Man United to set new European record for English clubs in clash with Sabah

Manchester United will set a new European record for English clubs in Thursday's Champions League contest with Azerbaijani outfit Sabah.

The fixture will be Man United's 300th European Cup match, and the Red Devils will become the first English club to reach that impressive milestone.

Man United are also preparing to make their 26th appearance in the Champions League proper - the most by any English club, but this will be their first involvement in the group stage/league phase until 2023-24, when they were knocked out in the group stage.

The Red Devils have only been victorious in one of their last seven group stage/league phase matches in the competition, suffering four defeats in the process.

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Man United will begin Champions League campaign vs. Sabah

That said, the 20-time English champions have won each of their last six home European fixtures, finding the back of the net on 20 occasions.

Man United's last European campaign ended with a 1-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the final of the Europa League in 2024-25.

The Red Devils have won the European Cup on three previous occasions, first lifting the famous trophy in 1968, before triumphing in 1999 and 2008.

Meanwhile, their last progression to the knockout round came in 2021-22, losing to Atletico Madrid in the round of 16.

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Carrick is under pressure to deliver a win against Sabah

It would go down as a major disappointment if the Red Devils were unable to progress to the knockout stage of this season's tournament.

Atletico Madrid, Como, Roma, Sporting Lisbon, RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and Villarreal will also be Man United's opponents in the league phase of this season's Champions League.

Michael Carrick's side will be aiming to bounce back from conceding late in a 2-2 draw with Everton when they take to the field on Thursday night.

An underwhelming start to the 2026-27 Premier League campaign has seen Man United pick up four points from their three matches against Hull City, Ipswich Town and Everton.