Valencia vs Manchester United Preview: Where to Watch, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
Manchester United travel to the Mestalla on Wednesday evening to face Valencia in their final group match of the 2018/19 Champions League campaign.
The qualification places within Group H have already been decided, with Juventus and United occupying first and second place and Valencia set to drop into the Europa League.
However, with the Red Devils just two points behind Juventus, a victory against Valencia could well propel them to the top of Group H. Nevertheless, with Juventus facing Young Boys it would take a minor miracle for United to top the group.
Check out 90min's preview of the game below.
Where to Watch
When Is Kick Off? | Wednesday 12 December |
What Time Is Kick Off? | 20:00 (BST) |
Where Is it Played? | Mestalla Stadium |
TV Channel/Live Stream? | BT Sport 3 |
Referee? | Georgi Kabakov |
Team News
Valencia's injury toll is slowly but surely racking up. French striker Kevin Gameiro is set to miss out with a groin injury, whilst Jeison Murillo is struggling to overcome a sprained ankle.
Gabriel Paulista picked up a hamstring injury against Sevilla on Saturday and is also expected to miss out. However, the biggest blow for Valencia is the absence of Goncalo Guedes, who came off injured against Sevilla. Having picked up three yellow cards, José Gaya is unavailable through suspension.
United are comparatively riddled with injuries, particularly in defence. The Red Devils could go into the fixture with just two fit centre backs. Eric Bailly is a doubt for the game with muscle fatigue and Victor Lindelof and Chris Smalling are expected to sit this one out.
Having picked up a knock against Southampton, Luke Shaw's availability will be touch and go. In attack, Alexis Sanchez is out with a hamstring injury, while Anthony Martial is a slight doubt with a minor hamstring problem.
Predicted Lineups
Valencia | Neto; Piccini, Garay, Diakhaby, Wass; Soler, Parejo, Kondogbia, Cheryshev; Rodrigo, Mina. |
Manchester United |
De Gea; Valencia, Rojo, Jones, Darmian; Fred, Fellaini, McTominay; Lingard, Rashford, Pereira. |
Head to Head Record
United are unbeaten against Valencia in all games played against the La Liga side. The two sides first played each other in the 2010/11 Champions League group stage.
The Red Devils came out 1-0 winners at the Mestalla, but could only muster up a draw at Old Trafford. In the most recent fixture, United also drew to Valencia at Old Trafford.
Recent Form
Valencia go into this Champions League clash in mixed form, having won just once in their last four games. In these fixtures, the Spanish side have been somewhat goal-shy, scoring only two goals.
However, it must be taken into account that two of these matches were against Juventus and Real Madrid.
United are unbeaten in their last five fixtures, but have drawn three of those games. The Red Devils' defence has been leaky in recent fixtures and they have conceded five goals in their last five matches. However, they have counteracted this by scoring nine goals in that same time.
Here's how the two sides have performed in their last five fixtures:
Valencia | Manchester United |
Valencia 1-1 Sevilla (8/12) | Manchester United 4-1 Fulham (8/12) |
Valencia 1-0 CD Ebro (4/12) | Manchester United 2-2 Arsenal (5/12) |
Real Madrid 2-0 Valencia (1/12) | Southampton 2-2 Manchester United (1/12) |
Juventus 1-0 Valencia (27/11) | Manchester United 1-0 Young Boys (27/11) |
Valencia 3-0 Rayo Vallecano (24/11) | Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace (24/11) |
Prediction
United are the only side with something to play for in this game but, with Juventus playing Young Boys, it may not feel like that for the Red Devils. With José Mourinho's side set to take on Liverpool on Sunday, the Portuguese manager is expected to rest some key players.
This should even up the playing field in terms of personnel and both sides seem to love a draw, with 14 between them already this season. This will likely be a tight and cagey affair on Wednesday night.
With that in mind, the game seems destined for a draw and a low-scoring one at that.