Manchester United are preparing to welcome FC Twente to Old Trafford in their opening Europa League match of the season.
In the revised format, the Red Devils will not play in a group of four teams, but will in fact play eight games against eight different teams in an overall league table consisting of 36 sides.
To qualify for the next round outright, they must finish in the top eight to gain direct access to the last 16 or at worst in the top 24 to reach the knockout stage of the last 32.
Here are some storylines from what will be a crucial evening to get United’s European campaign off on the right foot.
First ever match between the two sides
The match in itself is historical as it is the first time the two teams will have played each other.
The side from Enschede last played in the group stage of a European competition in 2012-2013, when they qualified for the Europa League but finished bottom of their group.
Twente do not have the best record against English sides, as they have only won one of their previous 13 matches against English opponents, drawing five and losing the other seven.
However, they did beat Fulham in December 2011 the last time they faced a Premier League side.
United protecting outstanding Europa League home record
Despite a poor start to life in the Europa League at Old Trafford, the Red Devils have racked up numerous points and key victories over the years at their storied home stadium, including a 6-2 thrashing of Roma and a memorable 2-1 defeat of FC Barcelona.
United lost their first two home matches in the competition in 2012 when they were beaten by Ajax and Athletic Bilbao but since then have only lost one of their previous 24.
This run includes 18 victories and five draws with the only defeat coming against Real Sociedad in a 0-1 loss in 2022.
Despite losing to Ajax, United have had a strong record against Dutch sides at Old Trafford, beating Feyenoord 4-0 in 2016 and AZ Alkmaar by the same scoreline in 2019. They did however only manage a 0-0 draw with PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League in 2015.
With tough away fixtures to Porto and Fenerbahce in this campaign, home matches against Twente, PAOK FC, Bodo/Glimt, and Glasgow Rangers are must wins to give the Red Devils the best chance to qualify for the next stage outright.
The Erik ten Hag connection
Very few people will be looking forward to this game as much as United’s manager, Ten Hag.
The 54-year-old coach started off both his playing and coaching careers at the Eredivisie side, playing there on three separate occasions.
In total, he played 234 games for the club, winning the KNVB cup in 2001.
He also began his coaching career at Twente, managing the under 17s and 19s and was part of Steve McClaren’s background setup when the Englishman was the club’s manager.
While he will be desperate for the three points, it is sure to be an emotional night for the boss.
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