PREVIEW: Manchester United Kick Off Their Champions League Campaign v FC Basel

PREVIEW: Manchester United Kick Off Their Champions League Campaign v FC Basel
09:34, 12 Sep 2017

Manchester United will kick-off off their 2017-18 UEFA Champions League campaign on Tuesday, when they host Swiss champions FC Basel at Old Trafford.

Kick-off: September 12, 19:45 BST; Venue: Old Trafford; Referee: Ruddy Buquet; Channel: BT Sport

Basel are now renowned as regulars in the competition after winning the Swiss Super League eight times in a row. However, they’re not expected to challenge United for the top spot and will likely see their best chance of progressing through finishing second in Group A.

The Swiss side have not started their domestic season very well — losing against Young Boys in their opinion game before failing to beat Lugano and Sion in back-to-back outings. On a more recent note, Basel lost at home to Lausanne.

Premier League viewers will recognise Basel striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel given his underwhelming spell in England with Norwich City, but other than that not many names will ring a bell.

United, on the other hand, saw their 100% record in the Premier League come to an end at the weekend when Stoke City held the league leaders to a 2-2 draw at the Bet365 Stadium. Jose Mourinho will hope to see his defence put in a better shift despite seeing his two starting centre-backs (Eric Bailly and Phil Jones) ruled out through suspension.

That means we should see Daley Blind return to the starting line-up on Tuesday night alongside new signing Victor Lindelof. The former has seen his playing time cut since arriving at Old Trafford, although The Sportsman believes that is due to Mourinho’s decision to ease him into the English game. However, we fully expect him to start against Basel.

European competition always presents a challenge, so United are not going to take their Swiss opposition lightly regardless of being the superior outfit on paper. As seen at the weekend, the Reds may be on the way back but there is still issues that need amending.

Prediction: Manchester United 3-1 FC Basel

View From An Expert - Oliver Zesiger, Swiss Super League Head Researcher for Football Manager - @aulit_z

What are the aims for FC Basel this season?

“Winning the league title for a ninth consecutive season is the main goal. The club is in a state of change, as the chairman and his crew stepped down from their posts to make space for a new and younger generation. This younger generation is represented by Marco Streller, the new director of football and Raphael Wicky, the new manager. This also brought a change in philosophy with it. The last couple of years, Basel relied heavily on foreign talent. But within the next 2 season, the club wants to go back to bring up more young players from their own academy. Something that worked very well before with Rakitic, Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka and so on. Due to this change in philosophy, the goals have been set low. The club has no real goal in the Champions League, just to compete and maybe qualify for either the next round of the Champions League or the Europa League if possible.”

Who are the key players United will need to watch out for?

“The danger man up front is Ricky van Wolfswinkel. He has played for Norwich in the Premier League before, but with little success. He has had a flying start in Basel, scoring 6 goals in 6 league games. His partner is Kevin Bua, a quick forward who can open up space for van Wolfswinkel. Luca Zuffi is a threat with his set-pieces. Mohamed Elyounoussi is a good dribbler and goal threat from midfield. He's been linked with Premier League clubs this summer. Also, don't take your eye off Michael Lang during set-pieces. He's tall for a full back and a strong header. Last season he scored 9 goals. Excellent for a full back. Last but not least, Renato Steffen is a quick and agile winger with an eye for the goal.”

In what system does Raphaël Wicky set his FC Basel team up to play?

“Raphael Wicky wants flexibility. Therefore he is favouring a 3-1-4-2 formation. Three centre-backs with a deep lying playmaker in Zuffi right in front of them. Defensively, the 2 wing backs help to build a five men defence. Going forward, Kevin Bua roams to the wings to try to find holes in the opposition's defence. Generally, Basel is trying to attack over the wings with Zuffi coming from behind to dictate the play and wait for long shot opportunities. This is what Wicky wants; 2 strikers, numbers in midfield and defence. The players still need some time to adapt to the system though. First signs are encouraging, but I fear that playing on the Champions League level comes a month or two too early. At times, Basel has also played in a 4-2-3-1 formation, but with less success.”

Tell us something of interest regarding FC Basel’s history.

“Way before the club was professionalized, the club had to call the police on match days to see if their full squad would be available to them. One of their players had a side job as a pimp and they never knew if he was in jail or available.

“Of course, Basel and United have also met four times in the Champions League. In the 02/03 Champions League second group stage, where United won in Basel, but only drew at Old Trafford. And then in 11/12, where Basel came back from a 2:0 at the break with 3 consecutive goals. Something very few teams have managed to do at Old Trafford. Basel then went on to win the second game against United at home, which guaranteed the team a spot in the last 16.”

Which Premier League club would you consider to be the biggest in Switzerland? 

“That's a tough question. I know a lot of Arsenal fans, personally. United has a ton of fans here as well. But I believe that Liverpool has the biggest fan base in Switzerland. There are multiple Liverpool fan clubs in Switzerland and many have adopted Liverpool as their second team.”

Pre-match prediction

“This is the point where I should say something like "we win by a goal". Truth is, I'm not that optimistic. The team is still trying to adapt to the new circumstances and it's showing on the pitch. I'm hoping for a draw, but the realist in me predicts a 3:0 to United. I sure hope I'm wrong!”

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