Manchester United v Rostov background
Friday, March 10, 2017
Article summary
A 1-1 draw in Russia looks like a good result for Manchester United as they continue their quest for the only major European trophy that still eludes them at home to Rostov.
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Rostov battled back to earn a 1-1 draw against Manchester United in their UEFA Europa League round of 16 opener, but suspensions – and a serious shouder injury for Vladimir Granat – have made their second-leg task even tougher.
• Suspended: Aleksandr Gatskan (Rostov), Timofei Kalachev (Rostov)
• Within a booking of a suspension
Manchester United: Eric Bailly, Ander Herrera
Rostov: Aleksandr Bukharov, Vladimir Granat
Previous meetings
• The clubs met for the first time in Russia in what was Rostov's maiden encounter with an English team.
• United's record in ten meetings with Russian sides is W2 D7 L1 (W1 D3 at Old Trafford). The sole defeat was a 2-1 loss to Zenit in the 2008 UEFA Super Cup, played on neutral territory in Monaco.
Form guide
• United have won all four of their UEFA Europa League home games this season, scoring 12 goals in the process while conceding just one.
• Rostov have not won in their last five European away fixtures (D3 L2).
• United got to the last 16 in 2015/16, but the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League remains the only major UEFA trophy they have never won. Continental champions in 1968, 1999 and 2008, the Red Devils lifted the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1991.
• The closest they came to winning the UEFA Cup was reaching the last eight in 1984/85, losing on penalties to Videoton.
• Rostov are making their first appearance in the spring phase of a European competition. This is the 14th fixture of their longest European campaign to date, UEFA Champions League assignments included.
Links and trivia
• The journey from Rostov to Manchester is around 3,000km.
• This game is taking place the day after Paul Pogba's 24th birthday.
• One of 12 Swedish players still involved in the round of 16, United's Zlatan Ibrahimović is dreaming of playing in the UEFA Europa League final in his nation's capital, Stockholm.
• Rostov's Marko Dević and United's Henrikh Mkhitaryan were team-mates at Shakhtar Donetsk in 2012/13.
• Rostov's Christian Noboa and United's Antonio Valencia are international team-mates with Ecuador.
• United's Marcos Rojo played in Russia for Spartak Moskva from 2011 to 2012.
• United and Anderlecht are the only two clubs at this stage who also reached the round of 16 in 2015/16.
The coaches
• José Mourinho took over as United boss last summer. Having made his name winning the UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League with Porto, he landed Europe's top club prize again with Internazionale Milano as well as three Premier League titles during two stints at Chelsea.
• In Mourinho's last foray in this competition, he guided Porto to the 2003 UEFA Cup final, where they edged Celtic 3-2 in Seville.
• Ivan Danilyants took over at Rostov in September 2016, having been on the club's coaching staff since December 2014. He played in his native Turkmenistan and Moldova, and was in charge of a number of Moldovan sides – and the national team – before joining Rostov.
Penalty shoot-outs
• United's record in three UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W1 L2:
L 5-4 A v Videoton (1984/85 UEFA Cup quarter-finals)
L 4-3 A v Torpedo Moskva (1992/93 UEFA Cup first round)
W 6-5 N v Chelsea (2007/08 UEFA Champions League final)
• Rostov have yet to feature in a UEFA penalty shoot-out.