AZ ALKMAAR vs MAN UTD
AZ Alkmaar XI: Bizot, Sugawara, Vlaar, Wuytens, Wijndal, Midtsjo, De Wit, Koopmeiners, Stengs, Idrissi, Boadu
Manchester United XI: De Gea, Dalot, Lindelof, Rojo, Williams, Matic, Fred, Gomes, Mata, James, Greenwood
Twitter round-up
David: Dalot, Williams, Greenwood, Gomes and a start for Fred. That is a team I actually might like watching with their energy. Hopefully a few big performances from them tonight make a claim for a starting spot!
Darren: 3-1 to Manchester United tonight! Can see us putting in a well overdue good performance tonight.
Phillip: I personally think Callum Wilson would be a good signing in January.
Not actually what we were talking about Phillip. But I like your thinking with 90 days until the transfer window opens.
AZ Alkmaar vs Man Utd LIVE: Europa League score, goals, fixtures and updates (Image: GETTY)
About AZ…
17:25: Why don’t we use this time to educate ourselves about tonight’s hosts. No? Well we’re doing it anyway because it’s already prepared.
Arne Slot took on his first senior management role in July when promoted from assistant at AZ following John van den Brom’s departure to Utrecht.
AZ have picked up where they left off last season after finishing fourth in the Eredivisie under Van den Brom. They are currently third in the table, one point behind leaders Ajax after winning six and losing one of their first eight league games.
Slot’s side head into their clash with United on the back of three straight league wins and drew their opening Group L fixture 2-2 against Partizan in Belgrade despite the first-half dismissal of Norway defender Jonas Svensson.
AZ Alkmaar vs Man Utd LIVE: Europa League score, goals, fixtures and updates (Image: GETTY)
Ouch
17:15: Since beating Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 back in March, Manchester United have failed to win any other their nine away matches across all competitions (D3 L6) – they last went on a longer winless run on the road between February and September 1989 (run of 11).
AZ Alkmaar side
17:10: Defender Ron Vlaar and midfielder Jordy Clasie should be familiar to Manchester United supporters.
AZ Alkmaar XI: Bizot, Sugawara, Vlaar, Wuytens, Wijndal, Midtsjo, De Wit, Koopmeiners, Stengs, Idrissi, Boadu.
Subs: De Boer, Hatzidiakos, Ouwejan, Druijf, Aboukhlal, Clasic, Reijnders.
AZ Alkmaar vs Man Utd LIVE: Europa League score, goals, fixtures and updates (Image: GETTY)
Elsewhere…
17:05: Two other Premier League sides in action this evening with Wolves travelling to Besiktas and Arsenal welcoming Standard Liege to the Emirates Stadium.
I mention that because the Standard Liege supporters are causing mayhem in London!
I’ve posted a video of hundreds of fans arriving at Kings Cross earlier today with smoke bombs, flares and bangers released in the station. I believe police have been forced to evacuate the station in order to check eveything is safe.
Team news – Manchester United
16:55: How many changes from the draw with Arsenal at Old Trafford? Eight. Ole’s made eight changes.
As previously mentioned, David de Gea, Victor Lindelof and Daniel James are the only survivors from Monday evening.
Mason Greenwood leads the line with James, Angel Gomes and Juan Mata providing attacking support.
The defender looks unfamiliar with Marcos Rojo partnering Victor Lindelof in central defence. Diogo Dalot is on the right with 19-year-old academy left-back Brandon Williams making his first-team debut.
AZ Alkmaar vs Man Utd LIVE: Europa League score, goals, fixtures and updates (Image: GETTY)
The starting XI
16:50: Well it looks like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is taking this quite seriously tonight. Rightly so. David De Gea, Victor Lindelof and Daniel James all involved.
Manchester United XI: De Gea, Dalot, Lindelof, Rojo, Williams, Matic, Fred, Gomes, Mata, James, Greenwood.
Subs: Romero, Maguire, Tuanzebe, McTominay, Lingard, Chong, Rashford.
Twitter round-up
Chris: Finish work at 5pm. Home by half 5. Stick some dinner on, put on BT sport 2 or 3 for the united game. 5.55pm kick off. Game that’s being played on a plastic pitch. It’s what Thursday evenings are all about.
Brad: United travelling to statistically best defence in Europe this season, playing on a plastic pitch with a bunch of kids and not won away since beginning of March.
Andy: Imagine being 10th in the league and having to play away on a Thursday night on a plastic pitch.
Some tweets have been edited to remove a simply phenomenal amount of swearing. It’s almost impressive. Almost.
AZ Alkmaar vs Man Utd LIVE: Europa League score, goals, fixtures and updates (Image: GETTY)
The plastic pitch
16:40: What a palaver this has proved.
Old Gunnar Solskjaer has described the artificial surface hosting their Europa League tie as the worst he has seen.
Alkmaar have been forced to play 70 miles away at the Kyocera Stadium in The Hague after part of the roof collapsed in their own AFAS Stadium last month.
“I’m surprised they have chosen to play on this pitch when I have looked at it,” Solskjaer said. “I’m used to astro from back home and it’s not the best I’ve seen. So it’s one of the worst astro turf pitches I have seen for a long while.”
AZ Alkmaar vs Man Utd LIVE: Europa League score, goals, fixtures and updates (Image: GETTY)
Afternoon
16:30: Hello and welcome to our LIVE coverage of AZ Alkmaar vs Manchester United.
Thank goodness we’ve got rid of that Champions League nonsense, right? Nine-goal thrillers, three-goal comebacks and complete meltdown in north London.
Who needs it!? I think we can all agree the Europa League has a far better anthem and the logo has more charm.
Manchester United got their campaign underway with an extremely underwhelming 1-0 victory over Astana a few weeks ago. A match I’ll always remember for all the wrong reasons.
But tonight’s opponents will prove a very stern test. I’ll tell you why after I’ve eaten my £3 meal deal. Coronation chicken, plain crisps and an orange juice if you’re interested…
AZ Alkmaar vs Man Utd LIVE: Europa League score, goals, fixtures and updates (Image: GETTY)
AZ ALKMAAR vs MAN UTD – TEAM NEWS
Paul Pogba and Aaron Wan-Bissaka were among a number of high-profile absentees for Manchester United’s Europa League trip to AZ Alkmaar.
Pogba (foot) has not travelled to play on the plastic pitch in The Hague following specialist advice, while Wan-Bissaka (illness) misses out just as he did against Arsenal on Monday.
Anthony Martial, Luke Shaw, Ashley Young and Phil Jones were also omitted from the squad for the Group L match, but Angel Gomes and Diogo Dalot were available for the trip to Holland.
Brandon Williams was also named in the travelling squad.
Provisional squad: De Gea, Romero, Grant, Dalot, Lindelof, Maguire, Tuanzebe, Rojo, Williams, McTominay, Matic, Fred, Garner, Pereira, Mata, Lingard, Gomes, James, Chong, Rashford, Greenwood.