Man Utd vs PSG LIVE: Team news CONFIRMED, Champions League updates, Paul Pogba starts

Manchester United vs PSG: Champions League score, goals and latest updates

• This will be the first competitive encounter between Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain

• No French team has ever beaten Manchester United away from home in European competition

• PSG have won only one of their 10 away games in all competitions against English opposition

• Among the 16 managers left in this season’s Champions League, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is one of three to have won it as a player

MANCHESTER UNITED vs PSG

Manchester United XI: De Gea, Young, Shaw, Bailly, Lindelof, Matic, Herrera, Pogba, Lingard, Martial, Rashford

PSG XI: Buffon, Kehrer, Thiago Silva, Kimpembe, Bernat, Marquinhos, Verratti, Daniel Alves, Draxler, Di Maria, Mbappe

Team news – PSG

19:25: Kylian Mbappe will be PSG’s attacking fulcrum in the absence of injured influential duo Edinson Cavani and Neymar.

The French heavyweights say former United winger Angel Di Maria and veteran full-back Dani Alves will play either side of Mbappe in a front three.

Team news – Manchester United

19:20: Marcus Rashford is restored to Manchester United’s starting line-up.

Rashford replaces Romelu Lukaku at the head of United’s forward line as Red Devils interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer makes five changes to the side that defeated Fulham 3-0 in the Premier League at the weekend.

Captain Ashley Young, fellow defenders Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof and midfielder Jesse Lingard come in for Diogo Dalot, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Juan Mata respectively.

We need to talk about VAR

19:15: Were you aware that VAR will be used in tonight’s clash?

You do now. After being used at the 2018 World Cup and various league and cup competitions around Europe, VAR will be introduced into the Champions League from this round of matches.

UEFA say the process will be communicated to the crowd using either stadium screens or the public announcement system.

Should be a great deal of fun. Sorry, I meant a total nightmare to blog.

Youth vs Experience

19:12: PSG’s starting XI have amassed 589 Champions League appearances between them (including tonight), more than double that of Manchester United’s starting XI (255 appearances).

Old Boy…

19:09: Gianluigi Buffon’s first appearance in the Champions League came 44 days before Marcus Rashford was born.

I’m sure the Italian goalkeeper will be delighted to hear that.

Special nights

19:05: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is looking forward to the sort of big European night Old Trafford has been missing of late.

“The players and the supporters have been looking forward to this,” Solskjaer said. “These nights are special.”

They are the sort of games Solskjaer was used to in his United playing career under Sir Alex Ferguson.

“My last one was when we beat Roma 7-1 (in 2007),” he said. “That was a typical Old Trafford night. We’d lost 2-1 away from home but the manager was happy. He said, ‘We’ll be alright, we’ll win at home’, he was so confident in our ability. I want my players to go into this game with confidence and embrace it.”

It’s carnage!

19:00: Urrrr, looks like the PSG supporters are making themselves at home.

The fans have been filmed walking through Manchester city centre with flares and chanting past the National Football Museum.

It looks pretty crazy – but it should be added that they did not look intent on causing any mischief. And by mischief I mean fighting, not incredibly anti-social behaviour in a public area…

Twitter round-up

Francis: Neymar has been a huge miss so far for PSG – Cavani not so much as he has the Higuain syndrome in not able to turn up for big games. Will be close – PSG need a goal or two tonight.

Jonny: Kylian Mbappe the unstoppable force versus David De Gea the immovable object. Sure we’ve used that analogy before but it really is going to come down to how well Manchester United’s defence deals with one of the best players in the world tonight. If United don’t lose it’s a great result.

Duncan: Regardless of the injuries to PSG, still see them causing Man Utd problems and getting the win..

So is everyone just ignoring PSG’s secret weapon – Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting…?

The line-ups…

18:50: Those precious starting XI’s have arrived, folks. I’ll have the full run down for you shortly – but a quick glance tells me that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has recalled Victor Lindelof and Marcus Rashford, who were rested for the victory against Fulham.

Manchester United XI: De Gea, Young, Shaw, Bailly, Lindelof, Matic, Herrera, Pogba, Lingard, Martial, Rashford.

Subs: Romero, Fred, Jones, Mata, Alexis, Lukaku, Dalot.

PSG XI: Buffon, Kehrer, Thiago Silva, Kimpembe, Bernat, Marquinhos, Verratti, Daniel Alves, Draxler, Di Maria, Mbappe.

Subs: Areola, Paredes, Choupo-Moting, Kurzawa, Nkunku, Diaby, Dagba.

Zlatan predicts

18:45: Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes PSG are slight favourites to beat Manchester United in the last 16 of the Champions League – but says he wins whatever the result.

“PSG is playing against a team that is in their moment now so anything can happen with United, whoever they play against,” he said.

“If you had asked me before they had this moment, I would say ‘OK, so PSG are favourites’ but now I think it’s difficult.

“But I think PSG are little favourites because of the players they have but whoever wins, I’m the winner. So whoever goes through I will still have my team in the Champions League. So I’m OK, either way it goes.”

Twitter round-up

Dan: I was 100% for Pochettino as next Man Utd manager, but the longer the run continues the harder Ole is to ignore. But the next 5-6 games are critical and will define the season… can’t argue against the style or feel-good factor though.

Ian: Manchester United to win comfortably two nil tonight and all but book their place in the next round – the Ole roadshow to keep on rolling on.

Bossman: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might just turn out to be another Zizou in disguise with the right support and groups, while the burden of expectations on PSG might weigh heavily on them.

Dream team

18:35: England’s most famous and biggest heart-throb pictured alongside David Beckham…

BT Sport presenter Gary Lineker took to Instagram to show-off his train journey with Becks, who of course has played for both Manchester United and Paris St-Germain.

“Bumped into a fella on the train to Manchester that reckons he used to play for PSG,” Lineker wrote.

I suspect Beckham will have written a slightly different caption on his own account.

Something like… “Bumped into that Crisps bloke from the telly with the big ears…”

Injuries…

18:30: Manchester United fans should know that their Premier League rivals are fully prepared to put an asterisk next to this clash.

You just know that should Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s win – PSG’s plague of injuries will be used an excuse.

Neymar and Edinson Cavani, who have scored 41 goals between them this season, are sidelined with foot and hip muscle injuries, respectively, while Thomas Meunier was rested after suffering a concussion.

Still, you can only beat the team in front of you – and it’s not like they don’t have strength in depth.

Twitter round-up

Fabian: How about the perfect script for OGS… devour PSG home and away and go on to beat Juventus in the final and lift the big ears… Looking into the future. In Ole we trust.

Javan: What else does OGS need to do for the job? Get Man United tattooed on his forehead?

Alex: We should stick with OGS as we need somebody who breathe Man United through thick and thin. Poch and Zidane definitely doesn’t and would eventually turn out like our last three managers.

Not a bad idea, Javan. Perhaps he could get a tattoo of the The Class of ’92 on his buttocks?

Plenty to discuss

18:20: Well there’s an obscene amount to get through tonight. It feels like the biggest match in years for Manchester United – who finally have a special Champions League night to sink their teeth into.

I’m obligated (kinda) to inform you that there’s another European clash going in elsewhere this evening as Roma welcome Porto for the first leg of their last 16 encounter.

Oh, and Zenit St-Petersburg are playing Fenerbahce in the most 5.55pm kick off of all time…

Evening

18:15: Oh, hello there…

You here for the latest Champions League updates? Excellent, you’re in the right place.

When Manchester United were paired with PSG during the final days of Jose Mourinho’s reign – I think we all thought one thing: This could be embarrassing.

How times have changed.

The Red Devils have since won 10 and drawn one of their 11 games under interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as a new mood of optimism has swept through Old Trafford.

Surely he can’t win it, can he?

MANCHESTER UNITED vs PSG

Antonio Valencia and Matteo Darmian are Manchester United’s only absentees for the Champions League visit of PSG.

There had been fears that Victor Lindelof may also be sidelined after he missed the weekend victory over Fulham, but the Sweden defender was able to train on Monday.

Valencia and Darmian are expected to be out for around two weeks with minor injuries.

Edinson Cavani and Neymar are sidelined through injury as well as right-back Thomas Meunier.

Manchester United provisional squad: De Gea, Romero, Grant, Dalot, Shaw, Young, Jones, Bailly, Smalling, Lindelof, Fred, Matic, Herrera, McTominay, Pereira, Pogba, Lingard, Mata, Sanchez, Martial, Lukaku, Rashford