David John has an anytime goalscorer pick for Man United's game with Anderlecht in the Europa League on Thursday.
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Manchester United are coming off unquestionably their best performance of the season thanks to a convincing 2-0 success over Chelsea in the Premier League and all options now remain open to Jose Mourinho.
All of a sudden they are back in the race for a top-four spot and Champions League qualification with a game in hand over Manchester City and two over Liverpool while a more circuitous route back to Europe’s top table is still available if they win the Europa League.
Jupiler League leaders Anderlecht stand in their way at Old Trafford with the hosts holding a slim advantage after a 1-1 draw last Thursday in Belgium.
That means a 0-0 draw will suffice for Mourinho with a place in the last four as reward. They boast a 100% home record so far in the competition and have conceded just once so what an utter waste it would all be if they were to make a mess of things now.
It is hardly a surprise to see no mistakes are expected from a bookmaker’s perspective with United general 2/7 chances to win the game and 1/9 to progress.
Mourinho might still be basking in the glory of a tactical masterpiece he delivered to sink Chelsea but he does have to put some thought into his possible line-up here.
Young Marcus Rashford was the pick of the crop against Anderlecht and he followed that up with an excellent display against Antonio Conte’s side when a constant thorn in the side of Chelsea’s back four following his early opening goal.
So does Mourinho disappoint the teenager and go with a refreshed Zlatan Ibrahimovic? Or perhaps send Rashford back out on to the left flank and unleash all his firepower at once in a bid to kill the tie off swiftly and mercilessly?
All food for thought as long as Anderlecht decide to play ball. They are not out of this though by any stretch of the imagination and got themselves a goal to cling onto thanks to a much more menacing performance in the last 30 minutes of the first leg.
Head coach Rene Weiler decided to switch things up a little with the introduction Alexandru Cipciu and Sofiane Hanni with the pair providing far more threat going forward which ultimately led to Leander Dendoncker’s superb header to equalise with four minutes left.
They need a goal of some description here to have any hope at all - Hanni could be the man to provide it and the recommendation is a small investment on him in the anytime scorer market.
Whether he gets on from the start is a moot point but he certainly pushed forward his claims at the weekend with a wonderful individual effort in the 1-0 victory at Oostende – well worth a look if you get a chance.
While Mourinho’s has moaned continuously about the lack of a consistent end product from his strikers, United’s forte this season has been their defensive nous with very little given away, particularly on their own patch.
Having shutout Chelsea, it would seem folly to take them on in this regard but it would not be the first time a team immediately looks a little sluggish with a quick turnaround after such a momentous effort.
It is hard to pin down exactly when Anderlecht will score – early on would make things interesting – but I do think they will make an impact and Hanni looks a very likely source.
The layers tend to dismiss United’s opposition at home in this sort of game but the 15/2 on offer for Hanni to score at some stage is a bit of an insult and well worth a dart.
Elsewhere, I would love to display some perspicacity when it comes to the remaining last-eight fixtures but knowledge limited to some highlight packages leads me to avoid any investment, although a resurgent Ajax will be tough to crack for Schalke on the night even with home advantage in Gelsenkirchen.
Prediction: Manchester United 2-1 Anderlecht
Where to watch: Man United v Anderlecht - BT Sport 2, 2005BST
Posted at 1140 on 19/04/17.
