MANCHESTER UNITED need snookers to keep their Champions League dream alive as even a rousing victory over German giants Bayern Munich might not be enough to take them into the last 16.
On the evidence of United's embarrassing 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth on Saturday, a defeat that bust the coupon of Slips Tips, you wouldn't give Erik ten Hag's side a prayer of toppling a Bayern side who are unbeaten so far in Group A.
But the Old Trafford boss can take a little heart from the fact Bayern Munich have nothing to play for and may rest some big hitters for what is a dead rubber. Thomas Tuchel's side also arguably had an even worse weekend than Man United, given they crashed to a shock 5-1 loss at Eintracht Frankfurt to leave them trailing Bundesliga leaders Leverkusen by four points.
That result could actually work against Ten Hag's side as Bayern Munich fans will be demanding response when Tuchel takes his team to Manchester, even though nothing is riding on the result.
Manchester United will be knocked out regardless of the result in this game if either Galatasarary or FC Copenhagen win in the other group but all they can do is concentrate on trying to record just a second victory in the group.
Their Champions League campaign has summed up a chaotic start to the season, with Ten Hag's men looking thrilling in spells while also defending like schoolboys at times and often forgetting how to perform the most basic of duties.
You never know what version of Manchester United will turn up and fans will be hoping it's the side that outplayed Chelsea a week ago rather than the rag tag bunch who surrendered so easily against Bournemouth at the weekend.
How the bookies view it
This is a tricky one to call and it could all depend on how strong a team Tuchel picks for Bayern Munich. The German champions are slight favourites at 6/4 with BetUK while Manchester United are 7/4 shots with SpreadEx and the draw pays 31/10 at VBet.
Head to head
Armchair fans will be hoping for a repeat of the seven-goal thriller we saw in Munich on Matchday One, with Harry Kane bringing up a bet for Slips Tips that night. Bayern Munich's 4-3 victory continued their good run against Manchester United since that painful 2-1 loss in the 1999 Champions League Final. In the nine meetings since then, the Germans have lost just once and racked up five victories.
Players to watch
Big summer signing Rasmus Hojlund has yet to score in the Premier League and the young Dane looks to have been dragged down by the cloud of negativity hanging over Old Trafford. But for some reason he has come alive in the Champions League and has five goals to his name already in Group A. Hojlund scored against Bayer in Munich and is 15/8 at Paddy Power for a repeat.
I'd imagine Tuchel will still field quite a strong side as Bayern Munich bid to hit back from their Frankfurt flop, although he will be without crocked winger Serge Gnabry. Ten Hag's side still look weak at full-back so Leroy Sane could get a bit of joy down the flanks. The former Manchester City man is 11/4 at Unibet for a goal while Bet365 price him at 11/4 for an assist.
Anything else catch the eye?
We should see goals in this one, given pretty much every Manchester United match in Group A has been edge-of-the-seat stuff. But BTTS is tiny at 1/2 with VBet and you have to go to over 3.5 goals to get above evens at 27/20 with Unibet. Over 1.5 first-half goals pays the same price with Coral and that looks good.
Scott McTominay scored a double against Chelsea a week ago and the Scottish midfielder could have easily grabbed four that night. He has a habit of getting into the box at just the right time so the 7/5 on offer at Unibet for him to have a shot on target against Bayern Munich looks great value.
This game means more to Manchester United than it does to Bayern Munich so it could pay to back Ten Hag's side for most cards at 19/20 with Unibet, given the Germans will be out to avoid suspensions.
This UEFA Champions League match between Manchester United and Bayern Munich will be played on Dec 12, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester United vs Bayern Munich prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
