Manchester United may sit top of Champions League Group H but their position is precarious as they face Istanbul Basaksehir at Old Trafford.
Defeat to the Turkish side in their last encounter in the competition was a brutal blow to the Red Devils but it appears to have knocked them into shape a little.
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have won their last two matches, although the 1-0 victory over West Brom at the weekend was a little trickier than expected, as he admitted.
Now the Norwegian is desperate for a win as tough matches with Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig loom on the horizon in Europe.
“We started well with two wins,” Solskjaer said of the results against Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig. “Disappointed losing the last game in Istanbul.
“We need at least 10 points to go through definitely. But maybe, even likely that you have to have 12 points.
“We’re going to go into this game trying to win it, of course, and try to win it well with a good performance because we’ve got games coming thick and fast.
“Getting to 10 points as quickly as you can was the main point but that defeat was a big blow.”
There is a conundrum about who might start in goal for the match with Dean Henderson playing in the last game with Basaksehir.
But Solskjaer wouldn’t confirm if the youngster or David De Gea would start, but insisted Henderson will get games soon.
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“Dean wants to stay at Man United and play for Man United,” he said.
“I can’t see the logic in (suggestions there is) only one potential appearance left before Christmas. Do you know how many games we’ve got?
“I disagree completely. Dean’s come back in, he’s training really well, he’s maturing. He’s had some games.
“He’s training with, for me, one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He’s got potential to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world.”
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Much was made of Paul Pogba’s absence against West Brom and an ankle injury was the cause but his manager hopes he could take part against Istanbul Basaksehir
“We hope he’s going to be available,” Solskjaer said. “He trained this morning. See if there’s any reaction when we report tomorrow.
“Still Luke Shaw is out, Phil Jones is out. Jesse is still self-isolating after being in contact with a positive (coronavirus) case.
“There’s one or two little things we need to look at in the morning but hopefully everyone else is available.”
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