Just when Manchester United supporters had got used to playing games on Thursday nights, UEFA have gone and confused them.
United have played 10 times on a Thursday since dropping out of last season’s Champions League – two two-legged Europa League ties against Midtjylland and Liverpool, plus six group games in this season’s competition.
This season Jose Mourinho’s team have been drawn against Saint-Etienne in the last 32, and the second-leg of the tie will be played on a Wednesday, not a Thursday.
We will play our #UEL game away at Saint-Etienne on Wednesday 22 February (17:00 GMT) and NOT on Thursday 23 February. pic.twitter.com/lmM4sgyol1
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 12, 2016
Cue plenty of Champions League jokes…
https://twitter.com/MrJoeyJackson/status/808340852967936002
haha! Good bye "Thursday night football club" then😏 Jose is a genius😂
— 𝐀. 🇮🇳 (@0vij1t) December 12, 2016
So Man United will adopt the Champions league spirit on Wednesday..
— EDDY ASUQUO (@EDETASUQUO13) December 12, 2016
We playing European football this season on a Wednesday after all 😂😂
— Dante Hilary (@dante_hilary) December 12, 2016
So, the reason for the switch is not quite as glamorous as you might have hoped.
The game, at Saint-Etienne’s Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, has been rescheduled to avoid a clash with a Europa league tie in nearby Lyon. One of the games had to be moved, and it ended up being the United one.
This is due to nearby Olympique Lyonnais also playing a home fixture in the #UEL Round of 32 that week. #MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 12, 2016
Incidentally, Lyon’s match is against AZ Alkmaar, a club formerly managed by none other than Louis van Gaal.
Fresh from seeing the Dutchman lead United to the fifth-place finish that guaranteed Europa League football to begin with, they’ve seen their schedules ruined by LVG once more.
The first leg of the tie will still be played on a Thursday night, on February 16.
Catch up with this week’s episode of Football Friday Live
