Manchester United are touring the United States of America for their pre-season as they gear up for the upcoming season. Man United have already played three pre-season friendlies, two in Europe against Norwegian club Rosenberg and Scottish giants Rangers, and one in the US against old rivals Arsenal. They play their fourth game on Thursday against Spanish side Real Betis at the Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California. It will be their penultimate friendly before their Community Shield showdown versus neighbors and hated rivals Manchester City on the 10th of August.
Manchester United Preview
Man United have had a mixed pre-season so far, losing two and winning one, but have a slightly improved look from last season. They were impressive in the first half against Arsenal, scoring inside the first ten minutes after Rasmus Højlund – United’s new number 9 – burst on to a first-time ball played by Marcus Rashford and outmuscled an Arsenal defender to score past the Karl Hein in the Gunners goal. However, the evening went downhill from there on for the Red Devils as Højlund and new signing Leny Yoro perished to injuries within 30 minutes of kick off.
Given the injury issues United faced last season, it was a massive blow to Erik ten Hag and United fans, who were hopeful of starting the season with a fit and firing squad. The Red Devils looked strong for most part of the game and threatened Arsenal’s goal on a few occasions, but the Gunners were more clinical of the two sides and found a late winner through Gabriel Martinelli, who found the back of the net in the 81st minute.
Ten Hag will look to take the positives from the game, but the injuries to Yoro and Højlund overshadowed the positives and United fans will be anxiously awaiting more updates on their availabilities.
Real Betis Preview
Real Betis, on the other hand, are only two games into their pre-season and enjoyed a very strong start to their preparation, thrashing Austrian second tier club SV Austria Salzburg 5-1. However, they suffered a narrow defeat in the next game, losing 1-0 to Liverpool. The Spanish side were second best the entire game, managing only one shot on target and ended the night with only 37% of the possession, despite fielding much of their senior side. Manager Manuel Pellegrini will be hoping for a better display in the upcoming games, with a majority of the pre-season yet to come.
The Los Verdiblancos are looking to improve on a 7th place finish in the 2023-24 season and will be aiming to secure a Europa League place at the very least.
When & Where?
Date: Wednesday, 31st July 2024 (US)
Time: 7.00 pm local time (2.00 am GMT)
Venue: Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, California.
Team News
Manchester United will be without new defender Leny Yoro who went off injured in the game against Arsenal and is rumored to be facing some time on the sidelines. Similarly, striker Rasmus Højlund was also substituted with an injury in the same game, but his injury is said to be less serious. However, he might not feature at all in the game with Ten Hag wary of aggravating any injury issues before the start of the season.
Key senior players like Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot, Alejandro Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo, Luke Shaw and new signing Joshua Zirkzee have not travelled to the US and will not take part in the pre-season friendlies.
Real Betis are also missing a few players with forward Ayoze Perez and Johnny Cardoso, and defender German Pezzella not included in the pre-season squad due to their involvement in international tournaments. Fullback Juan Miranda is currently playing at the Olympics for Spain, as is Abdessamad Ezzalzouli, who is representing Morocco in Paris. Influential midfielder Isco is expected to miss out with an ankle injury.
Players to watch out for
Toby Collyer
The young midfielder who transferred from Brighton’s academy to the fabled Manchester United Academy in 2022 has been earmarked as the next big thing at the club. Fresh from a season which saw the rise of another Academy graduate in Kobbie Mainoo, Erik ten Hag’s next project is the 20-year-old Toby Collyer. Playing in the role of the defensive midfielder, the youngster has impressed ever since he took the pitch in the second half against Rosenberg, in United’s first pre-season friendly. Such was his impact that ten Hag named him in the starting lineup in the next two friendlies against Rangers and Arsenal.
Again, Collyer earned rave reviews for his calmness in chaos, tenacity, and the maturity he showed while on the pitch amongst more senior players. The young starlet’s positioning, discipline, movement and ability to disrupt opponents has also won him praise from United’s coaches, though he needs to show some improvement in his attacking game. However, his stock is ever rising and Manchester United may have unearthed yet another gem.
With Man United on the lookout for a new defensive midfielder, they may not have to look any further and if Collyer can keep his form up, he may be in line for extensive minutes in the upcoming season.
Manchester United vs Real Betis – Predicted Lineups
Manchester United predicted lineup vs Real Betis: Andre Onana; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Jonny Evans, Harry Maguire, Harry Amass; Casemiro, Toby Collyer; Amad Diallo, Mason Mount, Jadon Sancho; Marcus Rashford.
Real Betis predicted lineup vs Manchester United: Rui Silva; Youssouf Sabaly, Diego Llorente, Nobel Mendy, Romain Perraud; Pablo Fornals, Sergi Altimira, William Carvalho, Juanmi; Nabil Fekir; Marcos Fernandez.
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