On Thursday, the Champions League anthem will ring out at Old Trafford for the first time since 2023 as Manchester United are back in Europe's premier competition under Michael Carrick. But are they ready for what's to come? Facing Sabah FK may not be when we'll find out the answer to that question, but it's still a moment where United will need to make a statement of their intentions by winning big after a draw against Everton in their last match.
It's an incredible achievement for Sabah to be here. The club has only existed for nine years and needed to enter the first qualifying round in order to make it to this stage. Led by Lithuanian manager Valdas Dambrauskas, it's a story so unlikely that all of this would come together at once, but here we are.
In 2002, Dambrauskas was on the Lithuanian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and used the money from that to move to England to start his coaching career in soccer. Now, after stops all over Europe, he's here with the Owls, going to one of the most historic stadiums in the world. Date: Thursday, Sept. 9 | Time: 3 p.m.
ETLocation: Old Trafford -- Manchester, EnglandLive stream: Paramount+Odds: Manchester United -900; Draw +900; Sabah FK +2200 While this is a lot of words to say that United are rank favorites in the match, the expansion of the Champions League has let teams like Sabah show why they belong in this competition. That's something that Carrick will need to deal with, as anything other than a resounding win will be unacceptable. With all the pressure on his team, this is going to be uncharted territory for Carrick, but it's a moment he must conquer to show why United removed the interim tag for him to become the permanent manager at the club.
"It means an awful lot, you know. It's challenging yourself against the elite and the very best," Carrick said about United's return to the Champions League in his pre-match press conference. "Over a long, long period of time, this football club has been used to challenging with the best and being the best.
It's not something you can take for granted. We've missed out on it for a number of years, and now we're back, so I think it means a lot. We want to be able to be here every single year." United has a tough league phase draw of the Champions League, facing Sabah, Atletico Madrid, Como, Roma, Sporting Club Portugal, Red Bull Leipzig, Bayern Munich, and Villarreal.
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