COMMENT
Progression in the Europa League on Thursday might not make Manchester United’s season, but failure certainly could help to break it. And the clash with Zorya Luhansk bears all the hallmarks of the stereotypical European upset.
There’s the lethargy-inducing flight from one side of the continent to the other, the freezing cold weather, the far-from-ideal icy pitch conditions and the relatively-unknown opponents who have already proved tough to break down in their previous meeting with United earlier in the campaign.
What United really need in Odessa is to get in there, get the job done and get out again, preferably as unscathed as the frosty conditions allow.