Roma arrive at Old Trafford on Tuesday night in much better shape than their hosts. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have been scoring goals for fun in recent weeks, while Manchester United have gone nine games without a win. Kick-off is at 21:00 CET.
Matías Soulé is expected to start for Roma, with Donyell Malen up front. For Michael Carrick and United, the timing could hardly be worse.
Nine games without a win
United began their Champions League campaign with a 4-0 win over Sabah in September. They have not won a game since. In Europe they lost 2-0 at Atlético Madrid and 4-1 at Como, so they have three points from three games.
Things are no better at home. A 2-0 defeat at Chelsea at the weekend was their third loss in a row, and United are 17th in the Premier League, above the relegation places only on goal difference. Reports in England say Carrick’s position will be looked at during the international break later this month.
Luke Shaw and Benjamin Sesko are out injured, and so is Patrick Dorgu. Marcus Rashford is a doubt.
Roma are scoring plenty
Roma have four points. They drew 1-1 at Fenerbahçe, lost 4-3 at home to Real Madrid and then beat Slovan Bratislava 4-0.
They have not lost since that Real Madrid game. Their last six matches have produced 21 goals for them, and in their last game they won 5-2 at Udinese.
Gasperini has injury worries of his own. Lorenzo Pellegrini and Manu Koné are out. Goalkeeper Mile Svilar is also missing, and Paulo Dybala is unlikely to play.
History is on United’s side
The two clubs have met eight times in Europe. United have won all four home games against Roma and scored 15 goals in them. The most famous one is the 7-1 win in the 2007 quarter-final, when Carrick scored twice as a player.
Roma’s record in England is poor. They have won only one of their 21 UEFA away games against English clubs.
Our take
The form says Roma, but history says United. Gasperini’s team score a lot and also give chances away, so this could be an open game.
A Roma win would lift them to seven points. A defeat for United would leave them on three points after four games, and the pressure on Carrick would grow again.
Can Carrick’s United finally end their bad run, or will Soulé and Roma win at Old Trafford? Tell us in the comments.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Matías Soulé by LittleWhites (CC BY-SA 4.0); Gian Piero Gasperini by Quirinale (Attribution); Old Trafford by Arne Müseler (CC BY-SA 3.0 DE); Michael Carrick by Timmy96 (CC0).
