Prediction: Manchester United vs Granada

Verdict: Manchester United win & under four goals

Best Odds: 6/5

Bookmaker: Unibet

Looking to finish off the job and progress their Europa League adventure on Thursday night, Manchester United will welcome Granada to an empty Old Trafford.

Manchester United

Starting with the hosts, after mounting that eye-catching comeback in the capital last weekend, the mood in Manchester United’s camp should be at a real high. Eventually picking up a deserved 3-1 victory away at top-four outsiders Tottenham, The Reds appear to be cruising towards an automatic Champions League return this year. Despite entering March’s international fixtures with a 3-1 defeat away at Leicester when on FA Cup duties, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have bounced back in an impressive fashion. Winning each of their three matchups across all formats since opening April, United also landed a European advantage on foreign soil. Landing a 2-0 win away at Granada last week, the Premier League giants know that they’re sat in pole position to clinch a semi-final showdown. With attacking starlet Mason Greenwood now bagging himself three goals in his last four matchups across all formats, including a late strike against Spurs over the weekend, The Reds should be looking to lay down a similar marker at Old Trafford.

Team News

Manchester United will be without the trio of Luke Shaw, Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire this week after they all picked up bookings in the first-leg.

Along with the injured Anthony Martial and Phil Jones missing out on Thursday, The Reds are also still sweating over the fitness of Daniel James.

Granada

As for the visitors, while Granada might have managed to end their torrid run of form last weekend, Diego Martínez’s men have shown a host of issues since opening 2021. Shocking many across Spain last season as they secured a shock European finish, Nazaríes did clinch a hard-fought 2-1 win against relegation scrappers Real Valladolid last time out, a result that brought an end to their four-match losing run. Although the one-time Osasuna boss might have seen his side pick up a much-welcomed bounce last weekend, they do need a minor miracle at Old Trafford. Suffering what was a deserved 2-0 defeat against Manchester United on home soil last week, Granada have also shown some European issues on foreign soil. Hit with back-to-back 2-1 defeats away at Napoli and a shock loss at Norweigan outfit Molde back on March 18th, Martínez’s side should face another stern test on their travels in midweek.

Team News

The duo of Domingos Duarte and Yan Eteki will all miss Thursday’s trip to Old Trafford due to suspension.

Adding to Granada’s injury list this week, Luis Milla and Neyder Lozano are still on the sidelines and will not feature this week.

Key Factors to Consider

• When the two sides faced off in Spain last week, Manchester United picked up a 2-0 victory.
• Starlet Mason Greenwood has three goals in his last four matchups across all formats.
• Granada have suffered back-to-back 2-1 defeats against Molde and Napoli on foreign soil.
• Manchester United have lost just one of their previous 18 matchups across all formats.
• The Reds have conceded just a pair of goals in their last eight Europa League matchups at Old Trafford.

Conclusion

Mounting that eye-catching comeback away at Tottenham last weekend, Manchester United will be simply looking to avoid a banana skin at Old Trafford on Thursday night. Appearing to cruise their way towards an automatic Champions League return this year, the Premier League giants will be confident of laying down another marker in midweek. While Granada might have ended their dreadful losing run with a hard-fought victory away at Real Valladolid last time out, they certainly face another stern test on foreign soil. Watching The Reds pick up a 2-0 victory when they welcomed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side to Spain seven days ago, we’re backing a similar outcome this week.

Verdict: Manchester United win & under four goals

Best Odds: 6/5

Bookmaker: Unibet