Ruben Amorim takes his Man Utd side to Czech Republic in a game that gives him the chance to get back to winning ways after back-to-back defeats against Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.
United aren't in the worst position in the EL table thanks to two wins in their last two but aren't where they want to be as the Red Devils still sit outside the top 8 and automatic qualification into the RO16.
Plzen won't be easy though, and United will have to work hard for the much-needed victory.
Predicted Lineup
Amorim is a manager who likes to rotate. I think we will be seeing more of that tonight especially considering the matter of the derby on Sunday.
I also believe that he will be taking this game a lot more seriously than many might think and so can see him bring in a blend of first team regulars as well as bench options.
While Onana remains in goal, should he after his performance against Forest? As a goalkeeper you may not need as much rest as the out field players but perhaps this could be a game for the Cameroonian to miss. I wouldn't be surprised if he or Bayindir started.
Martinez remains simply because I think he needs the form and is the best fit for that left centre-back spot. De Ligt could start after having been taken off with 30 minutes to go last Saturday. I wouldn't be surprised with that either.
Yoro starts again as he could use the minutes and Maguire comes in as the central defender of that back three. He hasn't done too badly since returning from injury.
Amorim already said that Malacia will play so he starts as the left wing-back with Dalot moving over to the right. The Portuguese hasn't been at his best this season but perhaps moving over to his favored flank could help him improve.
Casemiro and Eriksen to be the midfield pairing after not having featured together since Amorim's first game at Ipswich at the end of November.
I've also gone with the same front three that started against Everton in which we saw a brace for both Rashford and Zirkzee. Hojlund needs a break after starting two games in a row. Bruno always play but should he is the question.
Approach
The manager said that he wants to see a lot of possession from his team. So far, in that aspect under the new boss, United have been decent at keeping the ball with their first half performance at Arsenal being a standout in the way United maintained and rotated possession.
That sort of control is needed again because in the second half of that game and most of the defeat to Forest, there wasn't as much control and in the end, led to that loss last time out.
Amorim pointed out an error by Yoro in the build up to Forest's second goal but still wants his team to play out from the back even though it's a risk.
United also moved the ball too slowly against Forest which helped us no end and only invited the pressure and added to everyone's frustration. Do this tonight and it will only give Plzen more confidence of causing us problems. Moving the ball quicker is something Amorim is desperate for his side to do.
I do believe we will have more of the ball but as we saw in the last two matches, knowing what to do with it has become a problem.
Another major issue is defending set pieces and crosses in general. Against Arsenal and Forest, United conceded 4 of the 5 goals from set pieces/crosses. Both the Gunners' goals came from corners while we let in one from a corner and another from a standard cross against Forest.
For some reason, we appear allergic to the ball in the box. The height of Maguire could help and should the manager opt for De Ligt instead of Martinez, that would increase this height even further.
Having Casemiro on the field will be a massive help in this area because the Brazilian's aerial ability is brilliant. He wins so many headers in both boxes and by not having him on the field, Amorim has perhaps sacrificed that aerial strength for something more technical with the likes of Mainoo and Ugarte in midfield.
But all of these issues and whatever tactics the manager wants to see from his team doesn't matter should his players go out there and not show the right attitude.
Attitude is everything and everything goes out the window if the players decide to not show up. The substitutes in particular in the last two matches were seriously under par and actually made us worse.
Form
United's form in Europe is the converse of that in the league.
Our last two matches in this competition was a 2-0 win over PAOK and 3-2 win over Bodo/Glimt in Amorim's first game at home and first game in the Europa League as MUFC manager.
He cited that win over the Norwegians as better than the 4-0 thumping of Everton.
MUFC are 12th in the table with the two wins giving us 9 points after the opening three draws. This now means we are 1 behind the top 8 in the automatic qualification spots for the round of 16.
Viktoria Plzen
The Czech's have an almost identical record to that of United as they too have 9 points with their first three matches being three draws followed by winning the next two. One of those stalemates was a 3-3 draw at Frankfurt which again, is the same as United's 3-3 at Porto.
The only reason Plzen are behind us is because we have a better GD of 3 compared to their 2. Miroslav Koubek's side are also unbeaten at home in all competitions this season, a pretty amazing feat.
They are also 2nd in their domestic league 10 points behind Slavia Praha at the top.
I also believe that their home advantage, not just because of their record but because of their crowd and atmosphere, will play a part in making United unsettled.
We don't do well in these sort of settings.
Prediction
This will be a tough game. It's definitely not a foregone conclusion that we will get the result we want. United are struggling and Plzen will look to take advantage of that.
Both sides will be pushing for a win to get into that top 8 so I can see a relatively close game.
However, I am going for a 2-0 United win. I think in the end, whether from the starters or bench, we will have just about enough to get over the line.
Background Image: Tyrell Malacia | Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)