FC Rostov - Manchester United: Conquering the challenge?

(Baonghean.vn) - At 1am on March 10, Man United will travel over 3,000 km to visit the representative of the land of the White Birch - FC Rostov in the first leg of the round of 16 in the Europa League. Although rated higher than the opponent, however, having to travel a long distance and the cold climate of Russia will be a big challenge for Coach Mourinho's team.

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FC Rostov - Interesting unknown!

FC Rostov is a rather unfamiliar name to most football fans around the world. However, if you look deeper into this team, they are the current runner-up of the Russian Premier League. Not highly rated before the 2015/2016 season started, but what the representative from the land of the White Birch has done has made experts and football fans have to look at it differently.

Especially last season, the team at Olymp-2 stadium was close to writing another fairy tale like Leicester City, however, after a few unfortunate missteps at the end of the season, this team had to sadly watch rival CSKA Moscow win the championship when the season officially ended.

FC Rostov is considered an interesting unknown after defeating the Bavarian Tigers in the Champions League group stage. Photo: Internet.

Although it was not possible to complete the fairy tale of the golden age like Leicester City did, the runner-up position in the Russian Premier League was still a huge success for a small team like Rostov. More importantly, the second place finish opened a new page in history for the team at Olymp-2 Stadium when they participated in the Champions League for the first time.

In the group stage of the highest arena of the old continent this year, the representative from Russia was in the same group with powerful teams and a formidable force such as Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and the representative from the Netherlands PSV Eindhoven. However, the small team Rostov also created a surprise when defeating Bayern Munich with a score of 3-2 at home in the first leg and only lost to the representative from Spain with a total score of 2-3 after two matches. Along with that, there were two draws with the strong team from the Netherlands PSV to overcome the opponent to finish 3rd in the group stage.

On their way to the Europa League round of 16, Rostov also easily defeated the Czech giants Sparta Praha with a total score of 5-1. With what they have shown, Rostov has shown that they are not an easy opponent for the Red Devils of Manchester.

Conquer the challenge

After a short period of somewhat inconsistent performance at the beginning of the season, the Red Devils of Manchester are making a very impressive comeback. The concrete proof of that is that since losing to Chelsea with a score of 4 stars at the end of October last year, the Old Trafford team has only suffered one defeat against Hull City in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final. However, that defeat did not affect Manchester United's journey to the championship in this tournament when in the final, they defeated Southampton with a score of 3-2 to be crowned in a convincing manner.

If we only count in the Premier League, coach Mourinho and his team are creating a series of 17 consecutive unbeaten matches. Thanks to that impressive return, the Old Trafford team has the opportunity to compete for a place in the Top 4 when the season officially ends. And looking at all arenas, the Red Devils have a great opportunity to complete the "treble" when they have completed the goal in the League Cup, the remaining two arenas they are standing on the threshold of the quarter-finals and semi-finals.

The return of midfielder Mkhitayan will be the key to helping the Red Devils conquer the challenge of Rostov. Photo: Internet.

Despite having a 17-match unbeaten streak in the domestic league, the team of the “Special One” Mourinho has yet to show the necessary stability. In particular, the strikers’ ability to take advantage of opportunities is the biggest obstacle for the team at the “Theatre of Dreams”. The lack of luck of the players playing highest up the attack line on Manchester United’s side is the main reason why they have to lose many regrettable points against mid-level teams and have to stay in 6th place since November last year.

Most recently, in the 27th round of the Premier League, the Portuguese strategist's team had a great opportunity to improve their position on the rankings but they could not take advantage. The Red Devils played at home, took the lead, completely controlled the game, and even had one more player for most of the match against Bournemouth. But in the end, the chorus of draws was repeated once again.

Traveling to faraway Russia this time, the Portuguese strategist's team encountered many difficulties due to the round trip distance of more than 6,000 km. Besides, having to compete in cold weather conditions like in the land of the White Birch is a big challenge for all the top European teams, not just the Red Devils of Manchester.

Besides, the match schedule is also not in favor of the army of "The Special One" Mourinho when after the away trip to Russia, they have to face a Chelsea team that is playing well in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. Therefore, the Portuguese strategist will certainly have certain personnel calculations in the away trip to Olymp-2.

In every aspect, the Old Trafford team is superior to its opponent. However, looking at what the representative from faraway Russia is showing, they will be a big challenge for the Red Devils of Manchester.

Cao Anh