There’s no getting away from just how important a fixture the Man Utd vs Roma game is for the hosts.
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Tuesday night sees the current third-placed team in Serie A roll up to Old Trafford looking to inflict further pain on Michael Carrick and his underperforming stars.
United win could have a galvanising effect
To date, the Red Devils are winless in the last nine games in all competitions, whilst the Giallorossi are unbeaten in Serie A and have only lost once in the Champions League.
Though it’s still early days in the league phase of the premier European competition, another loss for United would leave them firmly at the wrong end of the table and mirror their Premier League troubles.
A win could have a galvanising effect on the squad, as it would not only send them climbing up the table, but would be just the boost that Carrick needs ahead of a must-win league match against Aston Villa.
Losing on Tuesday and against the Villans, or at least not winning, would almost certainly seal the manager’s fate ahead of the international break.
Vulnerable back line
One major area of concern remains with the United back line.
For whatever reason, the defence just can’t seem to go a few games without making the mistakes that have cost their side a result.
If it’s not Lisandro Martinez being sent off, it’s Leny Yoro losing his footing at the crucial moments.
Let’s not forget, of course, that Yoro has been filling in at right-back, whilst Diogo Dalot, the usual right-back, has played in the left-back position to cover the absence of the injured Luke Shaw.
Matthijs de Ligt is only just coming back to full fitness, and whilst Harry Maguire has arguably been the best defender for United this season, he’s not getting any younger and could certainly do with some help from his colleagues in the big moments.
Roma have plenty of firepower
Up against Donyell Malen, Maguire and Co. could have their work cut out.
The player has been spearheading the Italian side’s attack with aplomb, and currently has eight goals and one assist in nine Serie A appearances, as well as three goals and two assists in three Champions League games in 2026/27.
He’s been ably backed up by Matias Soule’s three goals and three assists in league play, and two UCL assists.
A 3-4-2-1 formation from tactical genius Gian Piero Gasperini is also likely to cause problems for the hosts, who will largely rely on the creativity of Bruno Fernandes, the pace of Amad Diallo and the belligerence of Bryan Mbeumo.
First and foremost, they need to keep Roma out, and United’s tackling success amongst the defence isn’t actually that bad.
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Maguire is head and shoulders above his defensive colleagues
Maguire’s winning of eight of 13 tackles attempted gives him a healthy 61.54% success rate, whilst Martinez’s is even better at 77.78% (seven tackles won from nine attempted).
Yoro’s numbers in this regard aren’t fantastic, though he should be cut some slack given he’s been playing out of position. Far better to focus on his 16 interceptions, the third most in the squad, as well as his 26 clearances, again the third most.
Considering Maguire had one foot out of the exit door not too long ago, too, his resurgence has been a joy to watch. Arguably, at this point he remains United’s best defender and the glue that often holds the defence together.
No one in the squad has contested more than his 44 aerial duels nor won more than the 33 he’s managed, and his winning back of possession on 51 separate occasions is only just shy of Kobbie Mainoo’s 56, the best output in this regard for United’s outfield players.
Maguire does love a physical battle, though, and to that end, he’s likely to enjoy keeping Malen quiet.
The one area where he does fall short is if a ball is played over the top or into the channels, allowing opposition attackers to get in behind.
The 33-year-old’s pace is shot to pieces, and in the time it takes him to turn, a speedy enough front man is already away and gone.
United still may not have enough to be able to win this game, but there are reasons to believe that if the defence can bring their A game, they could at least eke out a point in this encounter.
Given how things have gone for them over the past few weeks, that would almost certainly be seen as a success, and hand Carrick a little more time to turn the team around.
Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high-profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.
