The UEFA Europa League group stage continues this week, with Portuguese giants Porto hosting the struggling visitors, Manchester United. This clash is scheduled for October 3rd, and we’ve analysed many key statistics to generate some well-researched predictions.
Join us on this deep dive into the key factors and tips for this highly anticipated matchup.
How the bookies view it: Red Devils slight favourites
The bookies see this one as a closely contested affair, rightly so. Man Utd are slight favourites with odds of 6/4 at Betano, despite failing to get the win in their Europa League opener against FC Twente. That said, Porto isn’t far behind at a price of 17/10.
Naturally, such a narrow gap in odds suggests a very tight game – in the most likely scenario.
Head-to-head: Evenly matched across four previous encounters
With Porto and Man Utd being household names in European football, it’s not surprising to learn they’ve played one another previously. In fact, Porto and Man Utd have faced off four times in the past. The results demonstrate an evenly balanced head-to-head record, too.
Porto and Man Utd have just one win each against each other. As for the other two encounters, these resulted in score draws (1-1 and 2-2). More interestingly, at least from a betting angle, three of the previous four meetings between the teams have resulted in both teams finding the back of the net.
Right now, this market has a price of 8/13 at Betano, which is well worth considering.
Players to watch: Rashford, Eriksen, and Gül
It goes without saying that Man Utd are having real difficulties in many areas right now. They are incredibly hit-and-miss in all competitions, and Ten Hag could be gone before we even get to this match! However, there is hope for fans of the Red Devils, for Rashford and Eriksen (currently 8/1 to score anytime) have both been finding goals recently.
These two both netted twice in Utd’s 7-0 win over Barnsley in the EFL Cup, and Eriksen scored Utd’s only goal against FC Twente. As for Porto, Deniz Gül (13/5 to score anytime) is the one to watch, as he has scored in two successive games for the Portuguese squad.
Predicted lineups
Following Man Utd’s 3-0 drumming at home to Tottenham, there are doubts over the fitness of Mainoo and Mount. Both were taken off with seemingly severe injuries. As for Porto, all is as expected despite the long-term absences of Marcano and Sanusi.
Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Mario, Pedro, Perez, Moura; Gonzalez, Varela; Pepe, Sousa, Galeno; Omorodion
Man Utd possible starting lineup:
Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Dalot; Eriksen, Ugarte; Diallo, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund
Anything else catch the eye?
Man Utd has been seriously fragile defensively this season, conceding 8 goals in 6 domestic games. At the same time, they are averaging close to 1.00 per game, leading us to a BTTS suggestion at the current price of 8/13.
Additionally, while he hasn’t been hitting the headlines too often, Eriksen has scored 3 goals in 4 games across all competitions. And the odds for him to score are a huge 8/1 right now. If he does, and if Porto can keep their attacking form going, the game could easily have over 2.5 goals, too – priced at 4/5 by Betano.
This UEFA Europa League match between Porto and Man Utd will be played on Oct 3, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Porto vs Man Utd prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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