Prediction, odds, betting tips and best bets for the Red Devils in the Europa League game between Porto and Man United

As temperatures once again turn sweltering in Erik ten Hag’s proverbial seat, Manchester United travel to Portugal to take on perennial European contenders Porto in Thursday’s Europa League game.

Despite an off-season vote of confidence from the club’s new owners, the Red Devils’ defeats in their first six Premier League games put the Dutch coach in a precarious position. Last weekend’s devastating defeat to Spurs only raised more questions about Ten Hag’s viability as coach.

Bruno Fernandes will be suspended for three domestic matches following his dismissal in this game, but will be available to captain the team for this European road trip.

Porto sits second in the Portuguese league table for seven games at the start of the season, having lost an early result against current leaders Sporting, and was defeated by Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt in their opening game of the Europa League, putting them in a European gap has slipped So.

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Porto vs Man United Prediction, Odds

• Moneyline Lean: Manchester United (+145)
• Result prediction: Porto 0-1 Man United

Erik ten Hag’s time at Manchester United has been full of near-death experiences, and with the Dutchman once again teetering on the brink, he is in for a classic, gutsy victory that will temporarily get him out of trouble.

Porto needed a 43rd-minute red card to get past Arouca in the weekend’s league game and were beaten in their European Cup opener in Norway despite playing with a man in front for almost the entire second half. Manchester United should win this game and fend off the pressure for now.

Facts about the game Porto vs. Man United

• Date: Thursday, October 3, 2024
• Kick-off time: 9:00 p.m. local time (3:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. PT)
• Location: Estadio Do Dragao (Porto, Portugal)
• Referee: Tobias Stieler (GER)
• Last meeting: Porto – Man United 0-1 (April 2009, Champions League)

Porto vs Man United best bet

• Choose: Under 2.5 total goals
• Opportunities: -115 (BetMGM)

Man United were weak defensively in the Premier League at the start of the season, but Andre Onana managed relatively well to stop the other teams from taking the lead. Erik ten Hag will probably approach this game conservatively, knowing that an away point at Porto is, on the whole, a perfectly acceptable result.

Man United’s European road trips last year were strange indeed, but their 2022/23 Europa League results are probably a better indicator of what to expect this season, as they only went over the total once in three group stage games , all victories.

Porto vs Man United prop bet

• Choose: Man United over 2.5 total cards
• Opportunities: +102 (FanDuel)

Manchester United have had major discipline problems this season, receiving the third-most yellow cards of any Premier League club this season despite only committing the 11th-most fouls.

Together with the referee of today’s game, the Bundesliga referee Tobias Steiler, the perfect recipe for yellow cards results. Steiler recorded 6.67 yellow cards in three Champions League games last season, more than any official who took charge of three or more UCL games. Even in the last Europa League games he didn’t shy away from letting them fly. In February he handed out six yellow cards in a game between Marseille and Shakhtar Donetsk, and five between Benfica and Rangers in March.