United, Spurs and Chelsea all seek reprieve in European competitions

Man United, Spurs, and Chelsea face crucial Europa and Conference League ties. Can they bounce back from mixed form and keep England’s European hopes

Manchester United's season can get a big lift with a win at Real Sociedad but, will they make their chances count? (Photo credit: Opta)

Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea will all get busy in Europe on Thursday for their respective first leg encounters in the Europa and Conference Leagues, respectively.

The trio are going into these important games on the back of indifferent results; United heads into the Thursday fixture against Real Sociedad on the back of a cup defeat at home to Fulham, albeit on penalties, leaving them condemned to win this tie against the Spaniards.

Tottenham won back-to-back games before losing 1-0 to Manchester City last week, and after Ange Postecoglou said he wins something in his second season, the Europa League represents his last chance of keeping that streak going.

And for the Blues, while they won their last game against Southampton, the 4-0 win over the bottom club won’t flatter them, having lost the previous three before the win in the league. Enzo Maresca knows that his lads must step up against FC Copenhagen on Thursday.

The three English teams in the Champions League are technically through to the last eight of the tournament, except something unusually sensational happens across the grounds, as all are going into the second leg games at home from a strong position having won the first legs away from home.

Manchester United can call on Patrick Dorgu in the Europa League, and that could help Ruben Amorim’s build-up from the back. The problem for the Red Devils appears in different forms; from the defence to the attack, they can’t afford to lose concentration against Sociedad.

England missed out on an extra spot in Europe last season; that was due to the shambolic representation in European tournaments, and, with all three set to advance into the last eight of the Champions League, all three in the second and third tiers of European competitions would love to follow suit.

Tottenham is beginning to get their groove back; injured players are coming back to full fitness, and that would be of great help to Postecoglou. However, AZ Alkmaar will pose a huge threat, and Spurs must be wary of them.

The Dutch side ousted Galatasaray in the playoffs with a convincing home win and a strong performance in Turkey. The trip to the Netherlands must not be taken with levity; this is Tottenham’s only hope to end the season on a successful note; they must prosecute the game as such.

Chelsea is the clear favourite in this fixture against the Danes, but Manchester United underrated them last season in the Champions League, and it ended badly for them; Chelsea must learn from that. The Blues are in the top four race in the Premier League; they must prioritise better.