Manchester United Faces Rangers in Crucial Europa League Clash

MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United will host Rangers in a highly anticipated Europa League clash at Old Trafford on Thursday evening, marking their first competitive meeting in 15 years. Both teams are vying for a spot in the round of 16, with United currently seventh and Rangers eighth in the 36-team table.

The match, set to kick off at 20:00 GMT, will be broadcast on TNT Sports in the UK, with MUTV providing pre- and post-match coverage. Fans can also follow live updates via the United App, which offers real-time commentary, polls, and Opta statistical data.

United, unbeaten in the Europa League this season with three wins and three draws, are looking to bounce back from a challenging Premier League campaign. Key players like Luke Shaw, Jonny Evans, Victor Lindelof, and Mason Mount remain sidelined, though Shaw is nearing a return. Marcus Rashford, one booking away from suspension, has not played since United’s last Europa League match against Viktoria Plzen.

Rangers, meanwhile, are coming off a 5-0 cup win over Fraserburgh, though they face their own injury concerns. Mohamed Diomande is suspended, and Jack Butland is a doubt after being hospitalized for internal bleeding. The Scottish side has added Lille loanee Rafael Fernandes to their squad following injuries to defenders John Souttar and Dujon Sterling.

Rangers captain James Tavernier, who has scored 128 goals for the club since joining in 2015, remains a key figure. Forward Hamza Igamane, with 13 goals in 25 games this season, is another player to watch. Tavernier expressed confidence ahead of the match, stating, “You’ve got to fancy yourself against anybody. Obviously they’re going through a difficult patch at the minute, so yeah, we were obviously going to work on what we believe they’re going to be setting themselves up to do against us.”

United’s head coach, Ruben Amorim, will provide updates on the team’s injury status during a pre-match press conference on Wednesday. The match is crucial for both teams as they aim to secure automatic qualification for the next round, with only two games remaining in the group stage.