Manchester United begin their preseason schedule with a meeting against Wrexham at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium on Saturday with kick off at 4pm UK time.
It is the standout friendly of the weekend, driven as much by the story surrounding the visitors as the football itself. Wrexham's remarkable rise under Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney has taken them from the National League to the edge of the Championship play offs in only five seasons.
They finished seventh last season with a club record 71 points, although their underlying numbers were less convincing, averaging 1.45 xG and 1.32 xGA in home league matches. Manchester United finished third in the Premier League on 71 points, supported by much stronger underlying data, producing 1.69 xG while conceding only 1.22 xGA at Old Trafford.
This is the opening fixture of a demanding summer schedule that also includes Rosenborg, Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint Germain, Leeds United and AC Milan.
Phil Parkinson has already spoken about adding further quality after narrowly missing the play offs, and Wrexham have started reshaping the squad by sending younger players out on loan. Their opening friendly ended in a goalless draw against Wisla Krakow, with two completely different teams used across the two halves.
The positive for Parkinson is the increased continuity within his squad. Lewis O'Brien, Ben Sheaf, Josh Windass, Liberato Cacace, Nathan Broadhead and Kieffer Moore are all available after disrupted preparations last summer, giving Wrexham a far more settled group heading into the new campaign. Moore was not involved at the World Cup after missing Wales' play off squad through injury earlier in the year.
Manchester United are working around significant World Cup disruption. Twelve first team players featured at the tournament, prompting Michael Carrick to hand opportunities to academy graduates and returning loanees during preseason. Jack Fletcher is expected to feature after finishing last season on the fringes of the senior squad, while Harry Amass has returned following injury during his loan spell.
Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Manioo remains unavailable after England's World Cup campaign, along with most of the established senior players. Tom Heaton, Tyler Fredricson, Harry Maguire, Ayden Heaven, Dan Gore, Mason Mount, Chido Obi, Ethan Wheatley and Benjamin Sesko are among the players available to Carrick.
How the bookies view it
At the time of writing there are no odds available for this fixture.
Head to head: Utd victorious in only previous meeting
The clubs have met only once previously, with Manchester United recording a 3-1 victory in a preseason friendly in 2023.
Player to watch: Benjamin Sesko
Benjamin Sesko has an excellent opportunity to make an early impression. With many of Manchester United's senior forwards unavailable, he is expected to lead the attack and stake his claim before the rest of the squad returns.
Despite starting only 17 matches last season, he still scored 11 goals from 61 shots, with 34 efforts hitting the target. Those numbers highlight both his efficiency and willingness to shoot, and this fixture offers another opportunity to strengthen his position ahead of the new Premier League season.
Predicted line ups
Wrexham (4-3-3): Ward; Doyle, Hyam, Scarr, Cacace; O'Brien, Sheaf, Thomason; Windass, Moore, Broadhead.
Manchester United (4-3-3): Heaton; Fredricson, Maguire, Heaven, Amass; Gore, Mount, Fletcher; Obi, Wheatley, Sesko.
Anything else catch the eye?
The result market holds little appeal given the amount of rotation expected from both managers. The stronger angle is both teams to score.
Wrexham's underlying numbers point towards an open style. They averaged 1.45 xG and 1.32 xGA in home league matches last season, creating chances while giving opponents opportunities of their own. Their scoreless draw against Wisla Krakow came with two entirely different teams playing one half each, making it difficult to draw many conclusions from the result. This looks much closer to the side Phil Parkinson expects to start the Championship season.
Manchester United's defensive unit is also unlikely to have much continuity. A back line containing academy graduates, returning loanees and fringe first team players will have had limited time together, while the absence of many established internationals leaves Carrick relying on players still developing at senior level.
The focus for both managers will be fitness and individual performances rather than the scoreline. Wrexham have enough attacking quality to trouble an unfamiliar Manchester United defence, while United should still create opportunities through the quality available further forward.
My bet is both teams to score, with prices to be confirmed once the market is available.
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