Manchester United could be active in the January transfer windowplaceholder image
Manchester United could be active in the January transfer window | Manchester United via Getty Images
Ruben Amorim will lose three of his key players for some crucial fixtures in their chase for the Champions League.
Ruben Amorim’s side will be full of belief that they can get back into the Champions League, which would not only boost their finances but also give them yet another shot at some more silverware.
They have a decent run of fixtures coming up, too. After facing Spurs before the international break, United will see games against the likes of West Ham and Wolves in December, and newly-promoted sides Leeds and Burnley in January.
Man United suffer major blow amid AFCON fixtures
For all that is positive at United at the moment, Ruben Amorim will have his mind on the Africa Cup of Nations, as he will be losing star players Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo for up to a month. Noussair Mazraoui will also be unavailable as he will feature for Morocco, so Amorim will have to deal without three top players.
AFCON runs from December 21 to January 18, and United have some crucial fixtures during that period, which could make or break their Champions League chances. Firstly, they face Aston Villa on December 21, who will also be going for a top-four spot in the Premier League.
Then it doesn’t get any easier as they’ll play Newcastle on Boxing Day, with the Magpies also looking to retain their spot in Europe’s top competition. After that, they have a bit of a rest bite with games against Wolves, Leeds and Burnley in late December and early January, but after that is a crucial Manchester derby against Man City.
All six of those games could be an issue for United, as they will be without Mbeumo, Mazraoui and Amad in those matches, which will certainly make the task of gaining points that bit more difficult.
How likely are Man United to qualify for the Champions League?
Looking at the Premier League, the obvious top three will all likely claim a UCL spot, as in Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool. There could be two more spots after that, as last year, it was the top five who qualified because of how well the English teams performed in the competition in the year prior.
According to the Opta Supercomputer, the fourth and fifth spot will be taken up by Chelsea and Crystal Palace, with the simulation giving them a 36.47%, and 24.89% chance of qualifying respectively. It won’t be easy for United who will have to overcome not only Chelsea and Palace, but also the likes of Bournemouth and Spurs, who are also backed to qualify with chances of 17.42% and 11.70%.
The Supercomputer gives Man United a chance of 12.30% to qualify for the Champions League, which means it certainly is doable, but it won’t be easy. Losing Mazraoui, Diallo and Mbeumo for any length of time is going to make the job even more difficult.
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