Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match between Manchester United and Wolfsburg the Champions League group stages return to Old Trafford! Both sides had contrasting fortunes on matchday one of the competition, which makes this one all the more intriguing. Let's start with a look at the team news...

MANCHESTER UNITED STARTING XI: De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, Blind, Darmian; Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger; Mata, Rooney, Memphis; Martial

MANCHESTER UNITED SUBS: Romero, Jones, McNair, Pereira, Young, Fellaini, Wilson

WOLFSBURG STARTING XI: Benaglio; Trasch, Naldo, Dante, Rodriguez; Caligiuri, Draxler, Guilavogui, Kruse, Arnold; Dost

WOLFSBURG SUBS: Grün, Bendtner, Schäfer, Klose, Schürrle, Jung, Seguin

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well there is just the one change for United from the side that dispatched Sunderland last time out, with Schweinsteiger coming in in place of Carrick alongside Schneiderlin. Van Gaal has rotated his central midfielders pretty regularly so far, so it is no surprise to see that change, and also no real surprise that he had kept other switches to a minimum.

Leading the line once again for United is Anthony Martial, who was quiet on his Champions League debut for the club against PSV Eindhoven but has, on the whole, made a very positive start to his Manchester United career. Of course, there was no better way for him to introduce himself than that fine solo goal against Liverpool, and in all he now has four goals in five games for the Red Devils.

He will, of course, not be the only danger man for the hosts tonight, and Wayne Rooney in particular will be hoping to pose a scoring threat again having broken his Premier League duck at the weekend. Not only did he score in the league for the first time since April 4, but he also equalled the great Denis Law's tally for the club, so he should be flying going into this game. He already has a Champions League hat-trick to his name this season, and he will be looking to build on that weekend goal now following a relatively slow start to the season.

Memphis Depay is another who got his first Premier League goal at the weekend, but his best performances so far have been reserved for this competition. He scored twice on his Champions League debut against Club Brugge and will go into any game thinking that he is capable of finding the back of the net. He is joined in those three behind the striker by Juan Mata, who has been one of United's best players so far this season.

The defence, meanwhile, stays the same for the hosts, which means that Darmian continues at left-back with Shaw still out following that horrific injury against PSV on matchday one. Valencia remains on the right, while the preferred partnership of Smalling and Blind once again stick together in front of Dea Gea.

As for Wolfsburg, the man looking to breach that back line will be Bas Dost, who is fast establishing himself as a goalscorer of the top order over in Germany. He has five goals in six league starts so far this season having also netted 16 times in 17 starts last term, so there is no doubt that he knows where the goal is. Should he get so much as a sniff tonight, he is capable of taking it.

Long-time Arsenal target Julian Draxler once again plays in midfield having scored the only goal of the game for his side on matchday one's victory over CSKA Moscow. Manager Dieter Hecking has not been entirely pleased with the summer signing from Schalke, and that goal against CSKA remains the only one he has scored for the club thus far, but there is no doubting his ability when he is on form.

Elsewhere, Dante has plenty of experience in this competition from his time with Bayern Munich, and tonight he comes up against a former teammate in the shape of Schweinsteiger. Former Premier League duo Andre Schurrle and Nicklas Bendtner are forced to settle for places on the bench, however, with the latter having scored all eight of his Wolfsburg goals as a substitute so far.

There is no doubt that United come into this match as favourites, despite their loss on matchday one of the Champions League. Domestically they come into the tie in really good form, and of course boosted by the fact that they now lead the table in the Premier League for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club. It wasn't the most convincing start to their campaign, but Louis van Gaal has kept his side picking up points and things are looking good for the club right now.

Tonight's hosts come into this game off the back of four wins from their last five outings, including victory in their last three on the bounce. They have kept clean sheets in the last two as well, but defence was never really an area of concern in the opening stages of the season. It was at the other end of the field that United looked a bit short, but they have now scored three goals in each of their last three games and 13 in their last five overall, so they are improving in that respect too.

It wouldn't take Sir Alex Ferguson to tell you that goals at one end and a tight defence at the other is a winning formula, and in that respect United certainly deserve their place at the top of the Premier League standings at the moment. No team has conceded fewer than the Red Devils so far this season - not bad considering they have had injury problems at the back and are playing a natural defensive midfielder, Daley Blind, alongside Smalling. They have also scored 12 goals, which is a tally that only three teams can beat.

They were 3-0 winners over rock-bottom Sunderland at the weekend, although that scoreline makes it look perhaps a little more comfortable than it was. The opening 45 minutes were relatively even and, although not much happened in the game, particularly in terms of clear chances, Sunderland may have been feeling relatively good about themselves. However, Memphis's goal right on the stroke of half time changed things, and in the opening minutes of the second it was effectively game over through Rooney's strike. Mata added a late third to seal a solid victory for Van Gaal's side.

As mentioned, though, things weren't quite as rosy on matchday one over in Eindhoven. In fact, that game went just about as badly as it could have for United. Not only did they lose the game having squandered the lead, but they also lost Luke Shaw to a broken leg which could keep him out for the remainder of the season. It was not the return to the big time that the club would have planned, and another defeat this evening would leave them in a very perilous position indeed.

Their home form is good, though. They are unbeaten at Old Trafford so far this season, winning five, drawing one and keeping four clean sheets in the process. They have also scored three in each of their last three games here, while in the Champions League they have not been beaten in their own back yard since March 2013, when Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid came to town. Since then, they have won five and drawn one, with that draw coming against Bayern Munich during the ill-fated David Moyes era.

They will not have found themselves in this position too often, however. Indeed, the last time they went into the second game of the Champions League campaign without a point to their name was all the way back in 1996-97, when they were beaten by Juventus on matchday one. They have never lost their opening two games of a Champions League season and, in truth, all the signs point to them extending that run today. They have only been beaten four times in their last 65 home Champions League matches, winning 46 of those.

Despite that rather formidable record, they will not be taking Wolfsburg lightly. The German outfit enjoyed one of their best ever campaigns last season, finishing second behind only Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and also clinching the DFB-Pokal. They did lose a couple of key players during the summer - most notably Kevin De Bruyne to United's local rivals Manchester City - but they did manage to beat Bayern on penalties in the Super Cup final earlier this season.

They can pose threats to top teams, then, but they don't come into this game in the best form. They are fourth in the Bundesliga table of seven games of the season, already nine points off leaders Bayern who, predictably, have made a perfect start to the campaign. They actually came up against Bayern in their most recent away game, a match that will go down in history as the Robert Lewandowski show. The Pole came off the bench to score an unfathomable five goals in just under nine minutes to condemn Wolfsburg to a 5-1 defeat.

There were more dropped points at the weekend too as they drew 1-1 with Hannover, a particularly disappointing result considering Hannover's start to the season. They took the lead and then lost it against a side who had lost five in a row since the opening day of the season. Indeed, that draw provided Hannover with just their second point of the season, leaving them rooted to the bottom of the Bundesliga table.

It's not quite an ideal time to be travelling to Old Trafford, then, but it must also be noted that their form looks better over a longer stretch of time. That Lewandowski-inspired Bayern drubbing is Wolfsburg's only defeat in their last 16 matches in all competitions - a run that stretches back to April of this year. As previously mentioned, that streak includes a penalty-shootout victory over Bayern Munich in the Super Cup final.

Things have not been quite as good on the road, however, with just one victory from their last five away games in all competitions, and none in their last three. Even that victory was not particularly impressive as they began their DFB-Pokal defence with victory over Stuttgarter Kickers - a team who ply their trade in the third tier of German football.

Wolfsburg are back in the Champions League proper for the first time in six years this season, and by a quirky coincidence they were also drawn in a group alongside Manchester United and CSKA Moscow on that occasion too. They failed to progress from the group on that occasion, however, managing two wins, a draw and three defeats to finish in third place. Two of those defeats came against United as well, so they will know how important a victory could prove to be here.

Matchday one saw them overcome CSKA Moscow by a slender margin as Julian Draxler got the only goal of the game in Germany, and they will know that they have to improve from that performance if they are to get anything out of this evening's game. They lost two and won one of their away matches back in 2009-10 groups, including a 2-1 defeat here at Old Trafford.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Old Trafford, which means that it is time for a prediction! United are certainly the favourites and, considering the recent form of these two sides, it is hard to see past them this evening. Wolfsburg certainly won't be easy to beat, but United should have enough about them and with Rooney and Memphis finally among the goals at the weekend, they will hope to be a little more clinical than they were at the start of the campaign. I'll go for a 3-1 home victory.

United have a favourable record against German opposition in the Champions League, winning 10 of their 14 meetings and losing just three times. Overall in Europe their record stands at won eight, drawn four and lost two against Bundesliga opposition, while in all his matches with German sides down the years, Louis van Gaal has won 10 and lost just four of 18 meetings.

As for Wolfsburg, they have made three previous visits to these shores and they have lost all three of those games. Indeed, their only away defeat of the 2014-15 Europa League campaign came not far from here as they lost 4-1 at the hands of Everton. They have scored on each visit, however, and of their seven Champions League group games in the past, they have only failed to find the back of the net once.

No German side has won here at Old Trafford since April 2001, however, while none have kept a clean sheet since March 2002, on both occasions Bayern Munich being the side to achieve that feat. It certainly hasn't been a happy hunting ground for German sides down the years, and that run includes the 2-1 win for United between these two teams exactly six years ago today. In the reverse fixture of that meeting, incidentally, a Michael Owen hat-trick helped United to a 3-1 win, with Edin Dzeko getting Wolfsburg's goal.

Right, the players are out, the anthem has been played and we're just about ready to go here. Can United get their first points of their Champions League season or will Wolfsburg continue to pile the misery on English clubs in Europe? There are plenty of other games going on across the continent tonight, of course, and you can follow live coverage of them all with us.

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Manchester United get us underway as the Champions League proper returns to Old Trafford!

Almost an early chance for United to use the pace of Martial in behind as Schweinsteiger puts a ball over the top. However, Benaglio is out to mop up the danger quickly.

What a start for Wolfsburg as they take the lead inside five minutes! Caligiuri starts and finishes the move, attacking Darmain down the right and cutting inside. He plays the ball inside and continues his run, eventually being found by a simple through-ball from Kruse. He finds himself in acres of space inside the box having been played onside by Valencia, and he sweeps it past a helpless De Gea. Incredible!

That was a good move from Wolfsburg, but you have to question the United defending there. It seemed far too easy for Wolfsburg to carve them open, and they were duly punished. You'd have to say that Valencia was most at fault with some lazy play to keep Caligiuri onside.

This has been a very confident start from the visitors. They are knocking the ball about nicely inside the United half, and at the moment they look more like the home side. Dieter Hecking will be delighted with what he has seen so far.

UPDATE: There has been a goal in the other match in Group B tonight, and it is an interesting one that could keep things wide open. CSKA Moscow have taken the lead against PSV, which would leave both of those sides on three points, Wolfsburg on six and United on zero as things stand.

CHANCE! A half-chance at best, but still a sight of goal for United as Benaglio's clearance is poor, straight to Schweinsteiger. The goal is completely open and the German looks to fire a first-time volley into the empty net, but it is a difficult one and he doesn't catch it right.

CHANCE! Magnificent defending from Dante! United get behind the defence down the left flank through Darmian's whose ball across goal in a good one to find Mata at the back post. The Spaniard takes a touch before curling one that looks destined for the far corner, but Dante makes a quite brilliant headed clearance behind for a corner.

CHANCE! United are beginning to knock on the door a little here. Martial is the latest to come close as he escapes the attentions of three defenders with some good footwork before sending another curling effort towards the far corner from a similar position to Mata's moments ago. This time it curls wide of the target, though.

This is a good spell from United right now. They have wrestled control of the game back from Wolfsburg and look dangerous when they are able to get in behind the visitors.

SHOT! Another shooting chance for the hosts as they speed things up a little around the box, but Mata doesn't quite catch his effort and in the end it trickles through to safety.

Smalling gives the ball away on his own halfway line, and Wolfsburg immediately pour forward in numbers looking to punish the centre-back. The ball is eventually fed out to Trasch, who has made a good run, but he can't find anyone with his cross on the stretch.

Schweinsteiger has made a good start in midfield for United, but he needs help from those in front of him. He has played a few dangerous balls over the top already, and the likes of Martial and Memphis need to make more of those runs.

Schweinsteiger gets forward himself this time, collecting a pass from Martial before faking a shot on his left and instead cutting on his right. The Old Trafford crowd beg for him to go for goal, but his eventual effort is really disappointing and well off target.

CHANCE! Chance for United to get back on level terms as Martial again beats his marker before finding Rooney, but the skipper's shot is too high.

CHANCE! Another opening for the home side, this time for Martial himself as he gets onto the end of Mata's inch-perfect delivery, but his header lacks the power required to really trouble Benaglio, who collects comfortably.

United have certainly had the better of things in terms of sights of goal in the opening half an hour here, but it is Wolfsburg who still lead and they will be pretty content with how things have gone so far. They look dangerous on the break too.

Dante's experience is making a difference tonight. He has made a really solid start at the back for the visitors and that is helping to keep United at bay.

Mata, having won the penalty, tucks it home from the spot to level things up for his side. He puts it right into the bottom corner, sending the keeper the wrong way, having seen his cross strike the hand of Caligiuri to win the spot kick. The Wolfsburg gets a yellow card for the handball too, but the biggest punishment is delivered by Mata's equaliser.

United have their tails up at the moment, and you have to say that they deserve to at least be level given the chances that they have created. I would be surprised if we had seen the last of the goals in this one, and right now United look most likely to get the next.

CHANCE! Indeed, United almost get that goal there! Mata is again involved as he spins away and finds Memphis in acres of space inside the box. Trasch is nowhere to be seen, but Memphis can't take advantage as he sees his shot on the turn saved by the feet of Benaglio.

UPDATE: There is a very interesting result brewing over in Moscow, where CSKA are now 3-0 up against United's matchday one conquerors PSV Eindhoven. Perhaps this group may not be as kind as United first felt!

YELLOW CARD! Schneiderlin goes into the book for United but, in truth, it is a harsh one for the French midfield. He got some of the ball and there was very little in the actual challenge itself.

YELLOW CARD! Schweinsteiger is furious as he also goes into the book for a late challenge on Arnold. The referee comes back to caution the German midfielder after Caligiuri had sent a dragged effort wide of the target.

Martial is looking sharp tonight. He has made a couple of bright runs and is playing right on the shoulder of the last defender. He has been caught offside a few times, but if he can time the run right then Wolfsburg could be in trouble.

The referee brings an end to the opening 45 minutes at Old Trafford, then, and we're all square between Manchester United and Wolfsburg. The two sides go into the break with a goal apiece having played out a largely entertaining first half. Wolfsburg will be pretty happy with how things have gone so far, but United have had the better of the chances and certainly deserve to be at least level here.

It was Wolfsburg who broke the deadlock after just four minutes of play when Caligiuri came forward down the right flank, drawing Blind over to him before beating the Dutchman and Darmian. Caligiuri then gave the ball inside before continuing his run and collecting the through-ball from Kruse, sweeping the finish past De Gea having been played onside by Valencia.

United got the equaliser with just over 10 minutes remaining in the half, however, as Juan Mata tucked a penalty into the bottom corner having won the spot kick himself. His cross hit the hand of Caligiuri in the area and, while the Wolfsburg goalscorer would argue that he was too close to his man, his arm was out and it is easy to see why the referee pointed to the spot. Mata was given the honours above Rooney, and duly dispatched his effort.

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United had created a number of chances before drawing level, the best of which perhaps fell to Rooney when he couldn;t keep an effort down having been found by Martial. Martial then missed one of his own shortly after that, but the youngster has looked bright in possession and certainly looks capable of causing the visitors a few problems with his runs in behind.

Mata was denied a goal earlier than his penalty by a fine piece of defending from Dante, who flicked the ball over for a corner when it looked destined to nestle into the top corner. Martial had a similar one moments later that ended up a yard or so high and wide of the target, while just before those two Schweinsteiger was unable to make the most of a difficult shooting chance with the goal gaping following a poor clearance from the goalkeeper.

KICKOFF: Wolfsburg get us back underway for the second half, and the first thing to tell you is that the hosts have made a change, bringing on Ashley Young in place of Valencia at right-back.

Wolfsburg have made a really good start to this half, and they test out the new man early with a ball in behind Young. Caligiuri races on to the pass before playing a fine cross into the box, but Darmian is there to make a crucial interception, denying Dost a tap-in.

Some more slick, quick passing almost sets Dost clean through on goal, with Kruse playing the killer pass again. This time the flag is raised, however, and the replay shows that it is a good decision from the assistant.

United are looking to pick the pace up here as they take a quick throw to Memphis, who flicks a tasty cross into the middle. Martial is there, but it is just too high for the youngster to get enough contact on it.

United take the lead, and it is the unlikely figure of Chris Smalling who gets it! Young does really well down the right initially to beat Kruse and swing a cross in that is only cleared as far as Schweinsteiger. The German scuffs his first-time shot, but it bounces to Mata, who flicks a beauty of a pass over the defence. Smalling is alert to that and slides in to poke it past the keeper from close range.

CHANCE! Almost an immediate response from Wolfsburg as Caligiuri works himself a yard of space before driving a low effort towards the near post that De Gea is down smartly to save.

What have Wolfsburg got in reply, then? They have looked smart in possession tonight, particularly Kruse, but chances have been few and far between for them in truth. They need to show a little more cutting edge in the final third.

Mistake from Naldo as he puts far too much on a pass towards Rodriguez, gifting United a throw-in high up the field.

From that throw, United work the ball out to Memphis on the left, but his curling effort is gathered by Benaglio. It wasn't the easiest one for the keeper, but he was always expected to save it.

YELLOW CARD! Memphis goes into the book, and it is another very harsh one. He caught Trasch ever so slightly on the chin with his hand, but it was not intentional at all and the Wolfsburg defender made a lot of it.

MANCHESTER UNITED SUB: That proves to be the last action for Memphis as he is replaced by Andreas Pereira.

A concern for United here as Smalling is slow to get to his feet following an aerial clash with Dost. He doesn't look entirely comfortable having landed awkwardly, but he will try to run it off.

Decent football from United as Martial, Rooney and Mata are all involved, but Schweinsteiger eventually loses the ball when trying collect a firm pass from Martial around 25 yards from goal.

Wolfsburg are preparing a couple of changes here, and they are both attacking ones. The former Premier League duo of Andre Schurrle and Nicklas Bendtner are both imminent.

WOLFSBURG SUBS: There are those changes as Arnold and Dost are the men to make way in favour of Schurrle and Bendtner.

CLOSE! Almost an immediate impact from Schurrle as he collects a pass from Caligiuri before twisting and turning away from Blind to create space for a shot. His effort is pulled along the floor with De Gea beaten, but it trickles narrowly past the far post.

MANCHESTER UNITED SUB: Another change for the hosts as Schweinsteiger makes way and Phil Jones comes on in his place. That will see Blind move up into midfield.

Important contribution from Jones straight away as he slides in to knock Schurrle's dangerous low cross behind for a corner. This is a good spell for the visitors, though, and United are having to weather a bit of a storm right now.

CHANCE! Almost an equaliser for Wolfsburg! Draxler does well down the right flank to beat his man and zip a low cross into the middle that Bendtner swings at but can't connect properly with. The ball bounces up towards Dante, who manages to react and turn it goalwards, but Rooney is right there in front of his keeper to make a crucial block.

WOLFSBURG SUB: The third and final change of the evening for the visitors sees Sebastian Jung replace Trasch.

YELLOW CARD! Young goes into the book for time-wasting, which is a sign of United's mentality at the moment. They are on the back foot and, right now, Wolfsburg look most likely to get the game's fourth goal.

The home fans and players are getting a little nervous right now. A few decision have gone against them in the last few minutes and they haven't really been able to get out for about 15 minutes now. They may need to batten down the hatches for the last 10.

United are just hacking the ball clear whenever they get it now, which is only succeeding in giving possession straight back to Wolfsburg. The hosts are lacking a little bit of composure at the moment.

Free kick in a very dangerous position for Wolfsburg here as Draxler is tripped by Schneiderlin, who is a little fortunate not to get a second booking there.

CLOSE! Rodriguez is the man to take it and he gets his effort up and down alright, but he puts just too much curl on it as it flies wide of the target. De Gea looked to have it covered, though.

Really good pressing from United as Wolfsburg take a quick free kick deep in their own half but are instantly hounded by United players and not allowed to get out. That is exactly what they need to relieve a bit of pressure.

A quick reminder that, as things stand, all four teams in Group B will be level on three points. Wolfsburg are applying the late pressure, though, so this one is not over yet.

There will be a minimum of three minutes added time for Wolfsburg to find an equaliser.

United hang on for their first Champions League win of the group stages, beating Wolfsburg 2-1 at Old Trafford after an entertaining contest between two very good sides. On the evidence of tonight this will be a very well contested group, but favourites United are finally off the mark despite some nervous moments in the second half.

The game was just four minutes old when Wolfsburg took the lead, Caligiuri taking advantage of some questionable defending to latch on to Kruse's through-ball and sweep his finish past De Gea. United pushed for an equaliser in reply, and it finally arrived 10 minutes before the break when Mata sent the keeper the wrong way with a penalty that he himself had won for his side via a Caligiuri handball. Chris Smalling then got what proved to be the winner by sliding in to divert Mata's flick home from close range.

That is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for another memorable night of European action as United celebrate the return of the Champions League group stages to Old Trafford with victory. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction, analysis and player ratings. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!