MANCHESTER UNITED’S first home game in the 2016-17 Europa League is against Zorya Luhansk — but what do you know about them?
Old Trafford gaffer Jose Mourinho admitted he wasn’t too clued up on tonight’s Ukrainian opponents.
Speaking at the time of the draw, he said: “The Ukrainian team, I don’t have a vision of them or their qualities.”
They will be third Ukrainian side the Red Devils have faced in Europe — after Dynamo Kiev and Shakhtar Donetsk.
And here’s everything else you need to know about Zorya.
Watch ALL the goals from the Premier League before anyone else for FREE plus all the latest news, fixtures and results and live match commentary all on the go with the new Sun Football App – click here to download
History
BASED in the Ukrainian city of Luhansk, they were originally formed in the Russian Empire 1908 — until the modern club was born in 1964
Their first stadium was built in 1922 by order of Vladimir Lenin — who it was later named after.
Their most successful period came in the early 1970s, where they won the Soviet Top League and the Soviet Cup.
In 2005-06, they won promotion to the top flight after winning the second tier, having narrowly missed out a year earlier.
How they qualified
THEY were beaten finalists the Ukrainian Cup but winners Shakhtar Donetsk had already qualified for the Champions League play-offs by finishing second in the Ukrainian Premier League.
Zorya finished fourth in the league and went immediately to the group stage.
They beat 2015 Europa League finalists, Dnipro, in the Cup semi-finals.
Midfielder Oleksandr Karayev scored four goals en route to a runner-up spot.
Related Stories
The manager
YURIY VERNYDUB has been at the helm for almost five years, having previously been assistant.
The 50-year-old admitted he watched United’s 4-1 drubbing of Leicester, but added that he was hopeful of taking something from the game.
He said: “I watched the Manchester United game against Leicester.
“I think a lot of the guys were watching the game. I will say that Leicester looked very good in the first 20 minutes.”
Where can I watch it?
Manchester United team news
Latest odds for Manchester United vs FC Zorya Luhanska
The players
CAPTAIN Mykyta Kamenyuka is a Ukrainian international.
While, Jaba Lipartia and Mikhail Sivakow are Georgia and Belarus internationals respectively.
Striker Vladyslav Kulach is expected to lead the line.
Dmytro Grechyshkin’s goal against Fenerbahce in their Europa League opener looked to be the winner, until Simon Kjaer equalised in stoppage time.
Leave a comment