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Manchester United will host Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie at Old Trafford tonight.
It's everything to play for in Manchester tonight as Diego Simeone's men arrive on a rare visit. Atletico Madrid were dominant at the Wanda Metropolitano in the first leg but the 1-1 scoreline doesn't reflect it. They took the lead through Joao Felix as early as the seventh minute of the game and it looked like Manchester United were in for a long night.
But the Red Devils hung on for dear life and 10 minutes before the end of normal time, Anthony Elanga ran onto a Bruno Fernandes throughball and sent it past Jan Oblak to restore parity in the tie. Given the fact that they're playing at home, Manchester United will fancy their chances in the second leg tonight.
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Without further ado, let's take a look at five things Manchester United need to do to beat Atletico Madrid.
#5 Play Fred - Nemanja Matic in midfield
It is always tempting to go with both Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba in midfield. But owing to the fact that neither of Manchester United's most creative midfielders can be entirely relied upon in defensive transitions, it's best to choose one. The choice will obviously depend on Fernandes' fitness.
Scott McTominay and Fred are United's preferred double pivot in midfield. However, they'll need more control in midfield against a team like Atletico Madrid. That's why Rangnick ought to choose Matic and Fred to play alongside either Pogba or Fernandes.
Fred brings a lot of aggression to the pitch and he has shown that there is a creative side to his game as well since Rangnick took over. The Brazilian international was one of United's best players in their 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur last Saturday.
#4 Start Anthony Elanga over Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford used to be one of the most menacing forwards in the Premier League. However, following his return from injury, Rashford has lacked confidence and has been playing within himself. He is no longer beating defenders with ease or making those driving runs into dangerous areas.
The Manchester United academy graduate has not scored in his last nine appearances across all competitions. He has netted just five goals and set up two more in 26 appearances across all competitions for the Red Devils so far this season.
Anthony Elanga scored Manchester United's equalizer in the first leg and has since turned in quite a handful of encouraging performances. Elanga will be desperate to prove himself and has got the wind in his sails right now. He needs to start over Rashford tonight.
Elanga and Jadon Sancho will be crucial to Manchester United bypassing the compact Atletico Madrid midfield. The Rojiblancos caused a lot of trouble to United in the first leg by closing down the spaces in midfield. That's why the Red Devils have to try and play long balls into their wingers to find a way around their compactness.
#3 Push full-backs high up the pitch
In the first leg, Renan Lodi caused a lot of problems for Manchester United and Victor Lindelof was mostly pegged inside Manchester United's own half. If Diogo Dalot is to start at right-back tonight, Manchester United should ensure that he occupies an advanced position.
They also need to make sure that the full-backs on either side get ample support from the midfielders and forwards. Manchester United will need to create an overload on either flank and that's how they will be able to keep the Atletico Madrid wing-backs occupied.
By doing so, United can also cut off one of Atletico Madrid's major supply lines to the final third.
#2 Manchester United forwards should interchange positions
The best way to unsettle Atletico Madrid's three-man defence is for the forwards to draw the right-sided and left-sided centre-backs out of their positions. Manchester United can do this by using a fluid front three who are constantly interchanging positions.
With the full-backs overlapping and the forwards moving around, Atletico Madrid's defenders will need to be on high-alert all the time. If Bruno Fernandes gets into advanced positions on the counter, Manchester United could even have an advantage in numbers every time they break.
The Portuguese international loves to get inside the box and his intelligent movement could be used to unsettle the Atletico Madrid backline.
Jadon Sancho is arguably Manchester United's most in-form player right now. His quick feet, vision and technical ability inside the final third will be quite a handful to deal with for the Atletico Madrid defenders.
#1 Bring Cristiano Ronaldo into play
Cristiano Ronaldo is the man in form for Manchester United right now. The Portuguese international scored a brilliant hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur last Saturday. He looked extremely sharp and his link-up play was excellent as well.
The Portuguese international is at his best when he is determined to silence his critics. He loves playing against Atletico Madrid. In 36 appearances against the Rojiblancos across all competitions in his career, Ronaldo has scored 25 goals and provided nine assists.
The 37-year-old seems to have kicked into his groove at just the right time for Manchester United. He could very well prove to be their X-factor tonight.
