Manchester United v FC Twente: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Manchester United are rated as serious contenders for UEFA Europa League glory this season and they start their league phase campaign at home to Dutch outfit FC Twente on Wednesday.

Manchester United v FC Twente betting tips and predictions

Goal scored before 24:00 @ 5/6

Premier League big guns Tottenham and Manchester United head the UEFA Europa League outright betting and the Red Devils will be aiming for a comprehensive victory against FC Twente in Wednesday's opener.

Erik ten Hag's men host Spurs in a key league fixture next Sunday, but their squad looks in good shape, with summer signings Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte and Noussair Mazraoui settling in and striker Rasmus Hojlund returning from injury.

Dutch forward Zirkzee scored in the 87th minute to give United a 1-0 home win over Fulham on the opening night of the Premier League season.

However, the first goal is likely to come a lot earlier against Twente, whose last four Eredivisie fixtures featured openers in the 11th, eighth, 22nd and ninth minutes.

The visitors have beaten Heerenveen 2-0 and Almere City 5-0 in their last two league games, but their defence may be less comfortable against a United side with Zirkzee, Hojlund, Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford among their attacking options.

The Red Devils missed a host of good chances in the first half of last Friday's 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace, while their previous four matches - against Brighton, Liverpool, Southampton and Barnsley - featured a total of eight first-half goals.

Four of United's six UEFA Champions League group matches last season had goals in the 28th minute or earlier and it could be a similar story on Wednesday evening.

Sem Steijn anytime goalscorer @ 4/1

The biggest threat to the home defence could be FC Twente youngster Sem Steijn, who has made a prolific start to the 2024/25 season.

Steijn scored twice in each of Twente's last two league victories against Heerenveen and Almere City and he has found the net six times in six Eredivisie appearances this term.

Two of those goals came from the penalty spot and the 22-year-old is an appealing price to score at any time at Old Trafford.

United have kept three consecutive clean sheets, but they are not entirely convincing at the back and Palace's attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze missed two great chances in the Selhurst Park stalemate.

Steijn came off the bench to score in Twente's 3-3 draw with RB Salzburg in UEFA Champions League qualifying last month and he may well add to his tally in the Europa League.

Under 3.5 cards in match @ 10/11

The new format of the Europa League mirrors that of the UEFA Champions League, with teams playing eight league fixtures, four at home and four away.

Only 12 of the 36 clubs involved in the league phase will fail to qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament, so there is no reason for teams to panic if they lose their first game.

That may lead to slightly lower intensity levels in early matches and backing under 3.5 cards to be shown at Old Trafford looks a good bet.

Twente have picked up only seven yellow cards in six Eredivisie matches this term, as well as four over the two legs of their UEFA Champions League qualifying tie against Salzburg.

United's disciplinary record is not quite as clean, but four of their bookings came in a heated defeat to rivals Liverpool and Wednesday's fixture should be a more relaxed affair.

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Manchester United v FC Twente odds

Manchester United - 3/10
Draw - 5/1
FC Twente - 15/2

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.