Prediction: Manchester United vs Istanbul Basaksehir

Prediction: Manchester United win

Best Odds: 2/9

Bookmaker: 888sport

The hectic nature of European football this season means that we are once again gearing up for another week of UEFA Champions League action. We’re half way through the group stage now and while many groups already seem to have a clear direction in terms of who will qualify, the same cannot be said for Group H. Today, we’re going to preview the impending clash between two sides that are separated by three places and just three points – Manchester United and Istanbul Basaksehir.

Manchester United

Manchester United’s rollercoaster ride of a season has had far more ups than downs, but given the fact they’re top of their Champions League group, you’d expect there to be a little bit more confidence heading into gameweek four. They’ve got the squad necessary to go far in this competition but for whatever reason, there’s still a big cloud of doubt hanging over the head of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – and it isn’t going to go away anytime soon.

Team News

There are plenty of absences for the club to concern themselves with as Lingard, Shaw, Jones, Rojo and Romero have all been ruled out. Pogba, Bailly and Greenwood will all be assessed before kickoff.

Istanbul Basaksehir

They may be struggling down in sixth place in the Super Lig, but the win over United in the reverse fixture really did give Basaksehir the confidence to believe they could make it into the knockout stage. Whether or not they can actually overcome the titans that reside in their group is another matter, but they don’t appear to fear anyone – and that’s the right way to approach the UCL when you’re viewed as the underdog.

Team News

There aren’t quite as many problems within the Basaksehir camp to worry about, with the only confirmed absences for this game being Caicara and Crivelli with Rafael being set to start the game against his former club. Elsewhere, Ba is set to feature after his goal in the first fixture that set Istanbul on their way to victory.

Factors to Consider

• In their meeting earlier this month, Basaksehir beat Man United 2-1.
• Man United have won three, drawn one and lost two of their last six games.
• Basaksehir have won four and lost two of their last six games.
• Man United have scored 10 goals and conceded four in their last six games.
• Basaksehir have scored 13 goals and conceded nine in their last six games.

Conclusion

While there isn’t a whole lot that has changed about United as a team in the last few weeks, we do feel as if their mentality has shifted ever so slightly. They’ve been able to grind out a few positive results, and now that they’ve been able to break their poor run of form at Old Trafford, they should feel more confident about picking up positive results at home. As such, our official prediction is that the hosts will fight their way to a well-earned 2-0 win.

Prediction: Manchester United win

Best Odds: 2/9

Bookmaker: 888sport