Manchester United vs PSG: 3 crucial factors to watch out for

Manchester United face Paris Saint Germain in a crucial UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie tonight. United have seen a great turnaround in their fortunes under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as they have won 10 of their 11 matches under him so far. However, Solskjaer would have his first big test tonight, as his team faces one of the most dangerous teams in Europe.

PSG would be without key players Neymar and Edinson Cavani. However, they should still prove to be quite a handful for United.

We take a look at the 3 crucial factors which might decide the outcome of the match:

#1 United's defence dealing with Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe has been in stunning form.

Mbappe would be the main weapon in PSG's attack in the absence of Cavani and Neymar, and Thomas Tuchel would rely a lot on him. The French youngster has scored goals for fun this season, and would trouble the United defence with his blistering pace and dribbling skills. Mbappe has already scored 22 goals this season, and looks good for some more at least.

United might play Chris Smalling and Phil Jones as centre-backs, and neither of them seems fast enough to cope with Mbappe's pace. Therefore, the United full-backs can not risk going into overlaps too frequently, as it would allow Mbappe to make his speedy counter-attacking runs. Luke Shaw, especially, would have to be on his toes throughout the match, as Mbappe prefers to attack down the right flank.

Mbappe could start as the centre-forward, but would be frequently moving to the flanks to allow the likes of Julian Draxler and Di Maria to enter into the penalty box through the central areas. Draxler is gearing up for the big match, as he has made clear in his tweet. Angel Di Maria would also be dangerous with his powerful shots from outside the penalty area.

2. Ander Herrera keeping an eye on Marco Veratti:

Ander Herrera needs to be on top of his game to stop Verrati.

United's defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic should spend the majority of the match inside his own half, as he would have to play his part in blocking the shots of Di Maria and helping the centre-backs. Therefore, Ander Herrera, their other holding midfielder, would have to keep an eyen on Marco Veratti, PSG's playmaking central midfielder.

Veratti would try to find Mbappe, Draxler or Di Maria with his incisive passes, and therefore, Herrera can not afford to allow him too much space and time in the midfield. Herrera's battle with Veratti would be key in deciding the fate of the match, as Paul Pogba is expected to play in a more attacking role.

Herrera has a very good passing range himself, and is capable of delivering vital through balls. However, he can not afford to go into attack very often, and would have to play his part in nullifying Veratti's passing game to an extent.

3. Marcus Rashford's positional play is going to be crucial:

Marcus Rashford would be looking to score against the French champions.

United are going to play a front three comprising of Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingaard and Anthony Martial. Both Lingaard and Martial prefer to hold on to the ball and dribble past the opposition defenders, but Rashford has the ability to be dangerous with his off-the-ball play.

He can frequently get into goal-scoring positions and Pogba is likely to provide him with some crucial balls in the final third. Pogba would fancy his own chances of scoring a goal too, and he is likely to test Gianluigi Buffon with his rasping shots from outside the penalty box.

Pogba and Rashford have scored 13 and 10 goals respectively this season so far, and would like to increase their respective tallies tonight. PSG's defence, led by the veteran Thiago Silva, would have to play exceedingly well in order to stop United from scoring in their home ground.