Manchester United host Roma in their Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to bring an end to their semi-final woes: Everything to know ahead of kick-off
- Man United host Roma in the Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday
- The Red Devils saw off the challenge of Granada to reach the semi-finals
- Roma earned a hard-fought victory over Ajax to progress to the final-four
- The return leg at Roma’s Stadio Olimpico will take place next week on Thursday
Manchester United host Roma in their Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday evening as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to end run of four consecutive semi-final defeats.
The Norwegian is yet to claim any silverware during his time as United manager, and he was dealt another blow in January as rivals Manchester City knocked them out of the Carabao Cup at the semi-final stage.
United were defeated in three semi-finals last year, being the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and the Europa League, where they were defeated by eventual winners Sevilla.
Having dropped out of the Champions League, United and Solskjaer will be looking to go one step further this season, having brushed aside Real Sociedad, AC Milan and Granada in the knockout stages.
They come up against a Roma side who impressively knocked out Ajax in the quarter-finals, though they haven’t won any of their last five matches in all competitions.
With the eagerly-anticipated spectacle now quickly approaching, Sportsmail takes you through the all-important information.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (left) takes on Paulo Fonseca (right) in the Europa League semi-final
Manchester United won the Europa League trophy under Jose Mourinho back in 2017
When is Manchester United vs Roma?
Manchester United host Roma in their Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday, April 29.
The match will kick-off at 8pm BST at Old Trafford and will be played behind closed doors due to the prevalent coronavirus restrictions.
United then face an enticing Premier League encounter at home to Liverpool ahead of next week’s return leg on Thursday, May 6, while seventh-placed Roma travel to Sampdoria.
How to watch the Europa League semi-final?
The match will be broadcast live on BT Sport 2, with coverage getting underway at 7.15pm.
Subscribers can also watch the game on both the BT website and app.
Man United vs Roma: Team news
Solskjaer revealed in his pre-match press conference that he has no new injury concerns ahead of crucial tie against Roma.
Both Eric Bailly and Marcus Rashford – who has been carrying a foot problem – are in contention to feature, while Solskjaer is yet to decide whether it will be David de Gea or Dean Henderson who starts in goal.
However, neither Anthony Martial or Phil Jones are available, with both played out injured with knee issues.
The good news is that Scott McTominay, Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire are all available after serving a one-match Europa League suspension.
As for Roma, they will have former United pair Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Chris Smalling fit to play, with the latter starting for the first time in a month in their 3-2 defeat by Cagliari at the weekend.
Former Chelsea midfielder Pedro is expected to be out with injury, however, while Riccardo Calafiori and Nicolo Zaniolo are also set to be sidelined. Meanwhile, Gianluca Mancini is suspended and unavailable.
Key Europa League stats
Manchester United
Group finish: 3rd (Champions League)
Top scorer: Bruno Fernandes (3)
Most assists: Bruno Fernandes (1)
Goals scored: 10
Goals conceded: 1
Roma
Group finish: 1st
Top scorer: Borja Mayoral (7)
Most assists: Jordan Veretout (3)
Goals scored: 26
Goals conceded: 9
Man United vs Roma: The odds
Though Roma will come into the clash full of confidence having beaten Ajax in the quarter-finals, it’s United who are favoured by the bookies in the first leg.
The pair have met on six prior occasions, with United winning four times, while Roma have claimed one victory alongside a single draw. They last met in the Champions League back in 2008, where United won 3-0 on aggregate to progress to the semi-finals.
The Europa League is all-but certainly United’s last chance for a trophy this season, and they are the favourites to overcome Roma in the first leg, with odds of 11/20. Roma are the underdogs at 5/1, while a draw is at 10/3.
*Odds as per Betfair and correct at the time of publication
Europa League semi-finals in full
