead at the top of the table at this stage of the campaign is a record since Switzerland switched to a 10-game division in 2003.
PREDICTION! We're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Old Trafford, which means that it is time for a prediction!
The hosts are rightly considered favourites for this match and, while it is risky to put too much faith into Mourinho's team right now, they should have enough to come away with a fairly comfortable win tonight.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Man Utd 2-0 Young Boys
The reverse fixture back in Berne in September was the first time these two sides had ever met, and United ran out 3-0 winners on that occasion thanks largely to Paul Pogba.
This will, therefore, be Young Boys' first ever visit to Old Trafford, and manager Gerardo Seoane's final word to his players before they leave the dressing room may well be to simply savour the occasion tonight. It is a big moment for a lot of these players.
Young Boys have visited England before, though, and they have often left empty-handed, managing just one draw and two defeats from their three previous trips.
The first of those was a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Tottenham in 2010 before they came away with a 2-2 draw from Anfield two years later. Everton were their hosts most recently in England, though, winning 3-1 at Goodison in a tie which the Toffees won 7-2.
Romelu Lukaku was an Everton player then and actually scored five times in that tie, with those being Young Boys' most recent meetings against any English opposition before this season.
In all, the Swiss side have won just one of their seven clashes against Premier League teams, with that coming in their very first as they beat Spurs 3-2 in the 2010-11 Champions League playoff - only for Tottenham to win the reverse 4-0.
Right, the players are out and we're almost ready to get started here! A quick reminder of the team news first...
MAN UTD STARTING XI: De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, Jones, Shaw; Fred, Fellaini, Matic; Lingard, Rashford, Martial
YOUNG BOYS STARTING XI: Von Ballmoos; Mbabu, Camara, Von Bergen, Benito; Sulejmani, Sow, Lauper, Aebischer, Assale; Nsame
KICKOFF: Here we go, then! Manchester United get us underway at Old Trafford!
An ominous start for Fellaini's hopes of keeping track of his men in midfield - he's already lost his mascot!
CHANCE! Big chance for Manchester United early on as Shaw's long ball sends Rashford through on goal rather fortuitously. The keeper is in no-man's land and Rashford tries to lift his finish over him, but he puts too much on it and it flies over the crossbar.
CLOSE! Now Fred tries his luck after working space to shoot on his left and his powerful drive rises just over the crossbar. That was not far away!
SAVE! Von Ballmoos is called into action as Fellaini breaks into the box and beats the offside trap. The Belgian tries to put the ball into the middle, but his cross deflects goalwards and the keeper has to make the save.
SHOT! Young Boys respond as Assale cuts inside from the left flank and goes for goal from outside the area, but his dragged effort deflects behind for a corner.
It was a bright start to the match from United, but Young Boys have just started to settle into the occasion now.
UPDATE: There have been a couple of goals elsewhere in the Champions League already tonight, with Bayern Munich taking the lead against Benfica and Shakhtar Donetsk racing into an early 2-0 advantage over Hoffenheim in Man City's group.
CHANCE! Some nice quick passing from United results in Fellaini slipping a pass through to Rashford, but the angle is against the striker and his low drive is quite comfortably collected by the keeper.
United come racing forward down the left channel with Martial leading the charge, but he twists and turns too many times and Camara is able to get an important toe to the ball.
UPDATE: The goals are flying in at Hoffenheim, where the hosts have pulled a goal back against Shakhtar to make it 2-1.
Mourinho will be relatively happy with his side's performance in this opening 20 minutes, but the one thing missing has been a goal. The hosts look in control of things, though, and there is the sense that if an opener comes then more will follow.
YELLOW CARD! Good refereeing here as Matic goes into the book for a late challenge when Young Boys were making a quick break forward. Jones defended well to stop the counter, but Matic still picks up a yellow.
Shaw was also a little fortunate to escape a yellow card in that counter-attack having pulled a player back off the ball.
Smalling plays a really good pass down the right channel for Lingard, who in turn tries to feed a low cross into the box which is too far in front of Rashford.
CLOSE! Smalling again kicks off the move by fizzing a pass into the feet of Lingard, who produces a lovely flick to find Rashford. The striker lines up his shot from range and fires a dipping effort toward goal which bounces narrowly wide of the far post.
Fred drifts a lovely free kick into the box from deep and it looks as though Matic has a clear chance, but he strayed too early and the linesman's flag is raised.
SHOT! Another shooting chance for United as Lingard finds a pocket of space around 20 yards from goal, but his effort deflects a couple of yards wide of the target.
UPDATE: It is two for Bayern and two for Robben as they double their advantage against Benfica.
Well, we've had more than half an hour in this match now and United's bright start has well and truly fizzled out. They remain on top, but Young Boys are holding their own right now.
UPDATE: Bayern Munich are making light work of Benfica - Robert Lewandowski has made it 3-0 at the Allianz Arena.
Lovely turn from Rashford to skip past Von Bergen, and he then cuts inside but is eventually crowded out and a decent attacking platform comes to nothing.
Von Bergen goes down belatedly after his missed challenge on Rashford and the Young Boys skipper will need treatment here. It looks as though he will try to continue, though.
SHOT! A terrible pass allows Rashford to nip in and race into a lot of green grass ahead of him down the left channel. He cuts inside and leaves two defenders on the floor with a nice Cruyff turn, but his cutback to Fellaini is poor. Fred does manager to pick it up, but his curling effort drifts wide of the target.
UPDATE: We could do with these two games sharing some of the goals around! Hoffenheim have made it 2-2 against Shakhtar Donetsk now.
Half a chance for Rashford as he collects the ball on the right channel, but he then skews his rash finish wide of the near post.
There will be two minutes of added time at the end of this first half.
CHANCE! Young Boys create a big chance at the end of the half as a slick team move ends with Mbabu playing a low ball into the box. However, Sow attempts an audacious flick when there wasn't really any need and he puts his finish wide of the near post!
HALF TIME: MANCHESTER UNITED 0-0 YOUNG BOYS
The first half comes to an end at Old Trafford, then, and it is another 45 minutes of pretty uninspiring football from United in truth.
The Red Devils have dominated possession in this match and have created the vast majority of the chances so far, but they seem to be lacking a bit of inspiration at the moment.
The best chance of the half arrived after less than five minutes when Rashford was somewhat inadvertently played clean through on goal, leaving him with only the keeper to beat.
Von Ballmoos was out of position too, but Rashford lifted his finish over both the keeper and the crossbar when he really should have scored.
Rashford has looked the most likely for the home side, tested the keeper with one low drive and firing another narrowly wide of the target, but he has not been clinical enough in the final third so far.
Lingard and Fred have also had efforts from range, but the hosts have not created anywhere as much as they should have considering their possession.
Mourinho's side were nearly stung late on too as Young Boys created a clear chance in the closing stages of the first half, only for Sow to overelaborate and put a flicked finish wide of the target.
It was a warning sign for United that this match continues to hang in the balance and they need to improve in this second half.
KICKOFF: Young Boys get us underway for the second half, and the visitors have been forced into a change at the break with Ulisses Garcia coming on for Von Bergen.
UPDATE: There have been a couple of early goals in the second halves of games, with Gareth Bale giving Real Madrid the lead against Roma and Benfica pulling one back against Bayern.
YELLOW CARD! An ironic cheers rings around Old Trafford as Camara becomes the first Young Boys player to be shown a yellow card.
UPDATE: Bayern Munich have opened up their three-goal lead against, with Lewandowski getting his second to make it 4-1 against Benfica.
UPDATE: This might cheer up the United fans - Manchester City have just fallen behind against Lyon, who are now on course to do the double over Pep Guardiola's side. Maxwel Cornet with the goal.
SHOT! Positive play from Young Boys as Mbabu exchanges passes with Nsame on his way into the box before firing his finish into the side-netting.
CHANCE! Another decent sight of goal for United as Matic feed a pass in to Martial, who spins away from his marker and sends the ball into the path of Rashford. The offside flag stays down when it probably should be raised, but it doesn't matter anyway as Rashford slices his finish wide of the near post again.
CHANCE! Big chance for United to break the deadlock after a dreadful piece of goalkeeping from Von Ballmoos! Martial's shot takes a deflection which sends it looping up into the air, and the keeper runs straight into Lingard before appealing for a foul. The referee says no and the ball bounces to Fellaini, but he fires a poor finish well over when he really should have scored.
UPDATE: There has been a goal in the group's other game, and it is good news for United as Juventus have taken the lead against Valencia through Mandzukic.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid have doubled their advantage over Roma through Lucas and Man City have levelled things up against Lyon through Laporte.
Bright break forward from Young Boys down the left as Assale delivers a cross into the box, but De Gea is there to pluck it out of the sky when it looked like threatening his near post.
YELLOW CARD! Benito picks up a yellow card for the visitors, although it is a slightly harsh one as Rashford nipped in just as he was about to clear the ball.
SAVE! Martial has space down the left flank and drives forward before playing a pass inside for Lingard, who drives his effort straight down the throat of the keeper from 25 yards.
MAN UTD SUBS: Here come the cavalry! Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba both come on as Lingard and Fred are replaced.
SHOT! Pogba makes a quick impact with a nice piece of skill to keep the ball before giving it to Rashford. Rashford shows good feet to create space to shoot, but his powerful drive is once again off target.
YOUNG BOYS SUB: Change for the visitors here as Christian Fassnacht replaces Sulejmani.
United have a good chance to break as Lukaku turns his man and plays it through for Martial, who is left one on one against a defender. He cuts inside onto his right, but fails to make the most of it and is eventually crowded out. A waste of a really good platform.
CLOSE! What a save from De Gea to deny Young Boys the lead! The ball looked destined for the back of the net as it bobbled towards the line after a deflected effort towards goal, but somehow De Gea recovered to claw it away. Incredible stop!
It was Fassnacht's effort which came off first Smalling and then Mbabu before bobbling towards goal. The players were already celebrating, but De Gea pulled some yet more heroics. Where would United be without him?!
MAN UTD SUB: The hosts are forced into their third and final change as Valencia departs to be replaced by Juan Mata.
SHOT! Young Boys win a free kick in a really good position, but Sow fires his powerful effort a few yards over the crossbar.
CHANCE! Big chance for Lukaku at the other end as he meets a cross with a header, but plants it a couple of yards wide of the target!
CHANCE! Shaw sees a deflected effort trickle into the arms of the keeper and Young Boys are soon attacking at the other end. It all opens up for Fassnacht, but he puts his finish high and wide from the edge of the box when he should have done better.
Here is that remarkable
David de Gea save...
UPDATE: Lyon have regained their lead against Man City, and it is Cornet who has got it again! Elsewhere, Bayern are now 5-1 up against Benfica.
UPDATE: ...but Man City respond immediately through Sergio Aguero! 2-2 now in Lyon!
CHANCE! Half a chance for United as a high ball into the box is knocked down by Fellaini for Mata. The ball arrives to the Spaniard at an awkward height, though, and he cannot keep his finish down.
Pogba drift a deep cross in to the back post for Smalling, who has peeled off his man but is left with a difficult finish as he puts it wide of the near post.
YOUNG BOYS SUB: A change for the visitors here as Ngamaleu replaces Nsame.
Just five minutes remaining in this match now - could United be in line for a second successive home goalless draw? This will do nothing to raise the negative air around the club at the moment.
Fellaini gives the ball away to Fassnacht, who immediately drives forward with it to spark a counter. He feeds his pass in to Ngamaleu, but his curling effort is watched wide by De Gea.
Time is ticking away from United now. A goal in the closing stages would still see them through as things stand, though.
GOAL! MANCHESTER UNITED 1-0 YOUNG BOYS (MAROUANE FELLAINI)
GOAL! Manchester United steal victory at the death through route one fashion!
A long ball forward from Shaw is flicked on by Lukaku for Fellaini, who takes the ball down before firing his finish into the bottom corner on the turn. Heartbreak for Young Boys, but that will be enough to send United through!
FULL TIME: MANCHESTER UNITED 1-0 YOUNG BOYS
That is so devastating for Young Boys, who were so close to a famous result at Old Trafford and could have even won this game tonight but for the heroics of David de Gea.
As it is, though, United progress into the last 16 of the Champions League courtesy of Fellaini's late, late winner, which takes them five points clear of third-placed Valencia with one game remaining. They were far from their best again, but they got the win they needed tonight.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening!
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as United scrape into the last 16 of the Champions League in unconvincing fashion against Young Boys. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
