Man Utd vs Real Betis: Preview, predictions and lineups
Manchester United continue their United States tour this Thursday when they face Real Betis in a pre-season friendly in San Diego.
The Red Devils have lost two of their three friendlies to date. The first defeat came at the hands of Norwegian side Rosenborg in mid-July and the most recent loss was inflicted on them by Arsenal in North America. Sandwiched in between those defeats was a 2-0 victory over Rangers in Edinburgh.
The 2-1 loss to Premier League rivals Arsenal was particularly disappointing given both Rasmus Hojound and new summer signing Leny Yoro were withdrawn due to injury. They are both extremely unlikely to feature against Real Betis in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Real Betis have already played Man Utd’s fierce foes Liverpool across the Atlantic Ocean, a game they lost 1-0 thanks to a Dominik Szoboszlai strike. They will return to Europe after their clash with Erik ten Hag’s side.
Here is 90min’s guide to Man Utd’s friendly clash with Real Betis.
Man Utd vs Real Betis H2H Record (All time)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Man Utd |
Real Betis |
|---|---|
|
Arsenal 2-1 Man Utd – 28/07/24 |
Liverpool 1-0 Real Betis – 27/07/24 |
|
Rangers 0-2 Man Utd – 20/07/24 |
Austria Salzburg 1-5 Real Betis – 20/07/24 |
|
Rosenborg 1-0 Man Utd – 15/07/24 |
Real Madrid 0-0 Real Betis – 25/05/24 |
|
Man City 1-2 Man Utd – 25/05/24 |
Real Betis 0-2 Real Sociedad – 19/05/24 |
|
Brighton 0-2 Man Utd – 19/05/24 |
Las Palmas 2-2 Real Betis – 16/05/24 |
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
MUTV (subscription required) |
|
United States |
ESPN, ESPN App, ESPN +, ESPN Deportes, fuboTV |
|
Canada |
N/A |
Man Utd will be without striker Hojlund and centre-back Yoro for Thursday’s match. The latter has been spotted on crutches and in a protective boot after picking up an injury against the Gunners, although it remains to be seen just how bad his injury is ahead of the new Premier League season.
The good news is Harry Maguire returned from injury against Arsenal and the likes of Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay have returned to action following their Euro 2024 excursions.
Joshua Zirkzee is yet to make his debut for the Red Devils after signing from Bologna but is now training at Carrington. Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw are still recovering from the Euros, while Lisandro Martinez and Alejandro Garnacho are absent after winning the Copa America.
Man Utd predicted lineup vs Real Betis (4-2-3-1): Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Evans, Maguire, Amass; Eriksen, Casemiro; Antony, Mount, Sancho; Rashford.
Former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini is without five players due to this summer’s international tournaments, those players being Ayoze Perez, German Pezzella, Johnny Cardoso Abdessamad Ezzalzouli and Juan Miranda.
However, there is plenty of experience in his squad, including ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian. Nabil Fekir, Pablo Fornals and William Carvalho should all feature against the Red Devils, but star playmaker Isco is sidelined with injury.
Real Betis predicted lineup vs Man Utd (4-5-1): Adrian; Sabaly, Llorente, Mendy, Perraud; Juanmi, Carvalho, Fekir, Altimira, Fornals; Avila.
Man Utd’s pre-season form has been patchy to say the least but they should prove too strong for a Real Betis side that offered very little against Liverpool last time out. A defence light on numbers may be saved by an attacking unit full of pace, with Marcus Rashford likely to lead the line in Hojlund’s absence.
However, it’s tough to predict what you’re going to get from Ten Hag’s side, meaning it may be a narrower victory than United supporters are hoping for in California.