Shakhtar Donetsk v Man United: line-ups and key battles assessed
Manchester United’s 4-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen in their Group A opener briefly took the pressure off David Moyes, but poor league form has since eaten away at that good will, and the Scot will need a result against Shakhtar Donetsk - live on talkSPORT 1089/1053am, online and on DAB from 7pm.
The Ukrainian side were fortunate to come away from Real Sociedad's Anoeta Stadium with three points after being largely outclassed by the La Liga club in their own opening game, so there is hope for Moyes. Against English opposition recently though, Shakhtar have shown they shouldn’t be underestimated, so talkSPORT looks at the key battles…
Patrice Evra v Darijo Srna
Alexander Buttner didn’t have the finest of games at left-back when United were beaten by West Brom at Old Trafford, so Patrice Evra is likely to start ahead of him, and the Frenchman has a big job on his hands. Darijo Srna was one of Shakhtar’s more effective players in a fortunate win over Real Sociedad, but the Croatian full-back will no longer have the element of surprise on his hands, and David Moyes will no doubt have drilled the threat he poses into the head of Evra, who will need to be vigilant. Shinji Kagawa has a tendency to come inside when playing on the left, so Moyes may be tempted to play a more natural wide player in front of Evra in order to keep Srna pinned back.
Michael Carrick v Alex Teixeira
Both of Alex Teixeira’s goals against Real Sociedad came from the edge of the opposition penalty area, so the supporting striker will likely look for similar pockets of space in those positions in an attempt to test the Man United goalkeeper with his dangerous right foot. Michael Carrick may be a metronome in midfield when United are on the ball, but off it, he will need to keep an eye on the Brazilian and prevent him from facing United’s centre-backs, unopposed from 18 yards. Of course, it would be useful for Carrick if Marouane Fellaini could do that job instead, but his suspect displays for the Red Devils so far suggest he can’t be relied upon.
Wayne Rooney v Oleksandr Kucher
Srna’s tendencies to get forward meant that centre-back Oleksandr Kucher was left exposed against Real Sociedad, and the Basque side’s striker Haris Seferovic should really have done better to finish off one move in particular that saw him leave the Ukrainian defender for dead. Man United may look to exploit that same weakness, and Wayne Rooney has the burst of pace and finishing required to make it count. Alternatively, if he finds himself in a deeper position, his good range of passing could help pick out one of United’s other forwards to do a similar job.
Manchester United's potential line-up
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