Manchester United vs AC Milan: 5 players to watch | Europa League 2020-21
Manchester United will welcome AC Milan to Old Trafford for the first leg of their Europa League round-of-16 tie on Thursday.
The hosts secured their spot in this round by virtue of their 4-0 aggregate victory over Real Sociedad. AC Milan rather surprisingly needed away goals to beat FK Crvena Zvezda after drawing the tie 3-3 on aggregate.
Both sides picked up 2-0 away victories in their respective leagues last weekend, with AC Milan seeing off Hellas Verona, while Manchester United edged the Manchester derby.
The two sides find themselves in similar standings in their domestic leagues. They each led the the table a few weeks ago, but are now playing catch-up to their city rivals and have slim chances of triumphing in the league.
This makes the Europa League their most likely route to winning a trophy this season and both sides will give their all to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.
There are several marquee players that have the capability to decide the outcome of this tie and they can be expected to take center stage when the two European giants trade tackles on Thursday.
Here is a rundown of five players to watch when Manchester United host AC Milan.
#5 Rafael Leao (AC Milan)
With Zlatan Ibrahimovic having lost the race to be fit in time for a return to Old Trafford, the onus will be on Rafael Leoa to lead the line for AC Milan.
The 21-year-old was one of the brightest sparks for the Rossonerri as they set the pace in Serie A earlier in the season. His form, however, has been poor in the last few months and he is currently on a run of eight games without a goal in the league.
Nevertheless, the former Lille man has enough pace to trouble a Manchester United defense that has often struggled to keep a leash on pacy forwards.
#4 Anthony Martial (Manchester United)
Manchester United are likely to be without the services of Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford, which will mean the burden of scoring will lie heavily on Anthony Martial.
The Frenchman has flattered to deceive this season and his return of seven goals from 34 matches in all competitions is not acceptable for a striker leading the line at Old Trafford.
However, Martial's talents are not in doubt and he has the capacity to make a mark against AC Milan.