Ten Hag fears sack as Man Utd face Porto and Arsenal, Foden eye Champions League statements

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has a potentially fatal hurdle to overcome in Portugal but we have some incredible Champions League ties in a Big Midweek of action.

Game to watch: Arsenal v PSG

Mikel Arteta is very excited to see Arsenal test themselves against one of the best sides in Europe on Tuesday night, with French champions Paris Saint-Germain in town for a bit of Champions League league phase action. We are never going to get used to that.

Arsenal faced one top, top side in the Champions League last season in Bayern Munich and got promptly knocked out, so this is an opportunity to lay down a marker in the competition, even if it is against a team that got trounced 4-1 by Newcastle United – who finished bottom of their group – last season.

Regardless of Arsenal’s plan to show the rest of the continent that they mean business, this is going to be a spectacular spectacle; unless the Gunners get a player sent off again. The best thing about the new Champions League format is that these blockbuster ties reach our screens at this time of the year, rather than in February or even later. And this is truly a blockbuster tie, with some incredible players like Bukayo Saka and Joao Neves on show, managed by two superb coaches in Arteta and Luis Enrique.

You will be shocked to learn that PSG are currently top of Ligue 1 and yet to lose, though they have the same record as AS Monaco, who will try their best to make a title race happen and themselves beat FC Barcelona a fortnight ago. The Parisiens are more than capable of conceding and Arsenal need to take advantage of that, with Enrique’s side keeping only one clean sheet in the league so far.

Arsenal are also unbeaten across all competitions in 2024/25 and this is a match we are very excited to see.

👉 READ MORE: Huge Arsenal boost as PSG star is dropped for Gunners clash after angry bust-up with Enrique

Team to watch: Aston Villa

You would have got some laughs if you told Aston Villa fans a couple of years ago that they would be hosting Bayern Munich in the Champions League in 2024. Their journey has been remarkable under Unai Emery and their start to the campaign hints that they are not going to regress.

A draw at Ipswich Town on Sunday wasn’t ideal preparation but the Villans are still fifth in the Premier League having lost only once. Bayern, meanwhile, have been electric under new boss Vincent Kompany, who is allowing the incredible talents of Jamal Musiala and Michael Olise to strut their stuff, while Harry Kane is showing no signs of slowing down.

This test is as hard as they come for Villa, who face a team with 30 goals across all competitions already this season, including nine in their first European match. This could be a humbling experience but it will still be an incredible occasion. And if it is not a humbling experience, it will be the greatest night at Villa Park in decades.

Emery has positive recent history against the German giants too, knocking them (and Juventus) out of the Champions League on Villarreal’s way to the semi-finals in 2022. This is going to be great.

Manager to watch: Erik ten Hag

After all of the Aston Villa and Arsenal v PSG positivity, it is time for some Manchester United negativity, which is impossible to avoid (doesn’t bother us, to be fair) after their horror show at home to Tottenham on Sunday.

Erik ten Hag has been under pressure many times in his two years at Old Trafford and it feels like the writing is on the wall more than ever before, with this week absolutely crucial for his future.

There has been a lack of identity throughout the Dutchman’s reign, with his team fragile out of possession and very prone to conceding shots on goal, and Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham emphasised all of their frailties. Ange Postecoglou’s side have accumulated more xG than United at Old Trafford in the league this season and the Red Devils have lost more games (23) by three or more in 424 matches post-Sir Alex Ferguson than in 1,035 under the legendary manager.

That figure could easily reach 25 by the end of the week and that will surely spell the end of Ten Hag’s tenure, which he will always insist is the second best of any managerial tenure during his time in England.

Before a trip to Aston Villa on Sunday, Ten Hag needs to overcome a rather testy hurdle in the form of FC Porto in the Europa League on Thursday. The Portuguese giants won 4-0 at the weekend and sit second in the league with six wins from seven, while United are in the bottom half of the Premier League.

Ten Hag is a man under pressure and not only are positive results in both games imperative, but his players need to show that they have a plan on the pitch and actually, you know, play some nice football. Fat chance of that.

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Player to watch: Phil Foden

With his only start of the season coming against Watford in the Carabao Cup, 2023/24 Premier League Player of the Season Phil Foden will surely be named in Pep Guardiola’s starting XI for the Champions League trip to Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday night.

Manchester City obviously fancy their chances against anyone but they face a team who lost 5-1 to Celtic on matchday one, and Celtic do not usually do Champions League wins, especially by that much. This could be a bloodbath, and Foden has a starting spot to reclaim after injury.

Pep Guardiola can afford to rotate and surely will, but it is anyone’s guess where Foden will start if he does. Savio was also on the bench against Newcastle United at the weekend so is in line to start on the right, while Jeremy Doku is well rested and available on the other side. Foden in the 10 role will be fun to see in Bratislava, with a role as a false nine not ruled out, if Guardiola fancies giving Erling Haaland the night off.

The 24-year-old has no goals in any of his five substitute appearances in 24/25 but we fancy him to get off the mark against a side Man City should brush aside.

EFL game to watch: West Brom v Middlesbrough

West Brom have started the season very well but suffered their first setback at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday, who beat them 3-2 on Saturday.

Carlos Corberan’s side have had one proper test at home so far this campaign and that was against a Leeds United team in disarray on matchday two, drawing 0-0 at the Hawthorns. Wins against Stoke City, Swansea, Portsmouth and Plymouth Argyle followed and the Baggies sit top of the table heading into a midweek jam-packed with English Football League action.

Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough are in the Midlands looking to make a statement against a team looking to show their bouncebackability in a division that requires a lot of bouncing back. Both teams went into 24/25 with promotion aspirations and this is a huge clash on Tuesday night.

Middlesbrough need to show more in front of goal having only scored eight in seven league encounters, the joint-lowest of every club sat 18th or higher. Incidentally, they have scored eight in two Carabao Cup matches, both away from home against Championship opposition. It’s about transferring that over to the league and showing some consistency after drawing at home to Preston and losing at Sunderland in their last two matches. Tuesday’s clash will be a great indication of both side’s promotion credentials.