Good evening! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for tonight's
Champions League clash between
Manchester United and
Juventus at Old Trafford!
These are the top two sides in Group H after two games, with Juventus leading the way by two points ahead of their double-header against Jose Mourinho's men.
It promises to be an intriguing encounter this evening, so let's waste no time in getting started with a look at the team news - and spoiler alert, there is a big return to Old Trafford to talk about...
MAN UTD STARTING XI: De Gea; Young, Lindelof, Smalling,Shaw; Mata, Matic, Pogba; Rashford, Lukaku, Martial
MAN UTD SUBS: Romero, Bailly, Darmian, Fred, Pereira, Herrera, Chong
JUVENTUS STARTING XI: Szczesny; Cancelo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Matuidi, Bentancur, Pjanic; Dybala, Cuadrado, Ronaldo
JUVENTUS SUBS: De Sciglio, Benatia, Costa, Barzagli, Kean, Perin, Bernardeschi
What can we make of those two sides, then?
Well, we will get to the prodigal son Cristiano Ronaldo in a short while, but first let's have a look at Manchester United's team as Jose Mourinho resists the temptation to make any changes from the side which drew with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
That means another start Anthony Martial in the attacking trio, with the French winger having scored twice at the weekend to take his tally to three goals in United's last two games.
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Martial is joined in that attacking trio by Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku, with Alexis Sanchez missing out because he is "not fit" according to Jose Mourinho.
Lukaku is a player in growing need of a goal having now gone seven games without one for United, although he did score for Belgium during the international break. Indeed, he has more goals for his country this season than he does for his club.
Another notable inclusion is Juan Mata, who was handed a rare start against Chelsea and performed so well that he gets the nod again tonight.
Mata joins Matic and former Juventus man Paul Pogba in midfield, with Pogba coming up against the Old Lady for the first time since leaving for United.
The World Cup winner has had a hand in all three of United's Champions League goals this season - scoring two and creating another - and this will be a particularly special occasion for him having played 124 times for Juve to help them to four successive Serie A title.
The likes of Fellaini, McTominay, Lingard, Dalot, Jones and Valencia all miss out once again for the home side, but there is a spot on the bench for youngster Chong, who is included in a United matchday squad for the first time tonight.
Chong may well have one eye on emulating the rise of fellow academy graduate Marcus Rashford, although only Ajax's Hakim Ziyech has had more shots without scoring in the Champions League this season than Rashford's nine unsuccessful attempts.
The headlines in the buildup to this match mainly focus on Ronaldo, though, who very nearly missed this return to Old Trafford after being sent off against Valencia on matchday one.
Ronaldo's ban was limited to just one match, though, meaning that he is free to face the club he represented 292 times between 2003 and 2009, scoring 118 goals. The Portuguese talisman also helped United to three Premier League titles, a Champions League, an FA Cup and two League Cups in that time.
Ronaldo has scored a staggering 455 goals in just 448 appearances across all competitions since leaving Old Trafford, including five in his last six Serie A appearances for Juventus - not to mention four assists in that time too.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner's goal against Genoa at the weekend saw him become the first player to score 400 goals in Europe's top five leagues, and he boasts a good record against former clubs in this competition too.
Indeed, Ronaldo has scored five and assisted two more in his six Champions League games against ex-employers, including a goal in both of his games against United and a winner here at Old Trafford.
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Juventus will be at pains to insist that they are not a one-man team, though, and there are plenty of other players in the ranks who could hurt United tonight.
Paulo Dybala - who has been linked with a move to Old Trafford - is one of those, fresh from a hat-trick in Juve's last Champions League outing, and he and Ronaldo are joined in the front three by Juan Cuadrado after Mario Mandzukic sprained his ankle in training yesterday.
Miralem Pjanic is the only player other than Dybala to have scored for Juve in this season's competition following his brace from the spot on matchday one, and he starts again in an unchanged midfield alongside Bentancur and Matuidi.
Indeed, the only two changes throughout the team from the weekend are Dybala in for Mandzukic and Chiellini in for Benatia at the back. Alex Sandro - another who has been linked with United - makes his 50th Champions League appearance.
It is a Juventus side full of talent and confidence, then, and United know that they will provide a very stern test both home and away in their next two European outings.
There is no doubt that this United team also possesses bagfuls of talent, but the problem this season has been making the most of that talent. Confidence is also an issue for the players at the moment, with too many seemingly fearful of making a mistake and therefore not taking enough risks going forward.
It has been a poor start to the campaign for United, who has lost three of their opening nine Premier League games, been knocked out of the EFL Cup to Championship opposition and fallen behind Juve in the Champions League group.
Mourinho's men come into this side having won just one of their last six outings across all competitions, which has contributed to them sitting 10th in the Premier League table, already seven points off the top five and nine off Man City and Liverpool.
There do seem to be signs of life in the United players yet, though, and they can take plenty of encouragement for their last two performances, even if on both occasions it took until the second half for them to spring into action.
Mourinho looked destined to be sacked when his side went 2-0 down inside 10 minutes at home to Newcastle, but a three-goal comeback in the final 20 minutes saved his job and another comeback in the second half at Stamford Bridge on Saturday earned them a 2-2 draw which would have been even better but for Barkley's last-gasp equaliser.
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Tonight provides another huge test, and it is important to note that United are by no means out of danger just yet, but what the past two performances do seem to have done is prove that the players are still willing to fight for Mourinho.
It is crucial that United now build on those two stirring results, and particularly at home where they have won just one of their last five games. Victory tonight would hand them back-to-back wins at Old Trafford for the first time this season.
United's only Champions League home game so far this season ended in a dour goalless draw with Valencia - a result which saw Mourinho fail to win four successive home games for the first time in his managerial career.
The Red Devils were better on matchday one, though, as Paul Pogba put in a man-of-the-match display with two goals and an assist to give United a 3-0 win over Young Boys.
Mourinho's side are yet to concede in the Champions League this season, then, which is a far cry from their Premier League form where they have kept only one clean sheet in nine games.
United are one of only four teams to still boast a 0 in the goals conceded column - alongside Juve, Dortmund and Napoli - and the omens are good if they keep another shutout tonight. On the two previous occasions that they have kept clean sheets in each of their first three group games, they have gone on to reach the final - in 2008-09 and 2010-11.
We haven't really seen enough so far this season to suggest that United could make it that far in the competition this time around, although their records in the Champions League in recent years are in sharp contrast to their form so far this term.
For example, the Red Devils have only lost one of their last 22 European matches here at Old Trafford, including just one in 14 Champions League outings. The solitary defeat did come at the hands of Sevilla to knock them out in the last 16 last season, though, and the previous home loss before that saw none other than Cristiano Ronaldo score the winner for Real Madrid in 2013.
Ronaldo boasts all sorts of records in this competition already, and once he crosses that white line tonight there will be no room for sentiment in his mind as he looks to continue his good run of goalscoring form.
The striker's addition is surely only going to increase Juve's level of dominance in Italian football - where they have already won an unprecedented seven successive Scudettos - but the main goal now will be success in the Champions League.
Domestic rivals just seemed to be closing the gap on Juve in recent seasons before the acquisition of Ronaldo, whose arrival has coincided with the club making the best-ever start to a season in their illustrious history.
Juve won their opening 10 games of the campaign across all competitions, surpass the previous record of eight in 1930-31, although that 100% start did finally come to an end at the weekend.
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Genoa were the team to slow down the Juve juggernaut with a 1-1 draw - in Turin too - as the hosts failed to score two or more goals in a game for the very first time this season.
Even so, the Old Lady still enjoy a four-point lead at the top of Serie A already, picking up 25 points from a possible 27 so far this season. Allegri's side have now won 28 and lost just one of their last 34 league games.
Juve also lead the way in Group H courtesy of wins in their opening two games, beating Valencia despite having to play more than an hour without the red-carded Ronaldo, and then cruising past Young Boys last time out.
The Old Lady have now lost just two of their last 23 Champions League group games, both of which have come against Spanish opposition. That run also includes 14 wins and seven draws.
Despite that formidable record, Juve only finished second in their group last season, coming in behind Barcelona but then beating Tottenham Hotspur in the last 16.
As has been the case in recent seasons, though, the Italian champions saw their journey ended by Spanish opposition, with Real Madrid scraping through in a thrilling quarter-final tie. Madrid looked guaranteed for the semis after winning 3-0 in Turin in the first leg, but Juventus fought back at the Bernabeu before Ronaldo's late penalty ended their valiant attempts.
Juve's victory at the Bernabeu is one of four successive Champions League wins on the road, though, and an unbeaten run of five which stretches back to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Barcelona in their opening group game of last season.
That is Juve's only defeat in their last 12 Champions League away games, though, and in all competitions they are unbeaten in their last 22 matches on the road - including victories over Madrid and Tottenham in the Champions League.
Indeed, that victory at Spurs made it four games without defeat in England too, having lost their previous seven visits to the country before that.
Home and away, the two-time European champions are on an eight-match unbeaten run against Premier League oppositions, winning four of the last five. United, meanwhile, are also unbeaten in their last eight games against Serie A clubs and have won all of their last five home games against Italian opposition. The most recent of those was a 4-0 win over AC Milan in 2009-10.
PREDICTION! We're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Old Trafford, which means that it is time for a prediction!
This is a very interesting match to call considering United's recent improvement, but this is a Juventus side who deserve to be regarded right up there amongst the favourites to lift the trophy this season. Ultimately, Ronaldo could prove to be the difference and as such we're going for an away win.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Man Utd 1-2 Juventus
These two sides met on eight occasions between 1996 and 2003, but this is their first meeting in more than 15 years, with the most recent seeing United run out 3-0 winners in Turin courtesy of goals from Ryan Giggs (2) and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
That meeting came in the second group stage of the competition, with United also running out winners in the most recent meeting at Old Trafford courtesy of goals from Wes Brown and Van Nistelrooy again. Pavel Nedved got a late consolation for Juve in a 2-1 defeat.
Indeed, United have now won their last three meetings with Juventus in all competitions, which is more than they managed in their first nine games against the Italian giants.
United's unbeaten record stretches back to four games, including the most famous of the lot when they came back from two goals down to win 3-2 in Turin and seal their place in what would become an historic final in 1999 as United completed the treble.
The overall record between the two clubs is one of the most even in European football, with both sides having won five and drawn two of the previous 12 contests.
The two sides have even scored the same number of goals in this fixture - 15 apiece from those 12 matches.
Right, we're just a couple of minutes away from kickoff now! A quick reminder of the team news before we do get started...
MAN UTD STARTING XI: De Gea; Young, Lindelof, Smalling,Shaw; Mata, Matic, Pogba; Rashford, Lukaku, Martial
JUVENTUS STARTING XI: Szczesny; Cancelo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Matuidi, Bentancur, Pjanic; Dybala, Cuadrado, Ronaldo
KICKOFF: Here we go, then! Manchester United get us underway at Old Trafford!
Rashford has his first chance to attack the defence down the right flank, and he wins a free kick by skipping away from Pjanic. United have a good crossing opportunity here...
After a brief stoppage to play as a pitch intruder is dealt with, Mata's delivery is easily claimed by Szczesny.
The hosts then win another free kick in an almost identical position on the opposite flank, but Rashford's delivery is comfortably cleared.
Not much to shout about in the opening exchanges so far as both sides look to settle themselves into this game. Both appear to have done so nice and quickly too.
Poor from Shaw as his pass out of the defence was easily cut out by Pjanic, who immediately slid his pass in for Dybala. The Juve tries to cut inside onto his left foot, but he is dispossessed inside the area.
Ronaldo is brought down by Smalling inside the United half, and surprisingly doesn't appear to have any desire to hit it at goal. It is a long way out, though, and instead Pjanic floats a ball straight out of play.
Almost a chance for United as Dybala slides the ball out wide right for Cuadrado and continues his run into the box. The delivery finds him in space too, but it is just too high for him to steer a header towards goal.
UPDATE: The pressure on Julen Lopetegui could be easing a little tonight, with Real Madrid having taken the lead against Viktoria Plzen through Karim Benzema.
SAVE! The first save of the night comes from Szczesny, but it is a simple one for the Juventus keeper. A free kick arrives a little bit behind Pogba, but he is still able to steer his header on target and Szczesny collects.
GOAL! MAN UTD 0-1 JUVENTUS (PAULO DYBALA)
GOAL! Juventus break the deadlock at Old Trafford as Paulo Dybala opens the scoring!
Ronaldo is involved as he latches on to a pass down the right flank before firing a cross in towards the front post. Cuadrado makes the dart but is followed by Smalling, whose sliding interception only sees the ball pop up nicely for Dybala. The Argentine is free and unmaked, and left with a simple finish as he tucks it into the bottom corner past De Gea!
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Once again United will be forced to come from behind if they are to get anything out of this game! There hasn't been much between these two sides, but the one telling moment has fallen the way of the visitors so far.
There may not be much between the sides in terms of goalmouth moments, but when it comes to possession it is all Juve at the moment. They have enjoyed 72% of the ball in this one so far.
SAVE! Another opening for Juve as Cancelo plays a one-two with Ronaldo on his way into the box before drilling an effort across goal which De Gea needs to parry away.
Juventus are beginning to look very comfortable and dominant now. United are struggling to get into the game right now and it is the visitors who look far more likely to add to the scoring at the moment.
UPDATE: There has been a goal elsewhere which will be of interest to Man City fans, with Lyon taking the lead against Hoffenheim in their group.
Juve again break into a dangerous position as Dybala is allowed to ghost into the area, where he is found unmarked by Pjanic. This time his subsequent low cross is cleared away, but United cannot allow them to break behind the defence so easily.
The frustration of the fans is growing now as Juve continue to dominate possession and control this game. United do not seem to be able to get close to their visitors at the moment.
CHANCE! Another big chance for Juventus as Bentancur meets a corner from the right flank, shrugging off his marker before nodding an effort over the crossbar when he probably should have done better.
Much better from United as they finally begin to put Juventus under some pressure. Chiellini is a tough man to beat, though, and he produces one really good tackle on Rashford before nodding a dangerous cross behind for a corner.
Juventus have the chance to break with Cuadrado leading the charge before sliding a pass through for Dybala. Lindelof defends well, though, and cuts out his pass back inside towards Ronaldo.
UPDATE: United may be struggling here, but Man City are having no such troubles and now lead Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 in Ukraine through David Silva and Aymeric Laporte. Hoffenheim have also equalised against Lyon, while Roma lead CSKA Moscow.
SAVE! Ronaldo lines up a free kick from range and stings the palms of De Gea with a powerful drive. The ball bounces back out to Matuidi, who fires his rebound into the ground and forces another stop from De Gea. Even then the danger is not over, though, and a cross arrives into the box which Matuidi nods off target.
Just five minutes remaining in this first half now and United will know that they need to show more going forward if they are to get themselves back into the match. Szczesny has barely broken a sweat in the Juventus goal.
Bentancur picks up a loose ball in midfield after Shaw could only half-clear his lines, but the United defender makes up for it by blocking the subsequent effort.
SHOT! Dybala threatens again here as he collects the ball just outside the area, works it onto his left foot and then curls his shot a few yards wide of the target.
Just a minute left plus stoppage time in this first half now and Juve have shown no signs of allowing their defence to be breached just yet. The hosts need to take more risks, with Pogba's header their only effort on target so far.
HALF TIME: MANCHESTER UNITED 0-1 JUVENTUS
The first half comes to an end at Old Trafford, and it is Juventus who have the lead against Manchester United at the halfway stage.
The Italian champions have dominated possession and controlled the vast majority of this game, and in truth could be further ahead having outclassed United so far.
The only goal of the game so far came from Paulo Dybala, who backed up his hat-trick from gameweek two with the opener after 17 minutes.
Ronaldo was involved in the goal on his return to Old Trafford as he delivered a cross from the right which Smalling failed to cut out, only turning the ball into the path of Dybala, who tucked away his finish with aplomb.
The majority of the other chances have also fallen the way of Juventus, with De Gea being forced into saves to deny Cancelo, Ronaldo and Matuidi.
United, by contrast, have only registered one shot on target, and that was a simple one for Szczesny to collect as he gathered Pogba's header comfortably. Aside from that, there has been very little for the home fans to shout about.
In addition to just one shot, United have also seen just 30% of the ball and had three touches in the opposition area in this match so far, such has been Juve's dominance.
Something needs to change in the coming 45 minutes, although United have produced much better performances in the second half of their last two matches.
KICKOFF: Juventus get us back underway for the second half at Old Trafford!
Mata steals the ball off Pjanic inside the Juve half to launch an attack, but Martial sees one shot blocked before Pogba's volley hits Lukaku, who looks oblivious in the middle. Martial then feeds the ball back into the middle, but Chiellini does enough against Lukaku.
UPDATE: More goals from elsewhere to tell you about, with Roma moving into a 3-0 lead against CSKA Moscow and Hoffenheim now leading Lyon 2-1 after coming from a goal down.
Poor defending from United as Matuidi drives past Young and Pogba to get into the box far too easily, but his low pass into the middle is scuffed behind by Lindelof.
CHANCE! Brilliant stop from De Gea as he denies a thunderous strike from Ronaldo! It is a devastating team move from Juve which ends with Cuadrado teeing up Ronaldo on the edge of the box, and his powerful first-time effort is destined for the top corner before De Gea tips it over the top.
United pick up the ball in a good position once again, but they never really look set and Lukaku puts the ball behind Rashford which allows Juve to win it back.
UPDATE: Marcelo has been strongly linked with a move to Juventus, but he has just scored for Real Madrid to double their lead against Plzen.
United are fortunate to get a free kick in a promising crossing position here after Mata seemed to throw himself to the ground. Can they make anything of this?
Matic swings it into the middle himself, but the offside flag is immediately raised against the United attackers.
YELLOW CARD! Matuidi becomes the first name in the book this evening, and he can have no complaints after clattering in to Young.
Just under half an hour remaining in this match now and still United are yet to seriously test Szczesny. It has been far too easy for Juventus in this opening hour.
Here is that stunning save from De Gea to deny Ronaldo...
This is better from United now! Smalling finds himself high up the field and he plays a low pass into the box which goes into a dangerous position, but Cancelo is the first to meet it and hack it clear.
The United fans are beginning to react to this improvement from their side as they finally begin to show a bit of urgency and attacking intent here. Still not much for Szczesny to do, but it has been better from the hosts in the last five minutes or so.
UPDATE: It is turning into a thriller in Man City's group as Lyon - who led 1-0 but then trailed 2-1 - have swung the game back in their favour and now lead 3-2!
Just over 20 minutes in this match and Juventus are still in control of this game. A 1-0 lead is never safe, but United have not shown many signs of getting an equaliser yet.
UPDATE: It is turning into quite the night for the blue half of Manchester - City have just made it 3-0 away to Shakhtar Donetsk through Bernardo Silva.
Juve have been a class above tonight, all over the field. They have been so sturdy in defence and Bentancur and Pjanic in midfield have bossed this match.
Martial collects the ball inside the box and manages to get a cross away, but his low delivery is easy for the keeper to gather.
OFF THE POST! United finally threaten the Juventus goal as some lax play gifts possession to Pogba, who produces a good turn away from his man. The midfield then curls a low effort towards goal which hits the foot of the post before rebounding against Szczesny and wide of the post for a corner.
United are getting much more joy down the wings now, with the likes of Shaw and especially Young having a growing influence on the match. It looks like they may make a game of it after all!
YELLOW CARD! Ashley Young goes into the book for a cynical trip on Sandro.
JUVENTUS SUB: Juve make the first change of the night as Federico Bernardeschi replaces Dybala, who is not happy at being withdrawn.
There isn't too much Mourinho can do to influence this game now in all honesty. He has not got any real game-changers on his bench tonight and so may have to keep faith with the 11 on the field.
JUVENTUS SUB: Another change for the visitors sees Andrea Barzagli replace Cuadrado.
YELLOW CARD! Chiellini picks up a yellow card for time-wasting.
Almost a chance for United as Lukaku collects the ball inside the area and manages to carve out a half-shooting opportunity, but his effort takes a deflection on its way well off target.
A free kick is hoisted into the box and Matic climbs highest to meet it, but there is very little he can do with his header and Szczesny collects with ease.
JUVENTUS SUB: A third and final change for Juventus as Douglas Costa replaces Cancelo.
SHOT! Shooting chance for Juve again as Bonucci finds himself as the furthest man forward, but he cannot keep his long-range drive down.
SAVE! Good play from Martial as he spins away from his marker before driving towards goal and curling effort towards goal which is saved by the keeper.
There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match.
FULL TIME: MANCHESTER UNITED 0-1 JUVENTUS
Juventus comfortably hold out for the victory at Old Trafford, with the hosts offering very little in response to Juve's dominance throughout the course of the 90 minutes.
Paulo Dybala scored the only goal of the game in the first half, but the 1-0 scoreline flatters United a little in truth, despite Pogba hitting the post with 15 minutes remaining.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening!
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as Juventus move to the brink of qualification from Group H courtesy of a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
