The Europa League is the stage for a reunion between Jose Mourinho and Manchester United.
Now in charge of Turkish giants Fenerbahce, the self-proclaimed Special One will be looking to heap more misery on his former club and push Erik ten Hag closer to the exit door.
Ahead of Mourinho-mania in Istanbul this evening, NetBet has previewed the enticing Europa League match, complete with the latest football odds for your bet.
And do not forget, new NetBet customers can enjoy our brilliant welcome offer, with £20 in Free Bets up for grabs!
Fenerbahce vs Manchester United
Thursday, October 24, 8pm
Surku Saracoglu Stadium, Istanbul
Live on TNT Sports
Fenerbahce vs Manchester United Preview
Mourinho’s arrival at Fenerbahce was met with joy from the supporters but the start to the season has not been as positive as initially envisioned.
Fenerbahce are fourth in the Super Lig with five wins from eight matches, while a 1-1 draw at FC Twente in their last Europa League outing was a bit of a disappointment.
However, Mourinho’s men did beat Union Saint-Gilloise 2-1 on Matchday 1, so they will still fancy their chances of finishing in the top eight and automatically qualifying for the Round of 16.
And a win over United would perhaps be the shot in the arm Fenerbahce need in order to fulfil their season goals.
In Europa League action, the Red Devils also drew 1-1 with Twente, before drawing 3-3 at FC Porto on Matchday 2 after being 2-0 ahead.
But confidence levels in the United camp will be slightly higher after last weekend’s crucial 2-1 win over Brentford in the Premier League.
Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund all enjoyed positive performances, the latter two scoring the goals – and the trio will look to put Mourinho’s side to the sword by hitting them on the counter.
Fenerbahce certainly have some familiar faces in their ranks, namely ex-United midfielders Fred and Sofyan Amrabat.
Then there are the club’s joint-top league scorers Edin Dzeko and Dusan Tadic (five goals apiece), as well as Allan Saint-Maximin and Youssef En-Nesyri.
Mourinho has the weapons to inflict damage on United and if the passionate home crowd are as loud as usual, the balance could tip in their favour.
In response, Ten Hag may opt to ditch his preference of playing out from the back and look to keep Fenerbahce at bay before trying to tear them apart with lightning-quick transitions, as they initially did against Porto.
Any recent meetings between the pair you ask? Well, the Turkish side beat United 2-1 on home soil in the 2016-17 Europa League group stage, although they were thrashed 4-1 at Old Trafford.
Fenerbahce vs Manchester United Odds
*All odds are subject to change
Visitors United are the slight favourites at 2.35, while Fenerbahce are at odds of 2.77 to claim a precious victory. The draw is priced at 3.55
But En-Nesyri is the favourite to open the scoring at 6.00, followed by United strikers Joshua Zirkzee (6.30) and Hojlund (6.50).
Fenerbahce vs Manchester United Betting Tips
Edin Dzeko to score anytime @ 2.91
The ageless Dzeko continues to find the back of the net for Fenerbahce and it is likely he will get the nod over En-Nesyri from the start. And given the fact he previously represented United’s fierce rivals Manchester City, Dzeko finding the back of the net looks like a great shout.
Dusan Tadic to score anytime @ 3.74
Tipping another Fenerbahce star to beat Andre Onana this evening? Yes, that is right. Tadic has struck in his last three appearances across all competitions and he scored twice against United in the Premier League during his Southampton days.
Bet Builder: Fenerbahce to win, over 2.5 goals and both teams to score @ 4.20
And if you fancy the hosts to win with plenty of goals in the game, but do not want to go player specific, this Bet Builder looks pretty tasty indeed. Bear in mind that neither team has kept a clean sheet in the Europa League this season.
Fenerbahce Team News
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Livakovic, Muldur, Becao, Djiku, Soyuncu, Fred, Amrabat, Saint-Maximin, Szymanski, Tadic, Dzeko
Injuries/Doubts: Oosterwolde, Under
Manchester United Team News
Predicted XI (4-3-3): Onana, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Dalot, Ugarte, Eriksen, Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford, Hojlund
Injuries/Doubts: Yoro, Shaw, Maguire, Casemiro, Mount, Mainoo, Malacia
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