Manchester United vs Rangers preview: Battle of Britain part 2

Morning everyone, Rangers travel to the red half of Manchester tonight in a fixture that could virtually seal our place in the top 16 of the Europa league.

There's no doubting that it would be some achievement, but we still have a ways to go to get there. And the real bounty from winning tonight would be the chance to secure a top 8 place by beating USG on the final match day at Ibrox.

Before we get into the game, there has been some transfer news, mostly all about players leaving. Alex Lowry has joined Wycombe Wanderers for an undisclosed fee. I think it's good to get someone who signed a big first team deal off the books, he clearly had some issues to deal with, which is a shame given the talent he showcased. His physical numbers and stats fell well below the standard, hopefully he can pick up his career again and do well in England. I imagine there's a sell-on involved so hopefully that nets us some cash in future.

The other big departure on the cards is Rabbi Matondo. The Welsh winger looks to be off down South with a loan-to-buy move to Coventry. It's not confirmed and may be getting held up by the 24 year-olds wage demands. It's fair to say that if he does go, it's for the best, he's barely been fit this season and despite having a reasonable impact in limited minutes (almost entirely against Ross County in one game) this hasn't been a good fit for him. I wish him the best as the buy option is reported to be 2 million pounds, a very reasonable return. Coventry are heavily geared towards a counter attacking style so he could really flourish with his pace, although he might need to find a bit more composure in front of goal (how many times has that been said about him do you think?). As I was writing this it was announced the move seems to have broken down cause Matondo was being greedy, little idiot.

A link that materialised late last night is Cyriel Dessers allegedly being offered to Monza. Most of the links for the Nigerian have come from Italy so this doesn't really surprise me. The big question is, will they say yes? We will see.

Onto the game, I've kept abreast of Man United's performances and results this season. For amusement purposes mostly. I remember seeing a tweet back in 2014 saying that seeing Man United doing terribly now is like seeing the kid who bullied you at school working as a human sign post for a golf club. I've enjoyed their demise, but have they turned a corner with Ruben Amorim?

Not on the basis of results. When he was appointed United were level with Bournemouth on points, and 4 points behind Nottingham Forest, although still in 13th. They've remained in 13th, but the gap to the teams above has lengthened, they now sit 11 points behind Bournemouth and a whopping 18 points behind Nottingham Forest.

His main issue has been trying to convert a squad built for 4231 into a 343 system that requires high levels of organisation and a very aggressive counter press. Performances have been mixed as a result, with some green shoots of hope in a win over Manchester City at the Etihad, a draw at the Emirates and at Anfield. The Anfield performance is probably Amorim's jewel in the crown currently, they weren't passive and reactive like the other two results, they took the game to Liverpool with a clear plan to exploit Trent Alexander-Arnold's positioning on their right-hand side.

The biggest positive we can take from United's form coming into this game, is that other teams have given us the blueprint of how to exploit their system and personnel. They have a weakness down their right hand side. Lenny Yoro has been trusted to play as the right centre back in the three, and he's not really looked comfortable defending that half space. Both Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui have been trusted as the wing back on that side. In this system the wing backs tuck in out of possession to form a midfield 4, that leaves space on that outside channel, Brighton exploited this with ease for their first goal in a 3-1 win at Old Trafford on the weekend. I expect to see Ridvan and Jefte starting together on that side, like the Spurs game, so there should be plenty of chances for Ridvan to attract the attention of the United midfield and allow Jefte to attack on the outside.

In terms of threat, we have to be wary of the pace United have in transition. They are set up to win the ball in the middle third and quickly turn the opposition backline. Rangers old boy Amad Diallo has been United's best attacker in recent weeks so I expect us to be wary of attacking that space Jefte may leave when he goes forward.

Given the strengths and weaknesses of each team, tonight's game could have a touch of caution about it. Rangers won't want to be hurt in transition and United will be wary of Rangers threat in wide areas with willing runners like Cerny and Igamane. As a result we might see a cagey affair with United sitting deeper to nullify that ball in behind. However, there's significant pressure on Ruben Amorim currently and I don't think he can afford not to try grab this game by the scruff of the neck, and as we know, that suits us nicely in Europe.

Given the options are limited in Europe due to injuries/suspension and our short sighted squad selection, I expect we will field the 11 players we have that can stand up straight. As aforementioned, Tav should come back in with Ridvan moving over to the left wing. Aside from that the team picks itself with Balogun and Propper at the back with no Nsiala in the squad. All the wide options knackered apart from Cerny so he will be on the right. Bajrami at the 10 with Igamane up top. Barron and Raskin will need to rediscover their form of Olympiakos away for us to get something tonight, it should be noted that they were the preferred midfield 2 for a short period and supported each other well.

The really big news is that Tom Lawrence will be back in the squad. Hooray.

Aside from that, expect a tough game tonight, but one we can certainly get a result in. Have a good night everyone and safe travels if you've gone to the game (presumably you've left already or you may be in trouble).