[UEL] FC Midtjylland 2 - 1 Manchester United

[penk22_]

Udah bro @Zulfan; , thanks infonya

Originally Posted by fredrian.seven

Klo berdasar kata2 Van Gaal yang bilang klo peluang United ke UCL musim depan lebih besar lewat UEL maka siap2 tim utama turun langsung pekan ini. Dan pemain muda (Perreira) siap2 duduk bareng Van Gaal di bench.

Varela gimana nih? Semoga udah pulih. Kesempatan emas buat memikat Van Gaal. Darmian kemungkinan agak lama. Lumayan klo bisa main 2-3 pertandingan beruntun.

Belum ada info terbaru soal cedera Varela, kalau masih belum pulih ya pake McNair / Love dulu mungkin.

[zudomiriku]

Are Manchester United the next scalp in FC Midtjylland's Moneyball fairytale?

* Manchester United face FC Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday
* Defender Tim Sparv labels game 'biggest' in the club's 17 year history
* The Danish champions have experienced a rapid rise in recent years
* Success has been credited to Matthew Benham's mathematical models

They sound like something out of a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale and the rise of Midtjylland, Manchester United’s opponents in the Europa League on Thursday night, has been no less magical.

Only formed in 1999, the year Sir Alex Ferguson delivered an historic Treble to Old Trafford, the Danish underdogs were in danger of going out of business until Brentford owner Matthew Benham came to the rescue in 2014.

A year later, Midtjylland were crowned champions of Denmark for the first time. Thursday, in the 11,800-capacity MCH Arena in Herning, they face the biggest game in the club’s short history.



Manchester United face FC Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday night at the MCH Arena



Jess Thorup's side, formed when United won the Champions League in 1999, face their biggest ever game

Louis van Gaal’s side land on the Jutland Peninsula on Wednesday and would be well advised not to underestimate a team lying third in the Danish Superliga.

Because while United’s demotion from the Champions League offered further evidence that they have failed to get to grips with Van Gaal’s philosophy, the transformation of Midtjylland has centred on the mathematical models devised by Benham, a professional gambler.

Using the same metrics as Benham does to predict results and beat the bookmakers, they are based on the strengths and weaknesses of different teams or players.

A group of analysts in London work on targeting signings from across Europe. In Herning, a town with a population of less than 50,000, the statisticians provide specialist coaches with the data they need to give Midtjylland the best odds of success.

Benham dislikes the inevitable Moneyball comparison, preferring to say that his approach reduces the element of luck and what he calls randomness.

His right-hand man and FC Midtjylland chairman Rasmus Ankersen explains: ‘Innovation in business and football doesn’t come from the clubs with the most money. If you can win by outspending your competitors, then why would you have to think different?

‘We think that lots of clubs pay too much money for players that are low quality. We’ve got some tools that will make us able to evaluate teams and players much more accurately than the human eye is able to do.

‘Hopefully we can give fans around the world optimism that life is too short to be a mid-table team.’

While United have spent close to £250million on new signings under Van Gaal, Midtjylland choose a more analytical route guided by Benham’s model.

The best example is key defensive midfielder Tim Sparv, signed from the relative obscurity of the German second division in 2014 based largely on the performance data of his old club Greuther Furth.

A boyhood United fan who came through the ranks at Southampton and played alongside Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott and Adam Lallana in the 2005 FA Youth Cup final, Sparv believes his club’s innovative approach has given them a genuine chance of upsetting the odds.

‘It’s an inspiring environment,’ said the 28-year-old Finland captain. ‘This is a very ambitious club and the goal is to be playing in Europe and fighting for the title every year - this shouldn’t be a strange position to be in.

‘The situation won’t be too big for us. We won’t be fazed by United or think about them too much. We want to make it an unpleasant visit to Denmark for them.

‘It’s understandable that they shouldn’t be satisfied (with the season so far). United should be making the top two every year and fighting for the title. They got used to that under Sir Alex Ferguson.

‘United are a Champions League team, it’s the place where they belong. But they’re not the first team that has had to come down to the Europa League, and they have to adapt to their new situation.

Midtjylland beat Manchester City at the Etihad in the old UEFA Cup in 2008 before going out on penalties. They also overcame Sparv’s old club Southampton in a qualifier last summer when he scored at St Mary’s, and then progressed from a group that included Napoli, Bruges and Legia Warsaw.

However, Danish football’s mid-season break means they have not played a competitive game since drawing with Bruges in December.

‘I’m not going to lie, it’s definitely not ideal,’ said Sparv after a series of warm-up games in Dubai. ‘This is David versus Goliath. United are bigger on every front, they’re clear favourites.

‘But this is the biggest game in the club’s history. It’s been sensational so far.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3450246/Are-Manchester-United-scalp-FC-Midtjylland-s-Moneyball-fairytale.html

[Zulfan]

TRAVELLING SQUAD TO FACE FC MIDTJYLLAND

De Gea, Romero, Love, McNair, Smalling, Blind, Poole, Riley, Carrick, Herrera, Schneiderlin, Lingard, Pereira, Weir, Mata, Memphis, Martial, Keane.


Sent from my iPad Air 2 using Tapatalk

[penk22_]

Originally Posted by Zulfan

TRAVELLING SQUAD TO FACE FC MIDTJYLLAND

De Gea, Romero, Love, McNair, Smalling, Blind, Poole, Riley, Carrick, Herrera, Schneiderlin, Lingard, Pereira, Weir, Mata, Memphis, Martial, Keane.

Rooney masih belum dikonfirmasi kenapa ya?
LvG bawa pemain muda Regan Poole, Joe Riley, James Weir ternyata..

[alfiandrmwn]

PREVIEW: FC MIDTJYLLAND V MANCHESTER UNITED

- Attentions turn to the Europa League and United won't underestimate Midtjylland
- Spanish playmaker Juan Mata won the competition with Chelsea in 2013
- The Reds are looking to respond after Saturday's Premier League defeat to Sunderland

How to follow the match: Thursday’s 18:00 GMT kick-off will be broadcast live in the UK on BT Sport. Fans can also follow the action via ManUtd.com’s match blog and the club’s Twitter account @ManUtd. MUTV's Match Day Live programme starts at 17:00 GMT and the club’s official channel will show the full game at midnight.

Scene-setter: United face a first-ever meeting with Denmark's FC Midtjylland in the last 32 of the Europa League, with the first leg at their 11,800-capacity MCH Arena in Herning. A place in next season's Champions League is on offer for the winners of this competition and it's a trophy the Reds have never lifted, so the incentive is there to go all the way to May's final in Basel.

Who are Midtjylland? Founded in 1999 as a merger between local sides Ikast and Herning Fremad, Midtjylland were named after their region – Central Jutland. Read more in the team profile we published when United were paired with the Danes in December.

Form guide: United's top-four hopes suffered a blow as Sunderland inflicted a 2-1 Barclays Premier League defeat at the Stadium of Light on Saturday. The Reds aren't in top-flight action again until 28 February, when Arsenal visit Old Trafford, so attentions now turn to this European tie, the two legs of which sandwich Monday's Emirates FA Cup trip to Shrewsbury Town.

Midtjylland have no form to speak of because the Danish league is still on its winter break. In their last competitive match on 10 December, the Wolves secured passage to the Europa League knockout stages with a 1-1 home draw against Club Brugge, United's Champions League qualifier opponents back in August. Currently third in the Superliga table, they return to league action on 29 February.

Latest team news: Matteo Darmian faces another spell out of action after dislocating his shoulder at the weekend, but Marcos Rojo and Antonio Valencia are nearing a return. Ashley Young, Phil Jones and Adnan Januzaj missed the game at the Stadium of Light through injury, while Bastian Schweinsteiger and Luke Shaw remain sidelined. For the home side, Jakob Poulsen is suspended and fellow midfielder Petter Andersson is doubtful, while goalkeeper Johan Dahlin is definitely out.

View from the dressing room: "Our goal is to keep advancing so we can have the chance to lift this trophy, which would come with a double reward. My personal experience tells me that, if we work for it with excitement, it could be a positive way to finish the season, as I lived three seasons ago." – Juan Mata

View from the opposition: "Miracles have happened before and we will probably need one again. However, we will not just lie back. We deserved to qualify for the round of 32 and we aim to prove that to ourselves and to our opponents." – Midtjylland coach Jess Thorup

Opposition manager: Thorup took charge last summer, replacing Glen Riddersholm, who unexpectedly stepped down following Midtjylland's title-winning campaign. Thorup had just led Denmark to the semi-finals of the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in the Czech Republic.

Danger man: Born in Uganda but raised in Herning, attacking midfielder Pione Sisto is reportedly on the radar of several major European clubs. The skilful and athletic 20-year-old, who has been likened to Tottenham Hotspur's Christian Eriksen by Denmark coach Morten Olsen, made his senior international debut against Albania in September, having hit eight goals for Midtjylland in 2014/15.

Sub-plots: Midtjylland's Finland midfielder Tim Sparv is a lifelong United fan and tweeted after the draw: "Unreal! I'm actually going to play against Manchester United. The club I've supported since I was a boy." And there are links between the players: Anthony Martial, Sergio Romero and Poulsen were team-mates at Monaco from 2013 to 2014, while Daley Blind and Andersson played together at Groningen in 2010.

Betting: Club partners Marathonbet make United heavy favourites to take a winning advantage back to Old Trafford at 13/20, with Midtjylland priced at 53/10 and the draw at 3/1. Visit Marathonbet's website for more offers.

Referee: This is Artur Dias' first match involving United. The Portuguese official has presided over four Europa League games this season, including Tottenham's trip to Monaco in October.

Rivals watch: Borussia Dortmund and Napoli, the only two sides at shorter odds to win the Europa League than United, are at home to Porto and away to Villarreal respectively. The other two English sides left in the competition, Liverpool and Tottenham, visit Augsberg and Fiorentina respectively.

http://www.manutd.com/en/Fixtures-And-Results/Match-Reports/2016/Feb/Match-preview-for-FC-Midtjylland-v-Manchester-United-in-Europa-League.aspx

[penk22_]

Pemain United dah berangkat ke Denmark.

[penk22_]

Pertemuan pertama melawan Midtjylland, tapi sebelumnya United beberapa kali bertemu tim dari Denmark.

Focus on FC Midtjylland - United's Europa League opponents

HOW THEY GOT HERE
The Danish SuperLiga side qualified for the knockout stages after finishing in second place in Group D behind Napoli but ahead of Club Brugge, United's opponents in the Champions League play-offs. In an earlier Europa League round this term, Midtjylland knocked Southampton out over two legs by drawing 1-1 at St Mary's and then winning 1-0 in Denmark. Jess Thorup's side currently sit in third place in their domestic table, four points behind leaders FC Copenhagen.

HISTORY
The club was only formed in 1999, four days before Sir Alex Ferguson's men beat Nottingham Forest 8-1 away and in the same year the Reds won the Treble, but they landed their domestic title for the first time in 2015. Midtjylland have already won in Manchester during their short history, beating City 1-0 in 2008/09 before going out of the UEFA Cup on penalties after losing by the same scoreline at home.

STADIUM
Midtjylland host their home matches at the MCH Arena in Herning, a city on the Jutland peninsula of Denmark. Opened in March 2004, it has a capacity of 11,800. United are scheduled to play there on Thursday 18 February with the return match at Old Trafford coming a week later on Thursday 25 February.

PLAYERS PAST AND PRESENT
West Ham United's New Zealand-born defender Winston Reid, who was arguably Man of the Match in the last fixture at Old Trafford, came through Midtjylland's academy after moving to Denmark with his family at the age of 10. Finland's Tim Sparv, who had a spell at Southampton, and ex-Hibernian defender Francis Dickoh are two of the best-known current players in the Danes' squad. Sparv tweeted after Monday's draw: "Unreal! I'm actually going to play against Manchester United. The club I've supported since I was a boy. @EuropaLeague @ManUtd."

UNITED V DANISH CLUBS
The Reds have previously faced three teams from Denmark, all in the Champions League - Aalborg (in 2008), Brondby (1998) and FC Copenhagen (2006). United have won four games, drawing once and losing on one occasion - 1-0 away to Copenhagen after a comfortable 3-0 win at Old Trafford.

http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2015/Dec/profile-of-manchester-united-europa-league-opponents-fc-midtjylland.aspx?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=ManUtd

[penk22_]

Solskjaer previews Midtjylland v United




Manchester United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fully expects his former club to overcome Danish champions FC Midtjylland in the Europa League - but the Treble winner concedes there is a small chance his fellow Scandinavians may spring a surprise on Louis van Gaal's men.

The Reds travelled to Denmark on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s first leg at the MCH Arena; meanwhile, Solskjaer is preparing his own Molde team to face Sevilla in the same Round of 32. The Norwegian has humbly compared his own chances of beating the La Liga club to Midtjylland's prospects of defeating United, even making an amusing and self-effacing reference to 1990s movie Dumb and Dumber.


What kind of club will FC Midtjylland face in Manchester United?
In my opinion Manchester United is one of the three biggest clubs in the world on a par with Real Madrid and Barcelona. I had almost 15 years there and it is a fantastic club to be at. It has been one of the best teams in the world for the last 15 to 20 years so it is going to be a tough game of course, but a great occasion for all the Midtjylland supporters and for the players to play against some superstars.

What kind of action do you expect from this tie?
I have not seen United live for a while but from watching on television I can see van Gaal's philosophy is based on possession, quite a lot of possession, so I would expect United to have a lot of the ball.


How do you assess Midtjylland's chances of winning this tie?
It is similar to us [Molde] against Sevilla - I have to say that it is maybe a one or two per cent chance, but there is a chance! If you have seen Dumb and Dumber, the movie, he [the character Lloyd] says there is a one in a million chance of getting the girl and he still looks at the positive that there is still a chance. You have to go in with the belief that maybe this is that miraculous day.


What kind of attitude do you expect Midtjylland to bring to the games?
Well I think of course it is going to be hard and it is going to be difficult, but the players need to go out there and give it everything. They need to go to Old Trafford and not just be a spectator and a tourist. I have played at Old Trafford against good teams and good players, and I have been surprised by the lack of belief in the opponent. They come to Old Trafford, they look at the stadium and before they knew it they were three or four nil down.


How would you describe the emotional experience of playing at Old Trafford?
For me it is home so it is the best place to be at and the best place to connect with your supporters. Obviously I am not hoping Midtjylland do well and I hope Manchester United do well. I had an unbelievable relationship with the United fans and I still have.


Finally, how dear is Manchester United to you?
It is very, very, very close to my heart and my kids' heart. I speak to lots of people from there still, me and Giggsy keep in touch. It has made my life, it has made my career, my 15 years there, so I owe everything to them and Sir Alex Ferguson.

http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2016/Feb/Ole-Gunnar-Solskjaer-previews-FC-Midtjylland-v-United-in-Europa-League.aspx

[Zulfan]

Originally Posted by penk22_

Rooney masih belum dikonfirmasi kenapa ya?
LvG bawa pemain muda Regan Poole, Joe Riley, James Weir ternyata..

Kabarnya nanti dijelaskan pas konferensi pers.


Sent from my iPad Air 2 using Tapatalk

[penk22_]

Originally Posted by Zulfan

Kabarnya nanti dijelaskan pas konferensi pers.

Kalau dari twitter @DuckerTheTimes sih katanya ini http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/...cle4692719.ece

Wah CBJ juga ga ada ya