Manchester United, a side that contested the Champions League final just five and a bit years ago, are not participating in the continent’s premier club cup competition this year.
Their fifth place finish in the league last season meant they’d have to settle for a place in the Europa League, a competition that’s looking increasingly likely to be their best hope of making it back to the Champions League next year.
Just a point from their remaining group fixture – away at Zorya Luhansk – will be enough to clinch qualification to the next round, with even a defeat being enough to go through if Fenerbahce beat Feyenoord in the other match being played in their group.
Either way, Jose Mourinho will have to field a strong side to make absolutely sure of his side’s progress and with that in mind, he won’t be too impressed with the state of the pitch his players will be playing on come Thursday evening.
The game has been moved to Odessa on the Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, over 500 miles from Luhansk. That far east, winter has a much firmer grip on the land than it has over here, as shown from the state of the playing surface on which United will be playing.
24 hours before the game, United familiarised themselves with the surroundings and took to the pitch for a warm-up. As the tweet below highlights, the pitch is quite clearly frozen solid – with Daley Blind appearing to liken it to rock.
Just listen to the sound it makes under foot…
Listen to the sound the pitch makes. Daley Blind says it is "like a rock". Paul Pogba just laughed. #MUFC players don't look happy pic.twitter.com/Pn9SCS36Lp
— Simon Peach (@SimonPeach) December 7, 2016
The state of the playing surface prompted Mourinho to criticise the lack of foresight from Uefa in allowing the fixture to take place so late in the year.
“The pitch is hard, the pitch is icy,” the United manager said in his pre-match press conference.
“I think Uefa know the conditions of the pitch and everyone knows the conditions in Ukraine and Eastern Europe in mid-December are more difficult.
“So if Uefa was worried about it, they should change the fixtures and not allow it to be played here in mid-December.
“I think that is a problem. They are trying, they are putting some warmth on top of it, but people cannot make miracles, so let’s hope everything goes well.”
At least he has a *rock* solid excuse if the Red Devils fail to qualify.
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