This is a huge week for Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag as a negative result against Porto in the Europa League or Aston Villa in the Premier League may see him lose his job at Old Trafford.
The Dutchman is under serious pressure after a poor start to the season, with things escalating after the 3-0 loss against Tottenham, but he will need to pick his players up for a tough fixture away in Portugal.
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Porto Recent Form
Porto lost their opening Europa League match of the season 3-2 away at Bodo/Glimt so are already on the backfoot in the league table.
In the Primeira Liga, they have won six out of seven games and currently sit second in the table.
Their only loss came in the fourth match of the campaign against rivals and reigning champions Sporting CP.
At the weekend, they beat Arouca 4-0 with four different players getting on the scoresheet.
Porto Injury News
Zaidu Sanusi and Ivan Marcano are long-term absentees for Porto due to serious ACL injuries, while Otavio is a major doubt as he has missed the last three games due to a muscle issue.
Arsenal loanee Fabio Vieira is yet to make his first start for the club due to fitness issues but did play 20 minutes against Arouca so might feature.
Last Porto Lineup
Here’s how Porto lined up against Arouca.
Man Utd Recent Form
United have failed to win their last three games against Crystal Palace and Tottenham in the Premier League and Twente in the Europa League.
On Sunday, they were humbled by the 3-0 loss against Spurs, and even though they were down to 10 men for the majority of proceedings after Bruno Fernandes’ dismissal, the capitulation and overall effort would have worried the fanbase.
Man Utd Injury News
Leny Yoro, Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw remain sidelined for the Red Devils, but there are fresh concerns over Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount and Harry Maguire.
Both Mainoo and Mount had to be withdrawn against Tottenham due to a muscle and head injury respectively.
Last Man Utd Lineup
Here’s how Man Utd lined up against Tottenham.
Porto – Player To Watch
Galeno has been superb for Porto this season with a return of five goals in seven starts in the Primeira Liga.
Man Utd – Player To Watch
The spotlight has been on Bruno Fernandes for all the wrong reasons recently as his manager had to publicly defend a string of disappointing performances, while he let his team-mates down by being sent off against Tottenham. It was a harsh red card for the challenge on James Maddison, but he certainly didn’t help the cause.
He needs to find some form.
Porto vs Man Utd – Prediction
Ten Hag came out on Wednesday and claimed that his players were fully behind him as manager, and now is the time to show it. Porto’s performance and the result against Bodo/Glimt suggested the team isn’t quite firing on all cylinders at this level yet, and United need to take advantage.
Scoreline prediction – Porto 1-2 Man Utd
Porto vs Man Utd – Betting Tips
Both Teams to Score
– Porto have scored 10 goals in their last three games
– Up until a recent blip, United scored 10 goals in two games against Southampton and Barnsley
Bruno Fernandes to Score
– Bruno simply needs to get back to his best and has the ability to score against an opposition United are expected to beat. Porto are an old enemy, too, as he obviously used to play for rivals Sporting CP
