Manchester United have made pretty heavy weather of their Europa League fixtures so far and will need to up their game against a Viktoria Plzen side who have yet to taste defeat this season in Europe.
Any notion that Ruben Amorim was going wave a magic wand and make United a great side again has been dispelled in the last few weeks, with the new manager winning just two of his first five matches in charge.
Successive defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest have deflated the new manager bounce but the Red Devils are still among the favourites to lift the Europa League this season.
They have nine points so far and a win in the Czech Republic would be enough to secure a spot in the knockout stage but Plzen have been a tough nut to crack.
The likes of Hearts, Eintracht Frankfurt, Ludogorets, PAOK, Real Sociedad and Dynamo Kiev have all failed to beat Miroslav Koubek's side this season so this game is far from a gimme.
Viktoria Plzen also sit on nine points so they will be looking to claim the scalp of United to secure their own spot in the knockout stages.
How the bookies view it: No three in a woe for Amorim
Despite losing their last two games, Manchester United are red-hot favourites to win here at just 1/2 with Kwiff. Viktoria Plzen are 18/5 outsiders and the draw pays 13/5.
Head to head: Manchester pity for Plzen
Viktoria Plzen have never faced the Red Devils before but they did take on the blue half of Manchester in the Champions League 11 days ago. Both games ended in comfortable City victories, with a 3-0 win in Plzen followed by a 4-2 victory at the Etihad.
Players to watch: Vydra a familiar foe
Matej Vydra is a familiar face in the Viktoria Plzen attack, having spent most of his career in England with the likes of Burnley, Derby and Watford. He has netted twice in the Europa League this term and is a tempting 3/1 for anytime scorer at Kwiff.
Amorim has used plenty of players since taking over and will probably rotate again with a Manchester derby looming at the weekend. Joshua Zirkzee could start up front and the Dutchman is 13/10 at Kwiff for anytime scorer.
Probable line-ups
Defenders Johnny Evans and Luke Shaw are set to miss out again for Manchester United but Victor Lindelof could be back in contention. Viktoria Plzen are set to be without Prince Adu, Matej Valenta, Christopher Kabongo, Jan Sykora and Rafiu Durosinmi.
Viktoria Plzen: Jedlicka, Markovic, Jemelka, Dweh, Cerv, Souare, Cadu, Kalvach, Vydra, Sulc, Jirka.
Manchester United: Onana, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Malacia, Casemiro, Mount, Fernandes, Zirkzee, Garnacho, Rashford.
Anything else catch the eye?
While performances have been patchy so far under Amorim, we've certainly got plenty of consistency in terms of excitement. United's last European game was a 3-2 win over Bodo/Glimt, which brought up a goals bet for Slips Tips, and we should see plenty of action at both ends here too.
BTTS only pays 17/25 with Kwiff but if you combine that with over 2.5 goals the odds are a lot better at 21/20 with Bet365. Over 3.5 strikes on its own also stands a chance at 29/20 with Kwiff while the same firm offer 13/10 on over 1.5 first-half goals.
The bookies usually underestimate teams taking on English sides in Europe and it's the same here so you can get decent odds on Plzen players. Pavel Sulc netted twice at the weekend and he's 6/4 with Bet365 to either score or assist here.
None of Viktoria Plzen's Europa League games have hit double figures for corners so there could be some value in backing under 10 flag kicks at 11/10 with Bet365.
This UEFA Europa League match between Viktoria Plzen and Manchester United will be played on Dec 12, 2024 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Viktoria Plzen vs Manchester United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
In December 2020 we sadly 
