[Red Dreams]

Mourinho will respect them and be sufficently cautious.
The key is 3 points.

 

[Sereques]

So we are back to people saying Herrera is average because we drew the Stock match? Fans are fickle.

 

[Hound Dog]

Since some of you have asked, a bit of info about Basel:

They have been ridiculously successful domestically over the recent years, having won the last eight domestic championships. They had some notable results in Europe during this period as well. Last time they were in the CL group with United, they finished above United before being crushed by Bayern in the first knock-out round. They also beat Liverpool to second in Liverpool's previous CL appearance and also had a couple of excellent Europa League runs, once reaching the semis, where they were beaten by Chelsea.

These European results were made possible by the fact that they had a truly exceptional group of players either produced by their club (Shaquiri, Granit Xhaka, Fabian Schar) or passing through (Mohamed Salah, El Neny, etc) and also had two experienced Swiss strikers who still had a lot to offer (Frei & Streller).

However, they have been steadily declining over the last three years or so, having been unable to properly replace those who have departed. Their previous boss Urs Fischer was fired last summer despite winning the domestic double last season, with the official reason being that the club wanted to take a new direction and the real reason more than likely being their lack of results in Europe in the previous two seasons.

Their current boss Raphael Wicky has previous experience only coaching youth teams and, as you can see from their domestic record, players are struggling to adjust to his ideas. Moreover, there are rumours that a disagreement with him caused their captain Matias Delgado to retire last month. It was a bizarre situation - he started the first game of the season, was not in the squad for the second and announced his immediate retirement a day later...

While before they had young players who were expected to go on and achieve great things, the core of their team is now consisted of players that have been in the Swiss top flight for years but have no quality for anything more than that (Taulant Xhaka, Renato Steffen, Luca Zuffi, etc).

Out of their current group of players, Elyounoussi maybe has the potential to achieve greater things, but he is your typical inconsistent flair player, excellent for a game and then invisible for the next three. Central defender Manuel Akanji has recently made his debut for the Swiss national team, but is already 22 and I expect him to be someday reach something near Djorou's peak level, so the mere fact that I am mentioning him here says a lot about Basel's current side.

To sum it up, they are currently the worst they have been in about a decade and anything short of a win for United would be a big big upset.

 

[marukomu]

Good post. Thanks.

 

[Kapardin]

Since some of you have asked, a bit of info about Basel:

They have been ridiculously successful domestically over the recent years, having won the last eight domestic championships. They had some notable results in Europe during this period as well. Last time they were in the CL group with United, they finished above United before being crushed by Bayern in the first knock-out round. They also beat Liverpool to second in Liverpool's previous CL appearance and also had a couple of excellent Europa League runs, once reaching the semis, where they were beaten by Chelsea.

These European results were made possible by the fact that they had a truly exceptional group of players either produced by their club (Shaquiri, Granit Xhaka, Fabian Schar) or passing through (Mohamed Salah, El Neny, etc) and also had two experienced Swiss strikers who still had a lot to offer (Frei & Streller).

However, they have been steadily declining over the last three years or so, having been unable to properly replace those who have departed. Their previous boss Urs Fischer was fired last summer despite winning the domestic double last season, with the official reason being that the club wanted to take a new direction and the real reason more than likely being their lack of results in Europe in the previous two seasons.

Their current boss Raphael Wicky has previous experience only coaching youth teams and, as you can see from their domestic record, players are struggling to adjust to his ideas. Moreover, there are rumours that a disagreement with him caused their captain Matias Delgado to retire last month. It was a bizarre situation - he started the first game of the season, was not in the squad for the second and announced his immediate retirement a day later...

While before they had young players who were expected to go on and achieve great things, the core of their team is now consisted of players that have been in the Swiss top flight for years but have no quality for anything more than that (Taulant Xhaka, Renato Steffen, Luca Zuffi, etc).

Out of their current group of players, Elyounoussi maybe has the potential to achieve greater things, but he is your typical inconsistent flair player, excellent for a game and then invisible for the next three. Central defender Manuel Akanji has recently made his debut for the Swiss national team, but is already 22 and I expect him to be someday reach something near Djorou's peak level, so the mere fact that I am mentioning him here says a lot about Basel's current side.

To sum it up, they are currently the worst they have been in about a decade and anything short of a win for United would be a big big upset.

Thanks, great info. Eases my concerns a bit.

From this description, they seem around the level of last season's Fener-Feyenoord teams whom we beat 4-0 at home. Should get the job done then.

 

[barmyarmy]

Winning home games is key and just a draw or two will almost guarantee us for next round

 

[Grunge]

Big win to firmly put the Stoke game out of our minds please.

Stoke was a reminder to take nothing for granted in football ...

Basel are not in great form.
3rd place in the league
7 games, 11 points, 12 scored and 9 conceded
League Form: LWWWDDL
Ricky van Wolfswinkel has scored 7 in 7 and is their best player probably.
We should trash them

At the risk of sounding repetitive ... Stoke was a reminder to take nothing for granted in football ...

Wonder what we can expect from Basel? We should have enough to win this though.

Basel is a good team with plenty of experience from the tournament, which is important. They've been hard to crack for us before, so it will be a tough test.

This! And let's not forget how most, if not all teams get pretty pumped about playing United at OT! They have nothing to lose (because they're expected to) And more than one opposing player (especially goalies) in the past have either played "the game of their life" and or had a "purple patch" during the game, leading to nail biting finishes.

All this said, with Mou in charge, I'm far more confident and feeling we'll eventually win this 3 - 1, but it won't necessarily be "easy" though!

PS I hope I'm dead wrong and we kill 'em 5 nil

 

[haram]

So we are back to people saying Herrera is average because we drew the Stock match? Fans are fickle.

He's not gonna help us break teams down. If Basel sit deep I dont see the point in using him. In the big games where the opposition are higher up the pitch is where I think he will perform better. If a team sits deep I'd rather play Fellaini so we can escape having to play through tight spaces the whole game. Obviously big Fele is injured for this game though.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

The weather conditions tonight are supposed to be horrendous, so think people will need to be patient with the football played. Anybody going take care and stay safe.

 

[Mciahel Goodman]

Been too long since we heard this at OT.

 

[NotoriousISSY]

Basel come with nothing to lose, and we've got to use Chris Smalling in the back four.

So I expect us to concede. I just hope we're on fire at the other end.

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

Basel come with nothing to lose, and we've got to use Chris Smalling in the back four.

So I expect us to concede. I just hope we're on fire at the other end.

I think Smalling will do fine. I am more concerned about Lindelof - if that's who will be partnering Smalling - as he's looked off the pace whenever he's played for us so far.

 

[Sereques]

He's not gonna help us break teams down. If Basel sit deep I dont see the point in using him. In the big games where the opposition are higher up the pitch is where I think he will perform better. If a team sits deep I'd rather play Fellaini so we can escape having to play through tight spaces the whole game. Obviously big Fele is injured for this game though.

None of that statement is correct.

 

[AXVnee7]

Stoke was a reminder to take nothing for granted in football ...

Yes it was. But nevertheless it was a disappointing result for us. I'm not expecting a big win tonight, I'm asking for it.

 

[Bestietom]

SAF always said reach 10 points as quickly as possible.

We must start by putting 3 points on the board from this game. I am not afraid of anything they have really, so I would expect us to win 2-0 with ease...

 

[12OunceEpilogue]

Since some of you have asked, a bit of info about Basel:

They have been ridiculously successful domestically over the recent years, having won the last eight domestic championships. They had some notable results in Europe during this period as well. Last time they were in the CL group with United, they finished above United before being crushed by Bayern in the first knock-out round. They also beat Liverpool to second in Liverpool's previous CL appearance and also had a couple of excellent Europa League runs, once reaching the semis, where they were beaten by Chelsea.

These European results were made possible by the fact that they had a truly exceptional group of players either produced by their club (Shaquiri, Granit Xhaka, Fabian Schar) or passing through (Mohamed Salah, El Neny, etc) and also had two experienced Swiss strikers who still had a lot to offer (Frei & Streller).

However, they have been steadily declining over the last three years or so, having been unable to properly replace those who have departed. Their previous boss Urs Fischer was fired last summer despite winning the domestic double last season, with the official reason being that the club wanted to take a new direction and the real reason more than likely being their lack of results in Europe in the previous two seasons.

Their current boss Raphael Wicky has previous experience only coaching youth teams and, as you can see from their domestic record, players are struggling to adjust to his ideas. Moreover, there are rumours that a disagreement with him caused their captain Matias Delgado to retire last month. It was a bizarre situation - he started the first game of the season, was not in the squad for the second and announced his immediate retirement a day later...

While before they had young players who were expected to go on and achieve great things, the core of their team is now consisted of players that have been in the Swiss top flight for years but have no quality for anything more than that (Taulant Xhaka, Renato Steffen, Luca Zuffi, etc).

Out of their current group of players, Elyounoussi maybe has the potential to achieve greater things, but he is your typical inconsistent flair player, excellent for a game and then invisible for the next three. Central defender Manuel Akanji has recently made his debut for the Swiss national team, but is already 22 and I expect him to be someday reach something near Djorou's peak level, so the mere fact that I am mentioning him here says a lot about Basel's current side.

To sum it up, they are currently the worst they have been in about a decade and anything short of a win for United would be a big big upset.

This is a nice summary, thanks. I still have a feeling it'll be a close game won by us by the odd goal, but it's good to hear Basel aren't the beguilingly tricky unit they were five years or so back.

Your post also led me to read up on the Xhaka brothers, I didn't know they moved from Albania and that Taulant represents them internationally.

 

[Catt]

Thanks @Hound Dog for the Basel update. Hopefully they don't shock us tonight.

 

[Bobcat]

Mourinho will respect them and be sufficently cautious.
The key is 3 points.

This. Fergie was always cautions in Europe and it worked out well most of the time, win all your home games and you are almost guaranteed to go through

 

[fergieisold]

Basel come with nothing to lose, and we've got to use Chris Smalling in the back four.

So I expect us to concede. I just hope we're on fire at the other end.

Short memories! Smalling is a brilliant defender.

 

[Carlsen19]

So you're going? Must be exciting!

It is! Counting down the hours

 

[pauldyson1uk]

The weather conditions tonight are supposed to be horrendous, so think people will need to be patient with the football played. Anybody going take care and stay safe.

This is the warning, given out by the met office, sounds dreadful, football tonight is going to be difficult for both teams, I said yesterday the teams that adapts quicker will have the advantage.

Between 20:00 Tue 12th and 10:00 Wed 13th
Storm Aileen is expected to bring very strong winds with gusts of 50-60 mph on Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning. The worst of the winds, with gusts to 65-75 mph, are expected to be across North Wales, southern parts of Northern England, the North Midlands and Norfolk, for which area a separate Amber warning is being issued. Longer journey times by road, rail and air are likely, with restrictions on roads and bridges. There is also a chance of power cuts, and damage to trees and perhaps buildings. Along windward-facing coasts, some wave overtopping is possible.

Between 17:00 Tue 12th and 08:00 Wed 13th
Heavy rain is expected later on Tuesday and early on Wednesday. This may cause flooding on the transport network, with spray and difficult driving conditions due to the combination of rain and wind. There is also a small chance of flooding affecting homes and businesses.

 

[pauldyson1uk]

anybody that is going tonight I would give yourself plenty of extra time, the roads around OT are bad enough at the best of times.

 

[Havak]

Going tonight for the first time in a while. Excited to be back in the Champions League with a real expectation of challenging for a last 8 placing (and hopeful of more). This kind of game needs to be bread and butter if we want to get anywhere.

Did Fellaini train? I'd be expecting a sub appearance at least from him if so. If he's out, then I'm expecting something more like this:

de Gea
Valencia Lindelof Smalling Blind
Matic Pogba
Lingard Mkhitaryan Martial
Lukaku
---
Romero; Tuanzebe, Darmian; Carrick, Herrera, Mata; Rashford​

 

[haram]

None of that statement is correct.

I mean playing Fellaini would allow us to go direct so at the very least that is correct.

 

[LawCharltonBest]

3-1

Lukakuuuuu!!!!!!

 

[Annihilate Now!]

Mata and Blind should come back in for this one

 

[Sassy Colin]

All waiting on Fellini's fitness for the lineups prediction game.

 

[Klopp_De_Klown]

We need to kick these off the park. No point trying to play all the loverly football.

Power pace and high energy. Grind them down and the hard work should pay off in the last 20 mins. These can not match us in quality or physicality so they will most likely sit deep in banks of 5 and 4 and hope to frustrate us which can be somewhat sucessful against us.

Thats why i think using our pace power and physicality would reep a higher reward and better chance of a few goals

Of course they could come to play and we will/should out play them with the ball but its not how i see this game panning out.

 

[Sereques]

I mean playing Fellaini would allow us to go direct so at the very least that is correct.

...And the guy that will pass the ball to Fellaini is in dangerous area is Herrera. Herrera can dribble with the ball, create space, move the ball in tight areas and play the killer pass. Saying Herrera doesn't offer anything against teams that pack the bus is a bunch of echo room bollocks.

If you don't like him, then say it not that bollocks.

 

[ZAGREB RED]

Mata and Blind should come back in for this one

I think it will most likely be Blind in alongside Smalling at CB, don't see Lindelof starting, probably on the bench.

 

[haram]

...And the guy that will pass the ball to Fellaini is in dangerous area is Herrera. Herrera can dribble with the ball, create space, move the ball in tight areas and play the killer pass. Saying Herrera doesn't offer anything against teams that pack the bus is a bunch of echo room bollocks.

If you don't like him, then say it not that bollocks.

Not to the level of Pogba/Miki/Mata. They can do that. Matic can recycle possession. Fellaini offers something different to all of them. That's my point. If Pogba/Mata/Miki cant get through a packed defence I don't hold much faith in Herrera doing so. He isn't as good as them. Any one of those three players can get a ball to Fellaini as well so.

Also, don't jump to conclusions on if I like Herrera or not. I said in my first post where I see his uses. If we are using the phrases "dribble with the ball", "create space", "move the ball in tight areas" and "play the killer pass", then all three of Pogba/Mata/Miki are better.

If we need to score with 10 minutes to go, Mourinho is bringing on Fellaini, not Herrera.

 

[SoCross]

Didn't Basel cause Arsenal a lot of problems over the past few seasons? Shouldn't underestimate these game raising twits.

Would like to see both Martial and Rashford on the field together.

 

[Alabaster Codify7]

I'm confident we won't have much trouble with them tonight but wouldn't be surprised to see us go 0-1 down. Our CB pairing could be shakey to begin with

 

[whatwha]

Short memories! Smalling is a brilliant defender.

He was very good for one season while the defense was very shielded by a super conservative style. That doesn't make him a brilliant defender. Not saying he's bad either, mind.

 

[goin4glory]

3 points is an almost must.

 

[christinaa]

Yes, of course 3 points is a must and Jose does not take chances.

 

[groovyalbert]

People talking about our CB vulnerabilities but, after the performances of Jones and Bailly against Stoke, this is a great opportunity for both Smalling and Lindelof to bring themselves into contention for regular starting roles. Hope they both see it this way and take full advantage of this opportunity.

 

[haram]

Didn't Basel cause Arsenal a lot of problems over the past few seasons? Shouldn't underestimate these game raising twits.

Would like to see both Martial and Rashford on the field together.

I think they had a better team back then. They've had players like Xhaka, Shaqiri and Salah in the past. Not sure they have any at such level now.

 

[Camy89]

Been too long since we heard this at OT.

Goosebumps. I'd love to hear it for real at OT. My aim is to see them play all top 6 and a champions league game within the next 5 years. Ticked off Arsenal, Liverpool and a Europa League game so far...

 

[SoCross]

I think they had a better team back then. They've had players like Xhaka, Shaqiri and Salah in the past. Not sure they have any at such level now.

Let's hope so. I've still nightmares about those games about Athletic Bilbao, learned to never ever underestimate European opposition.