LASK 0-0 MAN UTD
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made five alterations for Manchester United’s Europa League clash at LASK.
Sergio Romero replaced David De Gea in goal, with Eric Bailly coming into the Reds’ backline.
Scott McTominay, Juan Mata and Odion Ighalo were the other alterations at the empty Linzer Stadion.
LASK XI: Schlager, Trauner, Ramsebner, Ranflt, Holland, Tetteh, Michorl, Renner, Frieser, Reiter, Klauss.
Manchester United XI: Romero, Williams, Bailly, Maguire, Shaw, Fred, McTominay, Mata, Fernandes, James, Ighalo.
Referee: Artur Soraes Dias (Portugal)
- This will be the first competitive meeting between LASK and Man Utd
- Tonight also marks LASK’s first encounter with an English team
LASK 0-0 MAN UTD
21: Wide! Bruno Fernandes nutmegs his marker to release Luke Shaw, who clips a floated cross into the box. LASK goalkeeper Schlager flaps at it and parries it straight to Juan Mata, whose effort is deflected just wide.
18: Brandon Williams, who is operating at right-back, thumps the ball across the field to Luke Shaw. The United full-back looks to pick out Juan Mata but knocks the ball behind for a goal kick. This is utterly dire.
15: LASK’s Brazilian forward Klauss strides beyond Harry Maguire and tip-toes his way inside the penalty area before going down after contact with the England centre-back. Referee Artur Soraes Dias isn’t interested, nor am I after seeing the replay.
13: Being able to hear the players’ shouts to each other is bizarre. Being able to hear someone ordering Nachos in the concourse is also weird. Ok, I’m exaggerating but you get what I mean. This feels like a training session.
10: That was a huge opportunity for the visitors as Bruno Fernandes picks out Juan Mata beautifully with searching diagonal pass. The Spanird laid it back for the onrushing Daniel James but Ramsebner just pokes it away.
8: LASK have a free-kick over on the right touchline. A few of the Austrian giants bundle into the area but Peter Michorl bangs it straight out of play. Terrible delivery and a real waste considering their threat from set-pieces.
5: Bruno Fernandes drives forward unopposed. He shapes to have a shot but cuts inside before laying it off for Fred to hammer miles over the crossbar. I was waiting for the “wheyyyyy” from supporters but it never arrived for obvious reasons.
3: Wow. I know there have been a few games played behind closed doors recently but this is the first that I’ve watched. Just eerily silent. Must be difficult for the players to get up for it.
And that kind of shows in these opening minutes. Manchester United are shading the possession stats but haven’t created anything of note.
LASK 0-0 MAN UTD
1: And we’re underway at an empty stadium in Austria. That was a weird sentence. I say empty, there are around 500 people in there and they’ve all decided to sit next to each other – making the decision to lower the attendance nearly pointless.
It’s so strange. You can actually hear a small child crying.
LASK vs Man Utd LIVE: Europa League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
Twitter round up
Reuben: People will be in for a surprise LASK aren’t as bad as people think. They are top of the Austrian League with Salzburg in and topped a group with PSV and Sporting battering them at home. Still anything other than a win is a bad result.
Jamie: Not long until Manchester United kick-off. Going to enjoy this as much as I possibly can considering we probably won’t see our team play for over a month after this!
Charles: No Jesse Lingard on the bench for United. That lad is first out the door in the summer. Ole is making it clear to him he has no at the club!
No contact or concern
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed that there has been no contact from United to UEFA today about possibly calling this game off. He adds that none of the players have raised any concerns.
LASK vs Man Utd LIVE: Europa League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
LASK Form
The European campaign started by beating Basel in the Champions League third qualifying round but defeat to Club Brugge – the side United overcame in the round of 32 – saw them drop into the Europa League.
The Austrian side topped a group including Sporting Lisbon, who had Bruno Fernandes playing for them, as well as PSV Eindhoven and Rosenborg.
LASK beat AZ Alkmaar, who finished runners-up to United in their group, in the round of 32, while on the domestic front they sit six points ahead of much-admired Red Bull Salzburg at the top of the Austrian Bundesliga.
LASK coach
Valerien Ismael succeeded Wolfsburg-bound Oliver Glasner as LASK head coach in the summer, signing a three-year deal with the club.
The Frenchman started his career with hometown club Strasbourg before a short spell in English football with Crystal Palace.
Ismael enjoyed his greatest success in Germany, where he won the domestic double with both Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich.
The 44-year-old, who was reserve coach at Hannover and Wolfsburg, has had stints as first-team manager of Nurnberg, Wolfsburg and Greek side Apollon Smyrnis.
LASK vs Man Utd LIVE: Europa League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
Season over? Ole wouldn’t object
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would have no complaints if the season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Asked if he would understand it if the Europa League and Premier League were cut short and not played out, United boss Solskjaer said: “I would understand yes, under the circumstances.
“It’s up to the experts to decide and the main concern must be the health of the general public and the decision that will be made we’ll back.
“Of course, these are difficult circumstances – not just for football, but in the whole society. So, for us, we just have to do what we’re told and get on with the game if the authorities think that’s what we should do.”
LASK vs Man Utd LIVE: Europa League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
LASK vs Man Utd LIVE: Europa League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
Sporting postponements…
Blimey, there’s quite a few and many more being discussed. UEFA have called an emergency meeting for Tuesday where they’ll discuss the possibility of postponing Euro 2020 by one year.
Manchester City’s Champions League last-16, second-leg tie with Real Madrid and Juventus’ match against Lyon next week have been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
La Liga, Serie A and the MLS have all been suspended for at least another two weeks. Basketball’s NBA has also been suspended.
And Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the UK government is considering banning sporting fixtures.
You can find our more about this elsewhere on the website.
LASK vs Man Utd LIVE: Europa League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
Sshhh…
D’ya see that on Sunday? Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes put his fingers to his lips after arguing with Pep Guardiola on the touchline.
And he’s now come out to explain what is now described as “sshhh-gate.”
“At that moment the words he told me made me mad… I have respect for Pep & what he wins & what he did for football. But I think in that moment, he didn’t respect me, so he didn’t deserve my respect at that moment on the pitch,” Fernandes said.
You can’t win with kids…
No team has had more different goal scorers in the Europa League this season than Manchester United (excluding own goals), with 18-year-old Mason Greenwood the Red Devils’ highest scorer in the competition this term with four.
Twitter round-up
Gas: Five changes from the Manchester derby win, which was inevitable, as a number of players looked extremely worn out. Like that Bruno is starting again, although I’m surprised Greenwood isn’t in. A great chance to win the tie tonight, whatever that shall ultimately mean.
Daniel: When will Harry Maguire get a rest?! Also we better not be burning out Bruno Fernandes either. Then again, this could be our last game this season and if it is, let’s end it on a high!
DMF: Last game of football ever played at Old Trafford before Coronavirus ended the world was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United beating Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City 2-0. I’ll take it.
������ Ole’s named his team to face LASK… let’s go, #MUFC! ������������#UEL
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 12, 2020
Starting XI
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made five alterations for Manchester United’s Europa League clash at LASK.
Sergio Romero replaced David De Gea in goal, with Eric Bailly coming into the Reds’ backline.
Scott McTominay, Juan Mata and Odion Ighalo were the other alterations at the empty Linzer Stadion.
LASK XI: Schlager, Trauner, Ramsebner, Ranflt, Holland, Tetteh, Michorl, Renner, Frieser, Reiter, Klauss.
Subs: Gebauer, Balic, Muller, Wostry, Haudum, Raguz, Sabitzer.
Manchester United XI: Romero, Williams, Bailly, Maguire, Shaw, Fred, McTominay, Mata, Fernandes, James, Ighalo.
Subs: De Gea, Lindelof, Tuanzebe, Pereira, Matic, Chong, Greenwood.
LASK vs Man Utd LIVE: Europa League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
The tourist board…
Just having a look at the tourist board to see what the top 10 attractions are in Linz.
Straight in at number one is The Ars Electronica Centre. They describe it as: “Amazing. If you are a technology nerd… it will be like heaven.”
After that there’s a list of about five cathedrals and in at number eight is… “Enjoy a piece of delicious Linz Cake.”
Might have to give Linz a miss this summer folks. I’ll stick to a week in Magaluf…
European history
This is the biggest match in LASK’s history, according to the club president Siegmund Gruber.
The Linz-based club are enjoying their longest ever European campaign, having never before tasted springtime continental football.
With reaching the second round of the UEFA Cup in 1984-85 and 1985-86 their previous best in continental competition, LASK have far exceeded that by reaching the Europa League round of 16.
LASK vs Man Utd LIVE: Europa League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
Afternoon…
Hello everyone and welcome to our LIVE coverage of LASK vs Manchester United from the Linzer Stadion.
Every other sporting event under the sun appears to have been cancelled due to the Coronavirus – but Europa League mediocrity waits for no pandemic.
And for that reason, United’s first leg of the last 16 clash in Austria goes ahead behind closed doors.
Under the measures announced by the Austrian government, the crowd at tonight’s eagerly-anticipated Europa League clash was reduced from a 14,000 sell-out to just 500 spectators.
In other words, It’ll be like watching your local side, or Manchester City at the Etihad.
Anyway, team news is imminent. Standby…
LASK vs Man Utd LIVE: Europa League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
LASK vs MAN UTD
LASK president Siegmund Gruber expressed his frustration that the “biggest match” in the club’s history against Manchester United will be played behind closed doors.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men head to Austria as the country, just like the rest of the world, tries to get a grip on the coronavirus outbreak.
Under the measures announced by the Austrian government on Tuesday, the crowd at LASK’s eagerly-anticipated Europa League last-16 first leg was reduced from a 14,000 sell-out to just 500 spectators.
The Austrian Bundesliga leaders could have sold out their Linzer Stadion three times over such was the interest in a match that will now be what is known in German as a ‘Geisterspiel’ – a ghost game.
“For us it’s the biggest match but not most important in history – that was when we were promoted from the third division,” LASK president Gruber said.
“But it would be a reward for the club, for the city, for the people here to stage this important match tomorrow in front of our supporters.
“It’s a pity that it can’t take place like that. We would have loved to see and enjoy the atmosphere here in the stadium playing against such a great opponent as Manchester United is.”
