ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC is back for Manchester United’s round of 16 second-leg clash in the Europa League on Thursday.
The Swedish star starts in the European tie as his current three-match suspension for elbowing Bournemouth’s Tyrone Mings applies only to domestic action.
United, level at 1-1, will be delighted to have their top scorer back as Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney have been ruled out through injury.
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Similarly to Ibrahimovic, Ander Herrera – sent off against Chelsea in Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final loss – can also play.
Any other United team news?
Eric Bailly has completed his European ban and regains a place in defence.
What happened in the first leg?
On the bumpy pitch at the Olimp-2 stadium, United produced a professional display in difficult conditions to gain an important away goal as Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored for the third successive European away game.
But Aleksandr Bukharov equalised early in the second half to leave the tie finely balanced.
What will the United tactics be?
Jose Mourinho will probably pick his strongest possible team given United are now out of the FA Cup and this competition offers their best chance of adding to their EFL Cup triumph.
He’ll hope Mkhitaryan can find space for his close control and dribbling ability, and that Juan Mata can pick a hole in the visitors’ defence with his uncanny passing ability.
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Without Martial and Rashford there is more pressure on Antonio Valencia to provide width from full back. Ibrahimovic will undoubtedly be determined to score given his current Premier League isolation.
What about FC Rostov?
FC Rostov have incredibly named just four subs for the match.
Tell me about United’s Russian opponents?
They thrashed Ajax 4-1 at home on the way to reaching the Champions League group stage, and when they got there, continued to sparkle. Bayern Munich were edged out 3-2 in a topsy-turvy, chaotic encounter. Rostov twice had the lead at home to PSV in a 2-2 draw, and only lost 1-0 at home to Atletico Madrid.
On the road they needed to avoid defeat in Eindhoven against PSV to make sure they dropped into the Europa League, and they dug in for a 0-0 draw. They then dismantled a very good and very experienced Sparta Prague side 4-0 in Russia, finishing the job with a 1-1 draw in the Czech Republic.
Who are their star names?
Forward Sardar Azmoun – the “Iranian Messi” – is the poster boy, but there are plenty of good players in the side. Vastly experienced defender Cesar Navas leads the back three, while his fellow veteran Timofei Kalachev is a threat down the right flank. Aleksandr Bukharov and Dmitriy Poloz are also dangerous options in attack for coach Ivan Daniliants.
What will their tactics be?
The Latvian manager has warned United that they are in for a bumpy ride. He intends to put the visitors under pressure early on.
How does boss Jose Mourinho weigh the tie up?
“It’s a very important competition for us,” he said.
“We always talk about that from the beginning – that’s why, in every match since day one, we play with good teams, with strong teams, trying to progress in the competition – which we did in the group phase, which we did in the last 32 and we’re going to try [on Thursday].”
What time is kick-off?
The match starts at 8.05pm.
Where can I watch it on TV?
Tune in to BT Sport 2/ BT Sport 2 HD or BT Sport 4K UHD for all the action with coverage starting at 7.30pm.
SunSport score prediction
Expect a United victory...and an Ibrahimovic goal.
Manchester United 3, FC Rostov 1
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