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A slight dip in results over the past few weeks means that Manchester United are in the thick of the fight for Champions League qualification rather than trying to profit from any potential struggles for Arsenal and Manchester City at the top of the table.
Third place is the stated aim for Erik ten Hag at this stage in his first Premier League season, but cup commitments are providing a huge distraction as the Red Devils look to reach the FA Cup final and last four of the Europa League.
After the 2-0 win over Everton at Old Trafford, here’s who is standing in the way of Ten Hag and his players for their next six outings.
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United get their Europa League campaign back underway with Sevilla becoming the fourth Spanish opponent to rock up in Manchester this season – Real Sociedad, Barcelona and Real Betis have already pitted their wits against Ten Hag’s side in the Europa League.
With Sevilla struggling domestically, United should theoretically be able to get revenge for both the Champions League round of 16 defeat under Jose Mourinho and the semi-final Europa League defeat under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
But United have never beaten Sevilla, and they are the other kings of the Europa League – their record number of trophy wins attests to that.
Manchester United’s away form has been a concern this season for Ten Hag, so the fact that Casemiro and Christian Eriksen should both be available here is a potentially huge boost.
Forest away won’t be easy, though, with Steve Cooper’s side scrapping for their Premier League lives. United will need to focus against a side who know home points are key to any survival, but they can draw on the experiences of three wins against Forest in all competitions during 2022//23 – two 3-0 successes and a 2-0 win across Premier League and Carabao Cup games.
It would be incredibly handy for United, given the incredible number of games they have played this season, if they could travel to southern Spain with a two or three-goal lead in hand. The Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium can be a menacing place to play and United don’t want to go there with a deficit to overturn.
Sevilla’s game before this second leg is against Valencia, who traditionally do well in La Liga but are struggling this time round, before they take on Villarreal the following week – another Spanish team United know well.
The big games will just keep coming for United between now and the end of the season. They will continue to play every possible match this season (barring FA Cup replays) as they take on Brighton at Wembley.
This will be a really tough game considering United will have just come back from Spain, whereas Brighton will have had more time to recover and prepare. With a final against either Manchester City or Sheffield United awaiting the winner, it could be a really thrilling game at Wembley.
This is an absolutely huge game for both of these sides when it comes to Champions League qualification. There could well be very little separating them in terms of points by the time this game comes along.
With Spurs now finding their way in the post-Antonio Conte era, it is a game that is impossible to predict at this stage. You can guarantee, however, a tremendous atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and two teams who will need their big players to perform.
Aston Villa are certainly no pushovers either. Unai Emery has overseen a dramatic improvement in results and a Europa Conference League place is now in the club’s crosshairs after a string of impressive Ollie Watkins-led wins.
Villa won the reverse fixture 3-1, when United were in great form, and have been good on the road under Emery. They do, however, have an ordinary record at Old Trafford, and psychology is likely a factor United will look to exploit when the games get underway.
