United wrap up group stage in Valencia

Valencia and Manchester United will wrap up their group stage campaigns in the UEFA Champions League when they meet at Estadio de Metsalla on Wednesday, 12 December 2018, kick-off at 22h00 CAT.

The fate of both teams has already been decided: Valencia will finish third and ‘drop’ into the UEFA Europa League next year, while United will end in the top two of Group H and advance into the knockout stages.

The only interest in terms of the log is whether the Red Devils can finish top of the table ahead of Juventus: a win for Jose Mourinho’s side in Spain, combined with a draw or loss for the Italians in their match at Swiss side Young Boys would be enough to see the Premier League club ascent to the head of the standings.

Valencia’s last Champions league outing saw them beaten 1-0 in Turin by Juve, with Mario Mandzukic scoring the only goal of the game. The result, combined with Man United’s 1-0 win at home to Young Boys (thanks to a last-gasp goal from Marouane Fellaini), was enough to seal the Spanish side’s fate.

Los Che’s two home matches in the group stage thus far have brought them mixed results: in September they lost 2-0 to Juve, but in early November they beat Young Boys 3-1. United have fared better away from home in this European campaign, winning in both Bern (3-1) and Turin (2-1) to underpin their advancement to the last 16.

In head-to-head stats, Valencia and United have clashed in nine previous European matches. Six of the meetings have ended in draws, while the Red Devils have claimed two wins compared to one for Los Che.

The teams’ first group stage meeting, which took place at Old Trafford in early October, ended in a goalless stalemate.

With United in the midst of a busy period of games which culminates in a clash away to Liverpool in the Premier League this coming weekend, it’s likely that Mourinho will rest his top players.

Valencia v Manchester United – Head-to-head, European competitions
Matches played 9
Valencia wins 1
United wins 2
Draws 6

Last five results (Champions League only, most recent first)
Valencia – LWDDL
Man United – WWLDW