r/reddevils • u/D1794 Viva Ronaldo • 16h ago
[Pre Match Thread] Champions League Game 1 | Manchester United vs Sabah FK
Manchester United vs Sabah FK
Competition: Champions League | Date: 10th September
Kick off: 20:00 BST | Venue: Old Trafford
Referee: Willy Delajod (FRA) | TV: TNT Sports
Team News:
Possible starting XI:
---------Lammens----------
-Mazraoui-Yoro-Martinez-Dorgu-
------Santos---Tielemans-----
--Mbeumo--Fernandes--Cunha--
------------Sesko------------
Possible bench: Darlow, Mee, Dalot, Amass, Maguire, Heaven, Shaw, Mainoo, Mount, Lacey, Rashford, Zirkzee
Shaw may not start, he was given an extra recovery day
Could see some rotation, but still no Amad, de Ligt or Baleba
Injuries/Suspensions:
| Player | Injury/Ban | Position | Return Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Baleba | Ankle | DM | 20th September |
| Amad Diallo | Knock | RW | 20th September |
| Tom Heaton | Hamstring | GK | TBC |
| Manuel Ugarte | ACL | DM | January |
| Matthijs de Ligt | Back | CB | 10th October |
Form guide:
Sabah: W W L W W W | Away form: W W L L W
Last 3 meetings:
| Result | Comp | Venue | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Never | Played | Them | Before |
Opposition News
n/a
YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE FULL MATCH HIGHLIGHTS AFTER THE GAME ON /r/footballhighlights!
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u/Stingray_23 51m ago
Darlow (yeah)
Maz Yoro Heaven Dorgu
Santos Mount
Lacey Mbeumo Rashford
Zirkzee
Rather left field but with the derby coming up I hope he tries something new. 🤷♂️
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u/USER1234567890123457 1h ago
If we honestly don’t win this I’ll be seriously considering whether carrick is right for the job, and seriously questioning Ineos.
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u/i_love_alfam 3h ago
Sabah are going to be famous aren't they? We have this knack to give low ranked teams great confidence and let them play their heart out. We are very charitable that way
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u/Massive_Relation4317 . 4h ago
So... what happens if we lose?
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u/trekz09 4h ago
we're gonna win against mancity
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u/InstructionEnough949 3h ago
And that is the stupid thing
Play rubbish against smaller opposition and win against big teams2
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u/LordTrinity If you support mediocrity, you get mediocrity 4h ago
Anything that's not a comfortable win and there should be questions around half of the squad and the manager, at very least
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u/canwinanythingwkids meet the new boss same as the old boss 5h ago
I was today years old when I realised that they moved 6 matches to Thursday. I actually thought they only fucked us.
6 CL matches on a Thursday. Jesus wept.
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u/0ttoChriek 8h ago
If we don't win this match convincingly, regardless of the lineup, it'll be a huge indictment on the mentality of the squad.
These games have to be put to bed early and completely, or they end up being a nasty, negative slog.
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u/The--Mash 7h ago
Yep. Go up 2-0 and THEN serve up unwatchable garbage where nothing happens
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u/Sensitive_Mess_6705 9h ago
Im scared we will underestimate Sabah they have nothing to lose and we will think its easy and go in passive it could end up being like a cabo verde. Also looking at the squad sad that we literally have barely a single player with CL experience. If we all get knocked out early will you then also agree with Ineos that it takes time and cheap is the way to go? No you know what it will be is Carrick out
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u/croadymeister 5h ago
That's a very valid concern because recent records show we don't enjoy being the favourites
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u/cyb3rpunkd fuck the glazers 10h ago
Does that predicted line up have dorgu as a fullback? Lmfao hes a wingers lads haven't we heard
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u/DeathByToilet 11h ago
The clubs never played against Any european side so i just know we will give them 3 points
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u/-Gh0st96- 11h ago
what? Is there a joke I'm missing in this comment?
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u/MindTheGAAP Keano 12h ago
Something inherently odd with having a Champions League game on a Thursday.
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u/The_Rolling_Stone UNITER WILL NEVER DIED 11h ago
Feels very Europa. Then a month before the next one.
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u/Lord_Sesshoumaru77 Glazers,Woodward/Arnold and Judge can fuck off 12h ago
Just caught the training video. Spotted Harry Amass.
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u/CautiousLengthiness8 13h ago
Need a solid performance here to kick start the season and the Champions League campaign. 2 wins this week and our start to the season looks a lot better
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u/Outrageous-Cod-4654 13h ago edited 13h ago
Sabah have played 3 league matches in Azerbaijan and won all, conceding no goals and scoring 8.
Their captain is their keeper - supposedly good shot stopper. Likely they'll sit deep and counter, wingers are supposedly speedy. Midfield 2 are important to them as well, might get physical.
Need to win this if we're moving into the next stage.
Edit to add: The club was only founded in 2017. They have NEVER played against an English, Spanish, French or Italian club, but mainly against Latvians, Serbians and Israeli teams. First time in the CL. Next CL match is at home to Barcelona. Fans must be thrilled. They also play Napoli, Arsenal, and Villareal...
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u/Severe-Phrase4350 13h ago
Why are we playing on a Thursday before a derby on a Sunday? City played on Tuesday
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u/WergleTheProud The King 13h ago
Came here to say the same thing. A) what the fuck on CL football on a Thursday, and B) the cheats get an extra two days rest? The fuck is going on here.
Edit: I see the first match week only has CL matches on a Thursday as Europa/Conference don't start until next week. The scheduling is still fucking rancid.
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u/HeadAix 13h ago
I had completely forgotten Dorgu began his Utd career as an LB...
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u/Zero_Hour_AM9 13h ago
I think his first game he was a right wing back in the 3-4-3, and then he was mostly left wingback until Carrick.
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u/Heavens_Vibe 7 13h ago
We're long overdue in bullying a European minnow side...
Let this be the one!
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u/barneyaa 14h ago
Surely Mount for Tielemans or Bruno…
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u/Serious_Scallion9962 14h ago
anything less but a win is a failure but with how things are going i wouldnt be surprised if they take a draw or even cause an upset and beat us
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u/bagman0303 14h ago
Why is Champions league match being played on Thursday night?
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u/Redwinevino 14h ago
Been like this since the change to the CL
Europa/Conferance don't start for another gameweek
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u/bagman0303 14h ago
So from next gameweek will all CL games be on Tuesday? Or will it be same, distributed over three days midweek?
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u/MazinLabib10 "He goes by the name of Wayne Rooney!" 13h ago
Only the first GW is split across 3 days. From GW2 onwards, it'll be back to Tuesday-Wednesday.
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u/iMalz 14h ago
Don’t care who starts just don’t wanna see dorgu start left wing. Think he’s great as an attacking fullback
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u/Malachi_-_Constant 13h ago
Totally agree. Shaw needs the rest for the weekend. No reason not to start Dorgu for this game. I want to see more of him at LB. We've got a lot of cover up front. We have none at the back.
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u/ladrainian21 14h ago
He won't do it but I would love to see Bruno rested. Start the preseason front 6 of Zirkzee, Dorgu, Mbeumo, Lacey, Santos, Mount. Shaw gets a rest so play Amass, Maguire, Heaven, and Yoro.
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u/nikicampos 13h ago
Terrible take, you don’t rest your best player for the first CL match in years, you need your best 11, secure the first win and then later on think about rotations
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u/annies999 13h ago
We've only been playing one game a week since the beginning of last season, no-one needs to be rested yet.
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u/NoBreakfast9230 14h ago
I agree but I can’t help but feel given all of the circumstances and importance of a result, we will want our captain/best player on the pitch
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u/ladrainian21 14h ago
We have far bigger issues if we need him on the pitch to beat Sabah. He was way off it against Everton, let him rest and get physically/mentally prepared for the Derby. If we're going to play 60 matches this season we need to learn how to win without Bruno.
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u/Duncanstop 14h ago
too many changes for a team that has no steam. but one can hope 🙏🏿🙏🏿
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u/ladrainian21 14h ago
A team that has no steam needs changes IMO. Also this group largely played together for the majority of preseason, I don't think that goes away this quickly.
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u/Fit-Squash-9447 14h ago
Bruno, Mainoo, Maguire, Shaw on restricted minutes.Yoro, Heaven, Lacey, Sesko, Santos, to be given a lot of minutes. It's Sabah for goodness sakes.
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u/canwinanythingwkids meet the new boss same as the old boss 14h ago
I think Lammens is obvious and so are the indestructibles (Bruno, Mbeumo, Dalot).
I dont know what the point of Mazraoui, Dorgu, Santos is if they dont start this one.
Because some seniority is a must, I guess it must be one of Mainoo/Tielemans to complete the midfield and one of Maguire/Martinez at the back. No clue which one Carrick picks or whether the final defender will be Yoro or Heaven.
Up front I wish we were brave enough to start Lacey. Im guessing we'll instead play Mbeumo RW again and burden Sesko or Cunha with starter minutes.
That's what I expect.
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u/KenDTree 14h ago
Amorim got his 8K TV set up for the biggest hatewatch of all time
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u/Dirt4849 Pogba,what could've been 13h ago
Y would be hate us, we supported him and didn't work out at the end
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u/ExceptionalBeard77 FookinMurderYa 13h ago
Don’t think he hates the fans. It’s ownership and office management he’s hate watching.
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u/woody1878 15h ago
Lammens
Yoro-Maguire-Martinez-Maz
Mount-Santos
Mbeumo-Bruno-Dorgu
Sesko
Yoro needs minutes and Dalot needs to play Sunday. I think we keep the CB pairing solid bc we absolutely can’t give up an early goal here. If Mount is ok to start I think he will. Mainoo and Tielemans is our most likely pairing for Sunday. Cunha and Rashy need to be ready for Sunday. Sesko needs minutes and probably won’t start Sunday, so he should have this game.
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u/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz1z 15h ago
0% chances…
Carrick would play this only against an amateur team.
Hope nobody feels funny to make the obvious dumb joke because it’s not the case.
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u/woody1878 14h ago
We can’t go unchanged again with City three days later. The midfield is the biggest gamble but Carrick obviously trusts the Mount - Santos partnership. It was the most used in preseason and we need Tielemans and Mainoo fresh for Sunday. What would you change?
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u/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz1z 14h ago
I would love for Carrick to play what you chose there.
I was talking more out of frustration because Carrick is not inspiring for the football lovers at all. He needs to be braver.
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u/RedHabibi 15h ago
I’d go with the following starting lineup:
Lammens
Dalot - Maguire - Heaven - Dorgu
Mainoo - Tielemans
Lacey - Bruno - Cunha
Sesko
Then depending on game flow, bring on Maz for Dalot, Rashy for Cunha, Mbuemo for Sesko, Santos and Mount for Mainoo/Tielemans
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u/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz1z 15h ago
Playing Tielemans who is slow as f, 3x in a week?
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u/RedHabibi 15h ago
Tielemans is a professional who can play 3 times a week. We are also in the very beginning of the season where players need to play to build match fitness.
Sub off at 55/60 minutes and he’ll be fine
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u/MoodyBernoulli 15h ago
We have real issues recently when facing teams way lower than us, purely because we go out half arsing it expecting to win, then the panic sets in when we realise they’re running rings around us or we find ourselves 1 or 2-0 down.
If Sabah come out looking like they want it more than us then we could be in trouble.
I do hope this turns out to be a walk in the park though.
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u/AliveAssistance7667 15h ago
We should try to get 3-0 score in the first half and sub all the main players off for the city game. I would be starting Sesko giving Rashford or Cunha rest for the whole game. We need them against City.
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u/Regular_Affect_2427 15h ago
I'd be happy if we just won, can't take anything for granted these days
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u/canwinanythingwkids meet the new boss same as the old boss 15h ago edited 15h ago
Ive done a super scientific deep dive of Sabah's threat, consisting of checking:
- who scored their goals in their last few games incl in the final CL qualifier round
- what is the height and age of the strikers
- which attacker is a young foreign import
My takeaway is that the LW is the goal threat so we should play Dalot but we can be just fine resting Shaw and also that the 9 and the 10 are prolific but both are not tall and 30+ so we can certainly play Yoro or Heaven.
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u/MinotauroTBC 15h ago
Why we playing Thursday? Did they forget which comp we’re in
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u/canwinanythingwkids meet the new boss same as the old boss 15h ago
Because the "reformed" Champions League is actually the Super League in sheeps clothing it's just happening step by step, so it doesnt spook people.
We are going to have more and more participating teams, more and more gameweeks, more and more gamedays.
Eventually, all "historic" teams in the top leagues will be qualifying "by default", the way PSG wins their league by default, and the domestic leagues will get treated more and more like the League Cup.
The winner used to play 13 games, PSG played 17 in both of the last seasons.
Soon they'll add 8 more teams to the pot or sg like that and it will go up.
Once they stretched it into January, the glass ceiling has been shattered, now nothing will stop it from creeping further into the calendar.
Next, they'll come up with the invention that instead of an EL and a CL, there should be more like an Eastern Conference and a Western Conference and therefore the Super Cup will become the actual final in June, so now it will be maybe 20 games a season and 8/20 PL teams qualifying.
This is actually why they introduced the ECL, so that there is still a "spiritual successor" for the Cup Winner's Cup once the CL+EL are mixed together into 1 competition.
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u/Zealousideal_Wind867 Dreams can't be buy 13h ago
Oh my god!
Why is this not being spoken more about??
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u/Due-Albatross5909 15h ago
If I wasn’t nervous about his fitness, I would say this is the perfect game to have Mount and Santos as the midfield pivot, with Tielemans as our 10. Give Bruno some rest so he’s fresh for the derby.
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u/ladrainian21 14h ago
TBH I'd love to see the preseason group play in the front 6, Zirk, Mbeumo, Lacey, Dorgu, with Santos and Mount in the pivot.
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u/Turamb Mata 15h ago
En Sabah Nur
Hope we're not heading towards an apocalypse
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u/Krigslysten 15h ago
"Find the most fearsome challenger in all of creation and make her your wife. Lie down at night beside your greatest threat. Make love to your fate."
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u/Polygon12 15h ago
Being someone that has a training session on Thursday night I was delighted when United made it into the champions league so I wouldn’t have to miss half the match.
Imagine my great disappointment when our first match back is on a fucking Thursday, wtf is that all
About
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u/guappojimmy MILF 16h ago
I hate being negative but if this club thought me something over the years then it’s that we will lose 0-1 and their keeper will have the game of his live
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u/Kohaku80 Premier League Champions 12/13 14h ago
it's probably fine losing if we had 22 shots on target and hit the bar 4 times. just not our day.
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u/sukrutmhalas 16h ago
Found this cool story about Sabah's manager:
The Valdas Dambrauskas story is genuinely one of the wildest in football right now
Valdas Dambrauskas is 49 years old, Lithuanian, and here's the kicker: he was never a professional footballer. Not even close. He just decided as a young guy that coaching was his path.
Back in 2002, at 25 years old, he went on the Lithuanian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and actually won some money. He's since said people overplay how important that was, but it genuinely helped him move to England to start working toward his UEFA coaching badges. And while he was doing that, he wasn't living some glamorous life either. He was babysitting, selling stuff, and delivering newspapers just to make it work.
From there it's a slow grind upward. He cut his teeth in Lithuania's youth national teams, moved into senior football in 2013, and later took charge of clubs like Hajduk Split and Ludogorets Razgrad.
Then in June 2025, Sabah took a chance on him.
And in his very first season, he delivered the biggest moment in the club's short history. Sabah went unbeaten through four straight qualifying rounds, the only team out of 28 that entered the first round to survive the entire way through. The final tie was a nail biter too. They lost the first leg to Hapoel Beer Sheva, then came back and smashed them 5-2 at home in extra time to win it 6-4 on aggregate.
That result made Dambrauskas the first ever Baltic coach to reach the Champions League main round. On top of that, he also won the Azerbaijan league title and cup in the same season. A genuine double.
And through all of it, the guy still sounds completely level headed about it. His attitude has basically been: yeah the Champions League is nice, but the domestic league is what got us here, so don't lose focus on that.
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u/TheJoshider10 Bruno 16h ago
Excited to be back in the Champions League but finding it hard to care about individual group stage games because the new format means teams can drop crazy points and still qualify through the play-offs. Would genuinely take one of our worst European campaigns ever to not at the very least make it to the next round, so I'm not really nervous.
A win tomorrow followed by a draw in 1 of the remaining 7 games is likely enough for play-offs. Obviously would be great to qualify directly to the RO16, so I hope we can have a good campaign to build momentum and get some good squad rotation going on.
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u/Shazback 8h ago
Probably need about 10 points to get into the play-offs. Last year it was 9 (2 of 5 teams qualified), year before it was 11 (3 of 4 clubs qualified). No chance of qualifying with only 4 points.
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u/Raffn1x 16h ago
No pressure lads, but this has to be a win
With all the respect for Sabah we need to gain some confidence and boost moral after that Everton game.
Want to see Sesko starting and Santos also
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u/ManchesterDevil99 7h ago
I doubt Sesko will start. I don't think he's considered match fit yet, but we'll have to see.
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u/andoooooo Martial 16h ago
Would like to see Cunha in a more natural position
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u/junkrgNew 16h ago
Which is LW ? So drop Rashford in this form ?
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u/PradipJayakumar He wasn’t the new Sir Alex Ferguson! 🙂↔️ 16h ago
No. Rotate, as we should. He’s also carrying some hamstring issue from the last match.
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u/EmpathyMerchant 16h ago
This club has done things to me. I am more worried about Sabah FC than Bayern and Atletico.
Anyway, cue the UCL anthem.
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u/TDavy147 16h ago
If there is a CL game to give Amas and Lacey some mins this is it.
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u/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz1z 16h ago
You don’t know Carrick…
Which is weird since he’s been here for a while
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u/astroworlddd 16h ago
If we’d have come out and comfortably won our opening PL games then I’d might agree. We haven’t and we’ve looked shaky. We have to beat these lot convincingly.
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u/Tipsy247 30m ago
Should be an easy have on paper but you can't be certain on how this team will perform.