Como's first-ever meeting with an English club has an awkward shape: United have lost their centre-back cover and their holding midfielders at the same moment that Como's wins are coming from quick, chaotic games. Como beat Leipzig 4-1, lost 3-2 at Feyenoord, then won 3-1 at Fiorentina, so they concede and score in bunches. United have gone the other way, with a 0-2 at Atlético and a 1-1 at Leeds. My question is whether a patched United back line can survive the kind of open game Como keep producing.
United first. Our absence list has Leny Yoro suspended after a red card, plus Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martínez, Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte, Marcus Rashford and Benjamin Šeško out. That removes both the defenders who would normally sit around Maguire and Dalot and the midfielders who protect them. Sports Mole's preview, updated this week, has them winless since the 4-0 against Sabah and under pressure on Carrick. The result is a team likely to be stretched in the middle of the pitch, which is exactly where a side that scores in bursts will look.
Como's side of it. Our records have Alvaro Diao, Kean and Chalobah out, so Fàbregas is thin up front and at the back as well. The route through is that Como's goals do not depend on one striker, but the 2-3 in Rotterdam shows they can be opened up too. So I'd watch whether Como press United's weakened midfield early, or whether they sit and let United's patched line settle. Neither side has an obviously safe version of this game.
