Manchester United, a side that contested the Champions League final just five and a bit years ago, are not participating in the continent’s premier club cup competition this year.
Their fifth place finish in the league last season meant they’d have to settle for a place in the Europa League, a competition that’s looking increasingly likely to be their best hope of making it back to the Champions League next year.
Just a point from their remaining group fixture – away at Zorya Luhansk – will be enough to clinch qualification to the next round, with even a defeat being enough to go through if Fenerbahce beat Feyenoord in the other match being played in their group.
Either way, Jose Mourinho will have to field a strong side to make absolutely sure of his side’s progress and with that in mind, he won’t be too impressed with the state of the pitch his players will be playing on on Thursday evening.
The game has been moved to Odessa on the Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, over 500 miles from Luhansk. That far east, winter has a much firmer grip on the land than it has over here, as shown from the state of the playing surface on which United will be playing.
24 hours before the game, United familiarised themselves with the surroundings and took to the pitch for a warm-up. As the tweet below highlights, the pitch is quite clearly frozen solid – with Daley Blind appearing to liken it to rock.
Just listen to the sound it makes under foot…
Listen to the sound the pitch makes. Daley Blind says it is "like a rock". Paul Pogba just laughed. #MUFC players don't look happy pic.twitter.com/Pn9SCS36Lp
— Simon Peach (@SimonPeach) December 7, 2016
If they manage not to qualify, at least Mr Mourinho has a new excuse.
