Pics: United squad fly out to Moscow

Pics: United squad fly out to Moscow

Manchester United are flying out to Russia this afternoon (Monday) ahead of the club's second UEFA Champions League match of the season, the away clash with CSKA Moscow.

The Reds will go into the game in good form, having won the Group A opener against FC Basel 3-0 at Old Trafford as well as every domestic fixture since, with the Premier League triumphs at home to Everton (4-0) and away to Southampton (1-0) sandwiching last week's Carabao Cup victory over Burton Albion at Old Trafford (4-1).

CSKA Moscow, meanwhile, are also on a decent run of results. They won their first Champions League group game too, 2-1 away to Benfica in Lisbon, and have followed that by defeating FC Rostov - United's Europa League opponents last season - 2-0 at home and drawing 0-0 away in the local derby with Dynamo Moscow. They did, however, get knocked out of the Russian Cup by Avangard Kursk (1-0 after extra-time) last Wednesday.

Jose Mourinho's men emerged from Saturday's tight win at Southampton with seemingly no fresh injury concerns, but the United manager - who will not face any FA action after being sent to the stands in stoppage time - has not yet stated a likely return date for hamstring-strain victim Paul Pogba. He will address the media in Moscow at 15:00 local time (13:00 BST) on Tuesday in the regular pre-match press conference.

 Report by Adam Bostock

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Conte: Opportunity knocks

Antonio Conte says tomorrow’s game is the right one to bring Eden Hazard back into the starting XI for, and he also reports some younger members of his squad are likely to feature in the Carabao Cup tie.

The boss was talking at Cobham on the eve of our third round game against Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge. He spoke in detail about a couple of experienced wide men, Hazard and Pedro, and two more, Charly Musonda and Kenedy, whose senior careers are still in their infancy.

‘Now is the right moment for Eden to start the game and try to play the whole game,’ Conte reported.

‘I hope for him it is the final step from his injury. We have managed his situation very well. In my career I was injured a lot of times, and I have a bit of experience about this. Now he is ready to start the game.

‘Pedro has not been lucky this season,’ Conte added of the Spaniard who came off at half-time on Sunday.

‘He started the season with a bad injury in the Arsenal friendly game where he broke a bone in his face, and then he received a knock on his ankle, and now his leg. I hope for him to be luckier in the future.

‘Pedro is trying to recover from the last injury. It’s important for him also to work. Don’t forget when you are injured you can’t work, and sometimes you can lose your best physical condition. His last injury is nothing serious but he needs a bit of time to recover.’

Conte didn’t want to explicitly state who would be joining Hazard in the starting line-up but he did bring up a couple of names voluntarily.

‘It’s a good opportunity to give chances to some players who in the last period didn’t play a lot.

‘It could be a good opportunity for Charly Musonda, and also for Kenedy.

‘Kenedy knows very well what happened in China. He made a mistake, but everyone in life can make a mistake. He is focused, he is working very well and he understood his mistake. Now he is ready to play and to show he deserves a place for the future.

‘You can see Charly’s talent very clearly. I am sure we are talking about a young player with really good prospects. Now it is important he is working very well and trying to adapt himself to this league, which is not simple. It’s a physical league.

‘He is a bit thin but now he is working a lot to improve his strength and be prepared for the big impacts in this league. I trust Charly. It’s important for the coach to trust a young player, but also important to have a good answer when the chance to play arrives.’

Conte said the 20-year-old Musonda could play as a number 10 or a winger now, and in the future a spot at wing-back is a possibility for the Belgian.

The competition itself and tomorrow’s esteemed opposition also came up in the media conference, with Conte asked how seriously he would be taking the Carabao Cup this term, especially as we are now back in Europe.

‘It’s one of the four competitions. We have to try to do our best. It’s not easy to face four competitions but tomorrow is a good opportunity to give a chance to some players who didn’t play a lot.

‘This season could be an opportunity for all the players to play games. The most important thing is when the chance arrives, to take it. In our squad we have many young players. It’s important for them to take this chance and show me I can count on them.

‘For sure we want to win and go to the next round. It’s the same thought for Nottingham Forest. We are talking about a great club with a great history,’ he said, highlighting their success in the European Cup.

‘We have great respect for them and for this reason we have to pay great attention. In the last game they beat Newcastle. I have watched a lot of their games, and they play good football.’

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Blind praises United's competitive spirit

Daley Blind has praised the competitive spirit within the Manchester United squad, which the versatile Dutchman feels is key to both individual and collective improvement.

The rampant Reds have made a blistering start to the season, currently sitting joint-top of the Premier League and leading the way in Group A in the UEFA Champions League.

Blind, who has started four games so far this season at left-back, feels the success on the pitch can be put down to the players pushing each other in training. However, he insists the hard work must continue if the Reds are to maintain the impressive opening to the campaign.

“I think, if you have a big squad, the competition is high in the training sessions,” he said. “It makes you better as a player and also as a team, and it shows the strength of the competition if someone comes in and they’re ready. I think it’s very good.

“I think we’re feeling good as a team. I think we show it on the pitch, how eager we are to win, how bad we want it and how we want to work for each other. That’s the most important thing, but we still have to keep our feet on the ground.

“We have to work hard every day to get where we want. That starts in the training sessions and we have to show it on the pitch in every game.”

United made a winning return to Europe’s top competition with a convincing 3-0 victory over Swiss champions FC Basel at Old Trafford, leaving the Reds in a good position ahead of next week’s trip to the Russian capital to take on CSKA Moscow.

When asked what it’s like to be playing in the UEFA Champions League again, Blind said: “The Champions League says it all. It’s the highest competition for clubs in Europe. The best teams perform in the Champions League and that’s where we want to be.”

Blind could be involved as the Reds begin the defence of the League Cup with a third-round tie against Championship side Burton Albion at Old Trafford on Wednesday night. Tickets are still available for all supporters to purchase - see manutd.com/tickets for details.

 Report by Adam Higgins

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Dembélé successfully operated on

FC Barcelona striker Ousmane Dembélé was successfully operated on Tuesday to repair a ruptured biceps femoris in his left leg. Dr. Sakari Orava performed the surgery. Dembélé remains under the supervision of Dr. Ricard Pruna. He is expected to be out for three and a half months.

The 20-year-old Frenchman signed with FC Barcelona in August and was injured in the first half of Saturday’s 2–1 victory at Getafe.

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BARCELONA TEAM NEWS: INJURIES, SUSPENSIONS AND LINE-UP VS GETAFE

Everything you need to know ahead of the Catalans' clash against the Madrid side in La Liga on Saturday



Barcelona will look to extend their 100 per cent record in the Primera Division this weekend as they travel to Getafe in the fourth round of matches.

They have beaten Betis, Alaves and Espanyol so far in La Liga, topping the table with a maximum nine points from their three games.

by Ben Hayward

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