Manchester United v Club Brugge 

Tuesday, August 18th 2015 K.O. 19.45 p.m

This is arguably Louis Van Gaal's most important game since he took charge of Manchester United last season. The Red Devils will be looking to secure a place in the Champions League group stage so a victory tonight will vital. The last time Manchester United were in the Champions League - they lost to Bayern Munich 3-1 in the quarter finals of the 2013/14 season. Domestically they have started strong winning both of their Premier League matches to sit third in the table. They also have a good record in the Champions League qualifying ties winning their last back in the 2005/6 season against Debrecen 6-0.  It will be a major shock if they were not to win this tie and secure their place in the group stages. This has been Van Gaal's primary target for his first season in charge - failure to qualify would be disastrous for a club who have won this competition three times in their history.

Meanwhile Club Brugge beat a decent Panathinaikos side to progress to the play off stage of the competition. This will be the first time that they have reached the play-offs but their record in England is abysmal, losing 9 of their 11 trips to the country. Furthermore, Belgian sides have only won once out of 31 attempts against English sides in Europe. I see no reason why this should not be defeat number 32 . Manchester United are one of the biggest teams in world football and boast an array of World class talent. Players like Wayne Rooney, Bastian Schweinsteiger,  Memphis Depay and Juan Mata are all capable of scoring goals. Club Brugge did well to get to this stage but this should be a step too far for the plucky Belgian side.

Memphis Depay

Manchester United will be in confident mood after winning both their Premier League matches and will be looking to continue that hot streak here. They will be looking to settle the leg as soon as possible so expect plenty of chances for the home side. Memphis Depay  who was the Dutch leagues top scorer last season was unlucky not to score against Aston Villa last weekend. Tonight's opposition look like an ideal opportunity for him to break his duck. This is a game that I fully  expect United to win comfortably and by at least two goals.





My Betting Tips:

Manchester United -2 Handicap Betting @13/5 Paddy Power (Nap)

Memphis Depay to score anytime @ 6/4  PaddyPower (NB)