Matchday 6 of the 2024/25 Europa League group stage will see Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic) take on Manchester United (England) on December 12 at the Doosan Arena. Viktoria Plzen vs. Manchester United: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Predicted lineups for Viktoria Plzen vs. Manchester United
Viktoria Plzen (3-5-2): Martin Jedlicka – Vaclav Jemelka, Svetozar Markovic, Sampson Dweh – Cheikh Souaré, Lukas Cerny, Pavel Schulz, Lukas Kalvach, Cadu Cruz – Erik Jirka, Matej Vydra.
Manchester United (3-4-3): Andre Onana – Noussair Mazraoui, Diogo Dalot, Lisandro Martinez – Tyrell Malacia, Antony Matheus, Manuel Ugarte, Bruno Fernandes – Alejandro Garnacho, Mason Mount, Rasmus Hojlund.
Each team's starting lineup from their previous match in this tournament is listed.
Viktoria Plzen
The Czech side began their Europa League campaign with three consecutive draws. However, in the last two rounds, they secured victories: at home against Real Sociedad and away against Dynamo Kyiv, both with a 2-1 scoreline. The club remains unbeaten in this tournament for nine matches (6 wins and 3 draws). As a result, Viktoria Plzen is in 13th place, just one point shy of the top eight.
- The club opened the scoring in 6 of their last 8 Europa League games.
- The number "1" appeared in the final score in 7 of their last 10 matches in this European competition.
- The first half ended in a draw in 7 of Viktoria's last 8 matches in this tournament.
Manchester United
The English side has identical stats to the Czechs but sits one spot higher in the table due to a better goal difference. The Red Devils also started the tournament with three consecutive draws, all of which were high-scoring. In the last two group stage matches, they played at home and consecutively defeated PAOK (2-0) and Bodo/Glimt (3-2). Notably, before facing the Greeks, Manchester United had a five-match winless streak in the Europa League (4 draws and 1 loss).
- Both teams scored in 8 of the last 11 matches involving the Red Devils in this tournament.
- In their last 16 Europa League matches, Manchester United has lost only once (10 wins and 5 draws).
- One team won with a "clean sheet" in the second half in 9 of the last 10 games involving the English side in this European competition.
Viktoria Plzen vs. Manchester United: Match Prediction
After five rounds in the Europa League, seven teams remain unbeaten. Besides the upcoming opponents, this includes the top five teams. It's quite possible that both the Czechs and the English will extend their unbeaten runs, but with a safety net, I'll suggest a handicap on the hosts. The Red Devils are undoubtedly stronger, but they are unlikely to exert maximum effort in this match, as they will be mindful of their upcoming Premier League clash against Manchester City.
It is worth noting that defeating Viktoria Plzen on their home ground is very challenging. The team has not lost in regular time in 14 consecutive home Europa League matches, securing 13 wins and 1 draw. Meanwhile, the Red Devils have not won away in this European competition for three consecutive games (2 draws and 1 loss). Additionally, Manchester United has not won by a two-goal margin or more in the last seven away Europa League games.
My prediction is Viktoria Plzen with a handicap (+1)
