UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2019/20 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Old Trafford - Manchester Thursday 19 September 2019 21.00CET (20.00 local time) Manchester United FC Group L - Matchday 1 FC Astana Last updated 18/08/2020 17:25CET Previous meetings 2 Match background 3 Team facts 4 Squad list 6 Fixtures and results 9 Match-by-match lineups 13 Match officials 15 Legend 16 1 Manchester United FC - FC Astana Thursday 19 September 2019 - 21.00CET (20.00 local time) Match press kit Old Trafford, Manchester Previous meetings Head to Head No UEFA competition matches have been played between these two teams Manchester United FC - Record versus clubs from opponents' country Manchester United FC have not played against a club from their opponents' country FC Astana - Record versus clubs from opponents' country FC Astana have not played against a club from their opponents' country 2 Manchester United FC - FC Astana Thursday 19 September 2019 - 21.00CET (20.00 local time) Match press kit Old Trafford, Manchester Match background Manchester United return to the UEFA Europa League that they won on their previous participation in 2016/17 with a home fixture against Astana, champions of Kazakhstan for each of the past five seasons and autumn participants in this competition for the fourth year running. Previous meetings • This is United's first UEFA encounter against opposition from Kazakhstan and also Astana's first against a club from England. Form guide Manchester United • The three-time champions of Europe finished sixth in the 2018/19 Premier League, which meant direct access to the UEFA Europa League. They were quarter-finalists in last season's UEFA Champions League, going out to Barcelona after a remarkable round of 16 second-leg comeback against Paris Saint-Germain (0-2 h, 3-1 a). • United have appeared in three previous UEFA Europa League campaigns, but this is only their second group stage start, the previous one three seasons ago having kicked off with a 0-1 defeat at Feyenoord but ended with a 2-0 win in the Stockholm final against the Dutch club's arch-rivals Ajax. The Manchester giants reached the round of 16 on their other two participations. • Although the Red Devils are unbeaten in nine UEFA Europa League home games and have a perfect record in the group stage, they have lost four of their last six Old Trafford encounters in the UEFA Champions League (W1 D1), scoring only two goals. Astana • Astana collected their fifth straight domestic title in 2018 while also playing no fewer than 16 European matches in that calendar year, the last six in the UEFA Europa League group stage, where they finished third with eight points. This season they have again come through four summer qualifying ties, squeezing past BATE Borisov in the play-offs (3-0 h, 0-2 a). • Astana's maiden UEFA Europa League group campaign in 2016/17 ended unsuccessfully with five points, but they doubled that number the following season to finish second in their section and qualify for a first ever crack at springtime European football. It lasted just two matches, Sporting CP overcoming them 6-4 on aggregate in the round of 32. • A 4-0 win in Malta against Valletta in this season's UEFA Europa League third qualifying round is Astana's only European away win in their last ten such matches (D4 L5). In the group stage their record outside Kazakhstan is W3 D1 L5. Links and trivia • United midfielder Scott McTominay was a member of the Scotland side defeated 3-0 by Kazakhstan in Astana in the teams' opening UEFA EURO 2020 qualifier. Yevgeny Postnikov and Roman Murtazayev started for the home side, with Serikzhan Muzhikov coming on as a substitute. • Astana's Croatian import Marin Tomasov scored seven goals in this season's UEFA Europa League qualifying phase – a total bettered only by Rangers' Alfredo Morelos (eight). The coaches • A former Old Trafford favourite, whose legendary status at the club was confirmed with his added-time winner in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final against Bayern München, Ole Gunnar Solskjær returned to Manchester United as interim manager in December 2018, replacing José Mourinho, before securing the position on a permanent basis in March 2019. A former Norwegian international striker renowned for his predatory goalscoring, he won six Premier League titles as a United player and established his reputation as a coach in his homeland with Molde. • A free-scoring Ukrainian striker, Roman Hryhorchuk has made his name as a coach in eastern Europe, starting out in Latvia, where he won three league titles and two domestic cups during a four-year spell with Ventspils. He went on to coach Chornomorets Odesa in his homeland and Azerbaijan side Gabala for similar periods, overseeing UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns for both, before replacing Stanimir Stoilov at Kazakh champions Astana in June 2018. He missed the latter weeks of the club's league title triumph for personal reasons but has been back in harness this year. 3 Manchester United FC - FC Astana Thursday 19 September 2019 - 21.00CET (20.00 local time) Match press kit Old Trafford, Manchester Team facts Manchester United FC Formed: 1878 Nickname: The Red Devils UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • European Cup/UEFA Champions League (3): 1968, 1999, 2008, (2009), (2011) • UEFA Europa League (1): 2017 • UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1991 • UEFA Super Cup (1): 1991, (1999), (2008), (2017) • European/South American Cup (1): (1968), 1999 Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) League title: 20 (2013) FA Cup: 12 (2016) League Cup: 5 (2017) Ten-year European record (UEFA Europa League unless indicated otherwise) 2018/19: UEFA Champions League quarter-finals 2017/18: UEFA Champions League round of 16 2016/17: winners 2015/16: round of 16 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage) 2014/15: did not take part in UEFA competition 2013/14: UEFA Champions League quarter-finals 2012/13: UEFA Champions League round of 16 2011/12: round of 16 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage) 2010/11: UEFA Champions League runners-up 2009/10: UEFA Champions League quarter-finals Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 10-0: Manchester United v Anderlecht 26/09/56, European Champion Clubs' Cup preliminary round second leg • Biggest away win 0-6: Shamrock Rovers v Manchester United 25/09/57, European Champion Clubs' Cup preliminary round first leg • Heaviest home defeat 0-2: Manchester United v Paris Saint-Germain 12/02/19, UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg • Heaviest away defeat 5-0: Sporting CP v Manchester United 18/03/64, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final second leg UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League • Biggest home win 4-0: Manchester United v Feyenoord 24/11/16, group stage • Biggest away win 0-2 twice, most recently v Zorya Luhansk 08/12/16, group stage United also beat Ajax 2-0 in the 2017 final, a match in which they were the designated away team • Heaviest home defeat 2-3: Manchester United v Athletic Club 08/03/12, round of 16 first leg 1-2: Manchester United v AFC Ajax 23/02/12, round of 32 second leg • Heaviest away defeat 3-0: Juventus v Manchester United 4 Manchester United FC - FC Astana Thursday 19 September 2019 - 21.00CET (20.00 local time) Match press kit Old Trafford, Manchester 03/11/76, second round second leg FC Astana Formed: 2009 Nickname: The Blue and Yellows UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • None Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) Domestic title: 5 (2018) Kazakhstan Cup: 3 (2016) Ten-year European record (UEFA Europa League unless indicated otherwise) 2018/19: group stage (having transferred from UEFA Champions League third qualifying round) 2017/18: round of 32 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League play-offs) 2016/17: group stage (having transferred from UEFA Champions League third qualifying round) 2015/16: UEFA Champions League group stage 2014/15: play-offs 2013/14: first qualifying round 2012/13: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2011/12: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2010/11: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2009/10: did not take part in UEFA club competition Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 5-1: Astana v Valletta 08/08/19, UEFA Europa League third qualifying round first leg 4-0: Astana v Maccabi Tel-Aviv 19/10/17, UEFA Europa League group stage • Biggest away win 0-4: Valletta v Astana 15/08/19, UEFA Europa League third qualifying round second leg • Heaviest home defeat 0-3: Astana v Villarreal 21/08/14, UEFA Europa League play-off first leg • Heaviest away defeat 5-0 twice, most recently v Celtic 16/08/17, UEFA Champions League play-off first leg UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League • Biggest home win 5-1: Astana v Valletta (see above) 4-0: Astana v Maccabi Tel-Aviv (see above) • Biggest away win 0-4: Valletta v Astana (see above) • Heaviest home defeat 0-3: Astana v Villarreal (see above) • Heaviest away defeat 5-0: Botev Plovdiv v Astana 11/07/13, first qualifying round second leg 5 Manchester United FC - FC Astana Thursday 19 September 2019 - 21.00CET (20.00 local time) Match press kit Old Trafford, Manchester Squad list Manchester United FC Current season All-time UEL League UEL UEFA No. Player Nat. DoB Age D Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers 1 David de Gea ESP 07/11/1990 28 - - - 5 - 22 - 67 - 13 Lee Grant ENG 27/01/1983 36 - - - - - - - - - 22 Sergio Romero ARG 22/02/1987 32 - - - - - 20 - 31 - 51 Matěj Kovář CZE 17/05/2000 19 - - - - - - - - - Defenders 2 Victor Lindelöf SWE 17/07/1994 25 - - - 5 - -