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Old 29-07-2017, 09:38 PM   #1
Andi Istiabudi
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Default [2017 Pre Season] Valerenga 0-3 Manchester United



PREVIEW: VALERENGA V MANCHESTER UNITED

So, United are back in Europe... That's right! Manchester United rounded off the American leg of Tour 2017, presented by Aon, on Wednesday, suffering a narrow defeat to FC Barcelona in Washington DC. The result won't take away from what have been very successful preparations so far, however, following victories over LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, Manchester City and Real Madrid in the USA. Next on the pre-season agenda is a match against Norwegian side Valerenga in Oslo, which will be held at the 28,000-capacity Ullevaal Stadium this Sunday (30 July). Kick-off is scheduled for 19:00 local time (18:00 BST).

How can I watch it? Fans who subscribe to MUTV on Sky or Virgin Media, the club’s MUTV app or online at the recently launched mutv.com have access to watch all of the team’s pre-season games. With no extra cost to subscribers, fans can watch all seven of United’s tour games live.

What happened in our previous tour games? Well, as mentioned, Jose Mourinho's men suffered a first defeat of the summer in midweek, going down to Neymar's first-half strike at FedEx Field. Before that, the Reds secured a shoot-out victory over Real, following a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes, and with David De Gea saving two spot-kicks on the way to victory. Last Thursday, the Reds claimed the bragging rights in the first-ever Manchester derby to be held outside of the UK, running out 2-0 winners over City in Houston thanks to first-half goals from Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford. Just days earlier, Lukaku scored his first goal for the club during a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake, after Mourinho's men had kicked off this year's tour by breezing past LA Galaxy.

Any team news? Mourinho confirmed on Tuesday that Spain internationals Juan Mata and Ander Herrera will “probably” return from injury against Valerenga. Both players trained individually this week, while Luke Shaw, Ashley Young and Marcos Rojo remain long-term absentees. Young completed some light training ahead of the Barca clash, and is expected to return in October. Following news of Eric Bailly's European ban, the boss also revealed that Victor Lindelof is set to be partnered with Chris Smalling at the heart of the defence.

What about our opponents? Unlike United, Valerenga have already begun their domestic campaign. The Norwegian side secured a mid-table finish in the country's top tier, Tippeligaen, last season, and are currently seventh in the table after 16 games. Valerenga's official supporters club is the biggest in the country. 'Klanen' ('the Clan') are proud of their singing and will be an important part of the club's new 17,000-seater stadium, which is scheduled for completion in September. Valerenga have a link to United, too - Reds legend Ronny Johnsen returned to Norway after leaving Old Trafford and helped Valerenga to league success in 2005. We also drew 2-2 with them in a pre-season friendly in 1998, and 0-0 in 2012. Mourinho's men will be hoping to go one better on Sunday...

What else is coming up? Well, following the clash against Valerenga, United will complete Tour 2017 in Dublin, Ireland against Italian outfit Sampdoria. Then, it's the small matter of the UEFA Super Cup against Real Madrid in Macedonia on 8 August, before the new Premier League campaign gets under way. Check out our league opposition profiles in our 'Countdown to 2017/18' series in the lead-up to the big kick-off.

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