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Three-time Champions League winners Manchester United have not been at their best in recent years. Since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement almost a decade back, the Red Devils have neither won the Premier League nor the Champions League.
Many managers have come and gone in that time span, but none has managed to make the team play the brand of football fans can be proud of.
Ralf Rangnick, who is expected to serve as United’s interim manager until the summer, has been trying something different. His team presses higher, tries to string passes together, and breaks away at pace. His “new look” Manchester United have had moderate success in the league, but are yet to find consistency.
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On Tuesday night, Rangnick’s men will face their toughest test of the season yet, in the form of a spirited Atletico Madrid side. In the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 encounter last month, an Anthony Elanga strike saved their blushes, securing a 1-1 draw.
United will need to put their best foot forward in the return leg at Old Trafford to find the consistency they’ve been striving for.
Los Rojiblancos are not an easy team to brush aside, but Manchester United may have just enough in their repertoire to secure a win.
Here are five factors that could help Rangnick’s men get the better of Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16 second leg on Tuesday night:
#5 Manchester United’s Old Trafford advantage
Manchester United’s home ground Old Trafford is one of the most iconic stadiums in world football.
Nicknamed “The Theater of Dreams,” the stadium can seat 74,140 people, making it the largest club football stadium in the United Kingdom.
Playing in front of a packed stadium is unlikely to be a straightforward affair for Atletico Madrid. Boos and jeers will ring across the ground every time the visitors touch the ball.
We won’t be surprised if we see a few nervy moments and some unforced errors from Atletico out on the pitch tonight.
#4 Fitness boost for the Red Devils
United regulars Bruno Fernandes, Luke Shaw, and Scott McTominay all sat out in Saturday’s 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
While Fernandes and Shaw missed out after testing positive for COVID-19, McTominay was nursing a calf injury.
However, much to the Old Trafford outfit’s delight, all three trained with the squad on Monday morning. Rangnick has admitted (via Manchester Evening News) that there’s a little question mark on Shaw’s match fitness, but he cleared McTominay and Fernandes.
As of right now, the Red Devils have their entire squad ready and raring to go for Tuesday’s clash against Atletico.
#3 Jadon Sancho’s ever-improving form for Manchester United
Manchester United snapped up one of the most highly-rated young players in Europe, Jadon Sancho, for £73 million in the summer of 2021. Joining from Borussia Dortmund, the Englishman did not find it easy to settle into the new league. Following a few sub-par performances in the opening months, critics were quick to call him a failure.
Luckily for the Red Devils, the 21-year-old did not take the harsh words to his heart and focused on improving himself instead. Over the last few weeks, we have seen the England international produce his Bundesliga form for Manchester United.
He assisted twice in a 2-4 win over Leeds United and scored in the FA Cup fourth-round win against Middlesbrough. Sancho also netted United’s only goal in the 4-1 defeat to Manchester City.
The former Dortmund star was also excellent in last Saturday’s win over Tottenham Hotspur, assisting Cristiano Ronaldo’s second goal of the evening.
The youngster is peaking at just the right moment for United and we won’t be surprised to see him play a starring role against Atletico.
#2 Atletico Madrid’s inconsistent domestic run
Spanish champions Atletico Madrid have had a hard time producing encouraging displays this season.
With Diego Simeone’s future up in the air, the club are seemingly going through a transition phase that has reflected on their on-pitch performances.
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Los Rojiblancos have lost seven games in the Spanish top-flight. They currently sit in fourth place, 15 points behind league leaders Real Madrid, and are practically out of the title race.
Yes, they have managed to win their last five La Liga fixtures, but they do not seem up for a grueling Champions League outing.
Unless they open the scoring and then opt for a low block, we don’t see how they can outperform a hungry Manchester United side on Tuesday night.
#1 The Cristiano Ronaldo factor
The leading scorer (140 goals) in Champions League history, Manchester United No.7 Cristiano Ronaldo, is raring to make headlines on Tuesday night. The 37-year-old comes into the match on the back of a blistering hat-trick against Spurs, and we won’t surprised to see him replicate that feat.
The Portuguese superstar has a long and illustrious history with Diego Simeone’s men. During his time at Real Madrid, he faced them 25 times in domestic competitions, scoring 18 goals and providing six assists.
He also beat them twice in the Champions League finals, once in the quarter-finals, and another time in the semi-finals. In the semi-finals of the 2016-17 campaign, he scored a decisive first-leg hat-trick to take the tie away from Atletico.
At Juventus, too, he locked horns with Atletico. In the 2018-19 season, Simeone’s men beat the Bianconeri 2-0 in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16. Ronaldo then produced a second-leg hat-trick to send Los Rojiblancos packing.
The Spanish champions are likely to pay special attention to Ronaldo on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, rarely have they been able to contain the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Old Trafford could very well stand witness to another memorable Cristiano Ronaldo masterclass on Tuesday night.
