Viktoria Plzen vs Man Utd LIVE: Europa League score and updates as Red Devils try to get back on track

Manchester United travel to the Czech Republic to face Viktoria Plzen in tonight’s Europa League action hoping to respond to two consecutive defeats under Ruben Amorim.

After a promising start to his tenure, the Red Devils suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest leaving the Portuguese boss facing his first dip in form. But Amorim will be confident, especially about improving United’s standing in the Europa League despite the clube being embroiled in off-field drama.

Consecutive wins over PAOK and Bodo/Glimt have sent the team up to 12th in the league table and they are only two points away from fourth with a realistic chance of securing automatic promotion.

Their opponents tonight have an identical record to United with two wins and three draws from their first five games and sit one place below Amorim’s side meaning they would jump ahead of United should they triumph.

Follow all the Europa League action with our live blog below:

Viktoria Plzen vs Man Utd LIVE

• Viktoria Plzen host Man Utd in the Europa League, live on TNT Sports

• 30’ SAVE! Jedlicka palms Fernandes’ shot from range clear (PLZ 0-0 MUN)

• The hosts have the same record as United in Europe this season but sit below them in the table

• United have lost twice on the bounce and hope to get back to winning ways tonight

• Man Utd XI: Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez; Dalot, Casemiro, Fernandes, Malacia; Amad, Zirkzee, Rashford

Viktoria Plzen 0-0 Man Utd

18:29 , Mike Jones

42 mins: Cadu swings a deep cross into the box for the hosts but Diogo Dalot is there to nod the ball out of the box. Plzen keep the pressure on and Cheick Souare curls a fine effort wide of the far post.

Viktoria Plzen 0-0 Man Utd

18:24 , Mike Jones

39 mins: The good news for United is that Plzen look a bit toothless. Not through desire, as they’re trying to get the ball forward and put pressure on the defence, but in quality.

There are opportunities for the hosts to hurt United but they seem reluctant to take them.

Viktoria Plzen 0-0 Man Utd

18:22 , Mike Jones

36 mins: Marcus Rashford may just be the ultimate confidence player. When he’s on song he’s electric and fantastic to watch but when he’s not he looks lethargic and frustrated.

The reports that United are open to selling him won’t help but if he, and the team, can find a bit of form things could turnaround. They need a spark though, a bit of creativity and forward momentum.

Viktoria Plzen 0-0 Man Utd

18:19 , Mike Jones

33 mins: Andre Onana also seems to have shaken off his early wobbles. He wants to be assertive and dominating of his own penalty area but sometimes puts himself in terrible positions that negatively impact the team.

Can United push on from this more stable base and get the opening goal?

Viktoria Plzen 0-0 Man Utd

18:17 , Mike Jones

30 mins: Half an hour played and Man Utd are settling down, especially in their own final third. They’re starting to string together a spell and when space opens up they do look dangerous.

Zirkzee lays the ball off to the running Fernandes who carries it forward and shoots forcing a fine save out of Martin Jedlicka.

Viktoria Plzen 0-0 Man Utd

18:13 , Mike Jones

27 mins: Close! Amad Diallo wins a free kick that Bruno Fernandes floats into the box. Joshua Zirkzee wins the header and glances it on to the back post.

Casemiro is hovering and sticks out his foot but can’t reach the ball. If he had that would have certainly snuck into the back of the net.

Viktoria Plzen 0-0 Man Utd

18:11 , Mike Jones

24 mins: Man Utd are starting to pass the ball around nicely but Plzen are well drilled and have plenty of men behind the ball. United are struggling to put something together in the final third and don’t look confident to take any risks.

Viktoria Plzen 0-0 Man Utd

18:08 , Mike Jones

21 mins: Matej Vydra and Pavel Sulc combine after bringing down an aerial ball. Vydra’s cutback is cut out and United transition quickly into a counter-attack.

Amad, Fernandes and Rashford drive forward with the captain slipping Rashford into the left side of the box. Rashford tries to cross but scuffs the ball out of play.

Viktoria Plzen 0-0 Man Utd

18:03 , Mike Jones

18 mins: Again United are so sloppy on the edge of the penalty area. Noussair Mazraoui tries to carry the ball out from the back but runs into trouble and the visitors lose possession.

Plzen resort to shooting from range and spooning the effort high and wide but Ruben Amorim won’t be pleased with this start. On another night, United would already have been punished.

Viktoria Plzen 0-0 Man Utd

17:59 , Mike Jones

15 mins: Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo combine beautifully to get the ball forward on the right side of the pitch. Fernandes plays the one-two with Amad then continues his run into the box.

He sprints to the byline yet keeps the ball in play before looking for the pass into the six-yard box. His effort is intercepted and cleared away.

Viktoria Plzen 0-0 Man Utd

17:56 , Mike Jones

12 mins: Casemiro seems okay and heads back onto the pitch as Plzen push high to keep the pressure on Ruben Amorim’s side.

A long throw comes into the box and Onana tries to punch it away. Again he misses it before Marcus Rashford fumbles an attempted clearance.

United look awful at the back. It’s too panicky.

Viktoria Plzen 0-0 Man Utd

17:54 , Mike Jones

9 mins: Bruno Fernandes gets a talking to from the referee for a lunging tackle on Lukas Cerv but he avoids a yellow card. Plzen win a free kick inside United’s half and lift the ball into the penalty area.

Andre Onana comes off his line to punch the ball but doesn’t get there. Instead Daniel Vasulin wins the header but unfortunately for him can’t direct his header towards goal.

Onana’s lunge for the ball has had bad consequences. He clatters into Casemiro and takes the wind out of the midfielder.

Viktoria Plzen 0-0 Man Utd

17:51 , Mike Jones

6 mins: Plzen have set up with five at the back and haven’t been too adventurous in the first few minutes of this game. United are expected to have most of the possession and it’ll be interesting to see if they can break their hosts down.

Joshua Zirkzee goes on a nice run to carry the ball into the box. He shrugs off a tackle and spins into the area before looking for a teammate in the six yard area.

The cross is deflected and goes out for a corner.

Viktoria Plzen 0-0 Man Utd

17:48 , Mike Jones

3 mins: Man Utd are unbeaten in Europe this season but they have never won in the Czech Republic. Will they do so for the first time tonight?

At present there’s a midfield battle developing over possession of the ball with neither team coming out on top.

Kick off! Viktoria Plzen 0-0 Man Utd

17:46 , Mike Jones

Joshua Zirkzee gets the ball rolling for Manchester United and knocks it back to Matthijs de Ligt in defence. The visitors attempt to build from the back and use the wide areas to get forward.

Viktoria Plzen vs Man Utd

17:41 , Mike Jones

Here come the teams.

Bruno Fernandes leads out the Manchester United team with the desire and determination in his eyes. Ruben Amorim’s side have lost their last two games but they’ll hope to banish some familiar mistakes tonight.

Rasmus Hojlund knows Man Utd have to improve

17:35 , Mike Jones

Rasmus Hojlund said he felt “quite devastated” after “irritating goals” and a poor all-round display cost Manchester United in the home loss to Nottingham Forest.

Head coach Ruben Amorim this week hit his first bumps in the road having made a positive start to life at Old Trafford, with Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat at Arsenal compounded as they lost 3-2 on Saturday.

Nikola Milenkovic exposed United’s recent set-piece issues by heading Forest ahead inside 90 seconds, with Hojlund levelling during a fightback that ended early in the second half.

We all need to do better – Rasmus Hojlund knows Man Utd have to improve

‘It’s a huge challenge'

17:30 , Mike Jones

“It’s a huge challenge and a chance to compete against a team of such quality,” says Pavel Sulc, who scored in the Czech club’s 2-1 win against Dynamo Kyiv. “At the same time, it’s a boyhood dream come true.”

Viktoria Plzen vs Man Utd

17:25 , Mike Jones

Plzen have conceded just once in their last 12 European home games, Real Sociedad’s strike in their 2-1 loss in Czechia on Matchday 3 ending an 11-game run of continental clean sheets.

Is winning Europa League the best way to get Champions League football?

17:20 , Mike Jones

Ruben Amorim was asked this question in his pre-match press conference and replied: “I as a coach I cannot focus on just that. The way we can see in the future, titles or something. Our goal is to win our Premier League. That is our goal.

“Of course you can do the math and you can understand that for a big club like us to be in the Champions League is so important. You can see and look at the table that from the Europa League, maybe it is easier.

“You can then perhaps take this information for this context but I am not focused on that and our goal is to win the Premier League, not just to go to the Champions League.

“To go [to] the Champions League is an important point to win the Premier League, that is really clear. But for me, the most important thing is to win and to see something different in the team in every game.”

Ruben Amorim rues lack of ‘heart’ in Man Utd loss to Nottingham Forest

17:15 , Mike Jones

Ruben Amorim rued Manchester United’s lack of ‘quality’ and ‘heart’ during a 3-2 loss to Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford with the result United’s first home defeat to Forest in 30 years.

The head coach also urged players and supporters to trust the process as he pledged to turn things around like he did at Sporting Lisbon.

Erik ten Hag’s successor enjoyed a promising start to life in the hotseat, but repeatedly attempted to manage expectations as wins against Bodo/Glimt and Everton followed a draw at Ipswich.

Ruben Amorim rues lack of ‘heart’ in Man Utd loss to Nottingham Forest

Onana errors not to blame

17:10 , Mike Jones

Ruben Amorim refused to blame Andre Onana for a couple of mistakes which led to goals against Nottingham Forest and claimed that the team need to help out the goalkeeper.

He said: “Onana already saved us a lot of times, so we have to find a way when this happens to Onana or to Altay (Bayindir) or to Tom (Heaton).

“We have to turn around and to score two goals to help our goalkeeper, the same way that he saves us, for example, in Ipswich. We have to continue. We lose as a team, we have to improve in all aspects of the game.”

Amorim needs time to address United’s faults

17:05 , Mike Jones

The Portuguese boss said that it would take time to address all of United’s faults. After the defeat to Forest he said: “We already knew (it would be tough). It will be a long journey, but we want to win because this is a massive club.

“You feel it when you lose one game, it’s really hard for everybody. I can understand that. I can feel it in the stadium after the first goal.

“We understand the context, but we have to keep (working) in the same way, doing the same things. The same words I have here with Everton, I have today. Continue to focus on the performance.

“We need to improve in a lot of aspects of the game and continue to do the same things tomorrow in training.”

Hojlund on Forest defeat

17:00 , Mike Jones

“Annoying to concede three at home against Forest,” Man Utd striker Rasmus Hojlund said after that defeat, “It was some irritating goals, you can say. Then again we need to do better, all of us. It’s not only individuals. We all need to do better and, yeah, today it could have been much, much better.

“It’s a bit annoying. They score very early in the second half and also very early in the first half, which is sort of killing the momentum a little bit and the confidence as well.

“I think we play alright in the first half after we get the first goal, but it kills the game a little bit that they get the two goals (after half-time).

“But, then again, we play at home and we’ve still got, I think, 35 minutes left, so obviously we need to do more and see if we could have at least got a point.”

Rio Ferdinand wants Man Utd to be as ‘brutal’ with players as Dan Ashworth exits

16:55 , Mike Jones

Rio Ferdinand has questioned Manchester United’s decision to part company with sporting director Dan Ashworth after just five months and called on club co-owners Ineos to be just as “brutal” with their under-performing playing squad.

Ashworth left the club over the weekend, with his exit seen as part of a mass restructuring at Old Trafford, which has seen around 250 staff members made redundant since the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Rio Ferdinand wants Man Utd to be as ‘brutal’ with players as Dan Ashworth exits

Malacia on Amorim

16:50 , Mike Jones

“There’s a lot of changing. But I like [it] and what I know about this manager is he’s very clear, for all of us,” Tyrell Malacia explained during his pre-match press conference.“That’s the most important thing, we know what we have to do in the game.”

Malacia feels he is improving

16:45 , Mike Jones

Tyrell Malacia feels he is improving game-by-game after his return from injury and hopes to impress Ruben Amorim by understanding the manager’s system.

Speaking before tonight’s game he said: “[By] training every day, I have to improve week by week by playing games of course.“I could already see a difference between my first game against Bodo/Glimt and Arsenal. Other than that, as a team, we are improving and trying to adapt to the playing style of the manager. I’m happy.”

Amorim focused on improving United’s players

16:40 , Mike Jones

Ruben Amorim rejected the notion that Man Utd need to sell players in their squad and replace them with ones more suited to the manager’s style of play.

Instead he says he is focused on improving those that are already at Old Trafford. Amorim said: “No, I’m really focused on to see my players and to understand my players. I think that is one of the problems of the clubs.

“We have to focus on what we have. We have to focus on the academy and also to have a clear profile when you get the players. So, it’s a lot of details you have to manage. You can see at set-pieces, sometimes you look at our team and we are a small team compared to others.

“Every detail counts and we have to be very clear first in the profiles, arrange all the process and then go to that phase of buying and selling players.

“But we have, like Ty (Malacia), international players, good players and we need time to teach them our ideas and then we will see because this is a massive club. If we don’t win, the coach goes, the player goes, so you have to know that.

“We have to improve as a team, we have to arrange a lot of things in our club before thinking just in buying or selling players. There’s a lot to do, so let’s focus on improving our players, improving our academy and then see.”

Manchester United line-ups

16:31 , Mike Jones

Man Utd XI:

Amorim explains Nottingham Forest defeat

16:24 , Mike Jones

The Manchester United boss was quick to explain where he feels his team can improve after losing to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

He said: “It is really simple. I think against Nottingham [Forest] we should pass the ball a little bit quicker, so it is with safety but a little bit more quicker when everything is blocked.

“For me the most important point is that every player should be in the good position to start when we play. We were controlling the game and we started the second half very well and if you remember one play, Leny Yoro makes a one-two, jumps and then makes a bad pass. He [gives them] a counter attack and then, a goal.

“We have to continue to play in the same way but with a low block. It is this kind of details and you have to play the ball by preparing to lose the ball sometimes. These kind of points are really important in our team because in the past, and still, in this moment you can see a lot of moments like this.

“I can remember just from the top of my head, the game against Liverpool, all the goals were mostly like that and we are doing work on that. You see the same thing last week so we are trying to improve with the ball but also the way when you can lose the ball, you are covering our own goal.”

Man Utd discover a painful lesson as Ruben Amorim’s honeymoon period abruptly ended

16:17 , Mike Jones

A historic victory for a catalytic Portuguese manager at Old Trafford. Just what Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the powerbrokers who headhunted Ruben Amorim imagined, but for one minor detail. The winner was not their glamorous newcomer but the unfashionable figure of Nuno Espirito Santo, who has steered Nottingham Forest to heights few dared to think they could touch. As for Amorim, his honeymoon period seems fleeting. The problems at Manchester United, it appears, could only be concealed for three matches.

Since then, Amorim has suffered back-to-back defeats. If losing at Arsenal had a logic, being beaten by Forest at Old Trafford was the sort of chastening setback that happened all too often in Erik ten Hag’s final 14 months in charge. Amorim’s United displayed familiar flaws and new shortcomings, contributing to their own downfall with individual errors, slow starts and set-piece failings. Much as in Ten Hag’s unravelling, United were too open, too liable to be counterattacked and left the midfield too empty. Some of this was Ten Hag-style chaos.

Man Utd discover a painful lesson as Amorim’s honeymoon period ends

Man Utd’s travelling squad for tonight’s game

16:10 , Mike Jones

Goalkeepers: Altay Bayindir, Tom Heaton, Andre Onana.

Defenders: Diogo Dalot, Matthijs De Ligt, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez, Noussair Mazraoui, Leny Yoro.

Midfielders: Casemiro, Toby Collyer, Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount, Manuel Ugarte.

Forwards: Amad, Antony, Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford, Joshua Zirkzee.

Man Utd prepare for Viktoria Plzen

16:03 , Mike Jones

As team news approaches here’s a few pics on Man Utd preparing for tonight’s game:

Ruben Amorim makes frank admission over Dan Ashworth’s Manchester United exit

15:56 , Mike Jones

Ruben Amorim admits sporting director Dan Ashworth’s shock exit is “not the best situation” but the Manchester United head coach believes the club’s vision remains clear and unaffected.

Sunday morning brought the stunning announcement that the 53-year-old was leaving Old Trafford just 159 days after an agreement was finally struck to bring him from Newcastle.

Ashworth’s departure was met by surprise from afar as well as inside United, where the PA news agency understands there was shock from many staff despite a sense that things had not been going smoothly within the hierarchy.

Ruben Amorim makes frank admission over Dan Ashworth’s Manchester United exit

More on Ashworth’s exit

15:49 , Mike Jones

“I have felt, since day one, the support from everybody so one person leaving doesn’t change nothing,” Ruben Amorim added.

“Of course it is a bad situation like I said because you are talking about a human being, a professional that supports us as a team. I think the most important thing is that the vision is really clear and that vision does not change only because one person leaves.”

Amorim address Ashworth departure

15:42 , Mike Jones

As head coach of Manchester United, Ruben Amorim is discovering that he cannot just stick to football when it comes to speaking to the media.

So much is happening off the pitch, such as the exit of sporting director Dan Ashworth, that the manager will always have to have his say on things.

Amorim was asked about Ashworth’s departure this week and he said: “The first thing that I want to say is since the first day I have felt great support from the ownership.

“From Omar [Berrada] and then also from Jason [Wilcox], and Dan [Ashworth] was part of that. Really, really, really felt the support from them also.

“But this is football and sometimes these things happen with players and with coaches. I know it is not the best situation but the important thing is we continue in our way. The path is really clear for everybody. I think this can happen in football.”

Inside Dan Ashworth’s farcical Man Utd exit and the power struggle in the Old Trafford soap opera

15:35 , Mike Jones

Dan Ashworth has left Manchester United because Sir Jim Ratcliffe wanted to act on something he felt wasn’t working rather than wait in the hope that it would work. The stance of the club’s principal decision-maker is that there is no time to waste. It has led to shock at Carrington.

The big question at Old Trafford is whether that same seriousness will now extend to United’s leadership structure, given that things look increasingly farcical.

Personality clashes have contributed to Ashworth’s departure. He wasn’t really fitting into the structure either, although that was partly due to a case of “too many cooks”. Alongside these reasons was also doubt about some of Ashworth’s judgement.

Inside Dan Ashworth’s farcical Man Utd exit and the power struggle at Old Trafford

Predicting Man Utd’s line-up

15:28 , Mike Jones

With a Manchester derby looming at the weekend and United also in need of performing well in the Europa League, Ruben Amorim seems somewhat stuck with how best to utilise his squad.

The manager has been vocal about drilling each of his players with his 3-4-3 system so expect a fairly strong team to head onto the pitch tonight.

Possible line-up

Man Utd XI: Onana; Mazraoui, Maguire, Martinez; Dalot, Eriksen, Casemiro, Malacia; Rashford, Mount; Zirkzee

What is the Manchester United team news?

15:21 , Mike Jones

Apart from Luke Shaw, United had full availability for training on Wednesday as Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof returned to the group.

Amorim could decide to rest players such as Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo ahead of Sunday’s Manchester derby against City. Marcus Rashford, who has started on the bench for their last two games, may start.

How can I watch it?

15:14 , Mike Jones

It will be shown live on TNT Sports 2, with coverage starting at 5:30pm. TNT Sports customers can also stream the match live on Discovery+. You can purchase a TNT Sports subscription via discovery+ here, for only £30.99 per month.

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When is Viktoria Plzen vs Manchester United?

15:07 , Mike Jones

The match will kick off at 5:45pm GMT (UK time) on Thursday 12 December.

Viktoria Plzen vs Man Utd

15:00 , Mike Jones

Manchester United will look to bounce back from two defeats in a row under Ruben Amorim as they return to Europa League action against Viktoria Plzen.

The list of problems Amorim has inherited on the pitch were clear in the losses at Arsenal and at home to Nottingham Forest - while there has been further drama off the pitch with the departure of sporting director Dan Ashworth.

United’s position in the Europa League standings has been improved by back-to-back wins over PAOK and Bodo/Glimt at Old Trafford and they sit 12th in the table with the chance to climb further.

That’s one place above Viktoria Plzen, who have an identical record to United with two wins and three draws from their first five games as they prepare to host Amorim’s side.

United have won away from home just once this season - at bottom-club Southampton in the Premier League.

Good evening!

11:43 , Mike Jones

Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s Europa League action as Manchester United look to shake off the demons of recent defeats and get back to winning ways against Viktoria Plzen.

Ruben Amorim’s side have lost twice in a row and the Portuguese boss will be keen to build some momentum ahead of the weekend’s Manchester derby.

We’ll have all the team news, line-ups and updates throughout the evening so stick with us as we build up to kick off at 5.45pm.