Ajax instill new ray of hope in United ahead of PSG clash
Last night, Ajax eliminated defending champions Real Madrid from the Champions League with an aggregate score of 3-5 in their Round Of 16 encounter. The Dutch side came to the Bernabeu knowing Los Blancos held a 1-goal lead and 2 away goals advantage but that did not kill their faith. The youngsters, from the first whistle, did a very good job on the holders and deservedly knocked them out in their own backyard.
That performance is enough to motivate Manchester United to also work their way back when they face Paris Saint Germain today. The Red Devils are in a similar rut as they go to Paris two goals down after losing to the French giants during the first leg at Old Trafford.
Manchester United have their work cut out for them as their talisman Paul Pogba is suspended after he received a red card in the dying minutes of the first leg. The Red Devils' only concern is not just Pogba missing the game but also several injury concerns. United have been plagued by a number of injuries which sees players like Alexis Sanchez, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard, Ander Herrera, Nemanja Matic, and Juan Mata sidelined.
The Norwegian coach could be forced into a formation change in the wake of the club’s injury woes, with a flat 4-4-2 system likely to be employed against the French giants. The injury crisis may see Fred get a rare start alongside Scott McTominay and Andreas Pereira.
The pairing of Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof will have to rise up to the challenge as they would be coming up against Cavani who is returning after an injury setback. Taking inspiration from Ajax, United would be looking to score thrice without conceding. It won't be an easy task as Cavani, Mbappe and Di Maria can finish the game in a single chance and neither would be breaching the backline of PSG.
A lot lays on the shoulders of Romelu Lukaku, Marcus Rashford and David de Gea who can inspire the English club to a famous comeback against the French champions. This United side has shown character since Ole's arrival as they have come from the back to seal a number of games this season and will need a similar performance to stand any chance of getting past PSG.