Europa League: LASK Linz v Man Utd betting preview, free tips, TV details

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for LASK Linz v Manchester United in the Europa League.

Where to watch

BT Sport 2, 5.55pm

Best bet

LASK Linz draw no bet
1pt 31-20Betfair, Paddy Power

Team news

LASK Linz
Five-goal Husein Balic is a doubt and Thomas Goiginger and Marvin Potzmann are sidelined. Key defenders Philipp Wiesinger and Petar Filipovic are suspended.

Manchester United
Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford remain sidelined while Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are doubts.

Match preview

Winning the Europa League is no longer Manchester United's clearest path to next season's Champions League and any complacency in Europe's secondary competition is sure to be punished by an underrated LASK Linz outfit.

A five-game unbeaten run in the league featuring wins over Chelsea and Manchester City has put the Red Devils just three points off a top-four berth, meaning Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men have two ways of qualifying for the Champions League next season.

But giving any less focus to their first leg with the Austrians - a possibility given it is wedged between league contests with City and Tottenham - could be dangerous.

LASK are ranked 25th in this season's Uefa club coefficient rankings after topping Group D above Sporting Lisbon, PSV Eindhoven and Rosenborg, beating all three sides at home.

But it was perhaps the last 32 where they created the biggest impression, beating AZ Alkmaar, who held United 0-0 in October, 3-1 over two legs.

All four of those clubs can boast more recent European experience than the Austrians, who have played without fear in the competition and managed more shots (152) in this term's Europa League than any other club.

They are flying high domestically as well, top of the Austrian Bundesliga, six points ahead of European regulars Red Bull Salzburg.

While they can go full strength with a comfortable home match with Hartberg at the weekend, United could be fatigued from their defeat of Man City, forcing Solskjaer into changes.

Despite claiming three points and keeping a clean sheet, United were chasing for much of that game, seeing only 27 per cent of the ball and their recent increased energy levels could drop on their travels.

They have won only one of their four away games in this season's competition, beating Partizan Belgrade but losing to Astana and drawing with Alkmaar and Club Brugge in the previous knockout round.

If they are to progress it will most likely be down to their performance in the return leg at Old Trafford, and backing LASK Linz in the draw-no-bet market could be the best betting strategy.