Manchester United play host to Celta Vigo on Thursday night having established a 1-0 lead from the first leg of their Europa League semi-final tie.
The Spaniards will acknowledge that they are now regarded as huge underdogs to progress through to the final in Stockholm, but a 2-1 victory would be enough to prevail at Old Trafford.
Manchester United
© SilverHub
When Marcus Rashford's free kick hit the back of the net in Spain less than a week ago, it represented just rewards for United after they had largely controlled proceedings against their La Liga opponents.
It was not pretty - nor entertaining - at times, but at this stage of the competition, it was job done for Jose Mourinho and his players and although they will rue a late missed chance for Jesse Lingard, they gained a result which they know should help them through to the final against either Ajax or Lyon.
Of course, complacency could become a factor for a team who do not necessarily go out looking for goals at every given opportunity, but with all that is riding on this result and potentially the next one in Sweden on May 24, Mourinho will drum into his squad that they cannot afford to falter after dedicating so much effort into reaching this stage of the competition.
The importance of Thursday's second leg went up a level when United suffered a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, with the result leaving them as outsiders to achieve fourth place in the Premier League table. That target is still mathematically possible but Mourinho has rightly stressed that the Europa League is their best chance of gaining Champions League football for next season.
There is an element of risk to that mindset but aside from goalkeeper David de Gea, Mourinho will field his strongest possible XI against Vigo and against a club who sit in mid-table in Spain's top flight, that should be enough.
Mourinho will still wonder where the goals are going to come from, with just nine being scored in their last eight outings in all competitions, but an early strike may be all it takes for them to see out the remainder of the tie in relatively comfortable fashion.
Up until the setback at the Emirates Stadium, they had not conceded two goals in a match since February 26 - a run stretching 16 games - so failure to see out this tie would see Mourinho having to answer more questions regarding below-par performances this season.
Recent form: WDWDWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWDDWL
Celta Vigo
© AFP
Celta Vigo have enjoyed a fine campaign this season, and such as been their form that this was considered to be a testing tie for United, but they are showing signs of tiredness ahead of the closing weeks of the campaign.
A 1-0 defeat to United at Balaido would have been one which was accepted by some at the Spanish outfit but when assessing the bigger picture, it was their fifth match without a win in all competitions, a streak that was extended at the weekend.
Boss Eduardo Berizzo made 10 changes for his team's trip to Malaga and the 3-0 setback will be put down to a weakened side being fielded, but it also showed the need for Berizzo to keep players fresh for the trip to England.
Vigo have scored just two goals in their last 540 minutes of action, with their only victory in La Liga since the start of April coming against doomed Granada.
Their results effectively takes the pressure off ahead of one of the biggest matches in their near 94-year history, but they are also undermining the work they have put in to reach this stage of the tournament.
Emerging from two-legged ties against Shakhtar Donetsk and Krasnodar deserves high praise, but they are going to have to produce a display not in keeping with the last three weeks if they are to maintain hope of earning a potential reunion with Ajax, who they played during the group stages.
Recent form: WWWWDL
Recent form (all competitions): DLLLLL
Team News
© SilverHub
United have been dealt a blow with the news that Ashley Young is likely to miss the remainder of the season with the hamstring injury sustained during the final minutes of the first leg.
However, United showed that they still have strength in depth for this stage of the season with the squad named for the meeting with Arsenal, and it means that Mourinho is likely to be able to call upon the team which started last Thursday.
That would mean that Eric Bailly, Daley Blind and Paul Pogba all feature after remaining as unused substitutes at the weekend, while Marcus Rashford is expected to return in attack.
As with each of their knockout fixtures in the Europa League, Sergio Romero will take his place in goal.
Vigo boss Berizzo will recall the majority, if not all, of the players who missed out at the weekend, with the likes of John Guidetti and Iago Aspas - formerly of Manchester City and Liverpool respectively - featuring in attack.
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Romero, Valencia, Bailly, Blind, Darmian, Fellaini, Herrera, Pogba, Lingard, Mkhitaryan, Rashford
Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:
Alvarez, Mallo, Cabral, Roncaglia, Castro Otto, Radoja, Hernandez, Wass, Sisto, Aspas, Guidetti
Head To Head
The one and only previous meeting between the two sides took place last Thursday, with Rashford's free kick proving to be the difference.
However, United do not possess the greatest of records against Spanish opposition in general, with just 13 wins coming from 48 matches.
Their last encounter with a team from La Liga came during the 2013-14 campaign, where they claimed four points from two games against Real Sociedad in the Champions League group stages.
Vigo, meanwhile, are making their first appearance in Europe for a decade and they last played an English team during the 2006-07 season when they lost out 2-1 to Newcastle United in a UEFA Cup contest at St James' Park.
We say: Manchester United 2-1 Celta Vigo
United have produced professional performances for much of the season and they have to replicate that on Thursday night. Vigo will feel as though they have nothing to lose in the North-West of England and they will remain in the tie as long as it stays at 1-0, but we feel that United will control the game and run out comfortable victors on aggregate.
Darren Plant
