With another few games ticking away without a victory, Manchester United have the chance to turn around their recent form in the mid-week trip to take on Como. The Italian side are a huge story in European football given their recent investment and rise through the ranks, and Cesc Fabregas has proven himself to be one of the next top elite coaches in football, who will be keen for his side to add to the recent misery at Manchester United.

In our preview of the game we are going to take a look at the team news coming into the game including our predicted XI for this one, we will have a look at some of the key battles and players to watch and then of course we will make a prediction for how this one could play out.

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Team News

Manchester United continue to remain plagued by injury and absence, with more concerns raised after Sunday’s draw with Martinez withdrawn at half-time. It’s expected United will opt for a fairly similar starting XI to the one seen against Leeds, but more likely we will see Carrick return to the 4-2-3-1 that has been the typical setup under his tenure.

In terms of absences, Shaw and Mainoo remain doubts, Sesko, Dorgu and Ugarte are the long-term absentees, and there are question marks over the knocks and slight concerns for the likes of Rashford, Mazraoui, Martinez and De Ligt who has been on the bench recently but has seen no minutes this season.

Predicted XI: Lammens, Mazraoui, Martinez, Maguire, Dalot, Santos, Baleba, Cunha, Fernandes, Amad, Mbeumo

Key Battles

United need to be better across all areas of the pitch if they are to beat this Como side who possess a strong amount of quality, and some recognisable names in their ranks. The likes of Sanchez and Chalobah are recent names around the Premier League having both joined from Chelsea this summer in their clear-out, and this will pose a real test for United’s makeshift front-line who are lacking their out-and-out centre-forward. Bryan Mbeumo has been the biggest threat in the attack for United but still struggles to be the target man for United to have as their escape route when under pressure, and with no sign of Sesko’s return, Carrick will need Mbeumo to be on top form for this clash.

In defence, whichever partnership Carrick opts for, they will need to be on top form against the huge threat of Nico Paz. The 22 year old has made a name for himself at Como as he has been their talisman linked constantly with a return to Real Madrid which feels inevitable one day, but he’s a real threat who has 6 goal involvements in his 9 appearances this season. As the Como equivalent to Fernandes, he can be a threat through finishing but also his chance creation for the likes of Douvikas.

Prediction

While I feel almost stupid for predicting a United win, and I think we are a long way away from the season turning around for something positive, I believe United should be capable of a victory given their recent showings against Atletico and Leeds. While they’ve remained without a win since their first Champions League outing, I think this will be the chance to put a bit of positivity back into the club.

Although Como are capable of really upsetting the odds and making this difficult, I think United have enough in their attack to score at least once, and I have a feeling we will see a fast start that could take their opponents off-guard. With the smaller European away crowd not proving as much of a factor, I think this is the game where we see Bruno back to his best, and I think Rashford gets his first goal of the season.

Como 0-2 Manchester United

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