Rosenborg have two key advantages over Manchester United ahead of their pre-season friendly

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Manchester United face Rosenborg in their next pre-season friendly as preparations for the 2026/27 season continue.

The 2026 pre-season schedule kicked off with a 1-0 defeat to Wrexham in Helsinki, with Michael Carrick’s squad looking rusty in their first match back.

Carrick wasn’t overly concerned by the performance. United’s squad was mostly made up of academy players. Those who participated in the World Cup were afforded a summer break.

Next up is a friendly against Norwegian side Rosenborg in Trondheim. There are two reasons why this game could prove to be another banana skin.

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Why Man United must not underestimate Rosenborg

Firstly, Rosenborg will have home advantage when United kick off the friendly on Friday evening. The match is played at the Lerkendal stadion, a venue with a capacity of just over 21,000.

United are not unfamiliar with the ground as Rosenborg beat United 1-0 when the two sides last met back in 2024.

There are lessons to be learned from that pre-season friendly two years ago. Erik ten Hag’s side were second best on the day and outworked by a Rosenborg side who were halfway through their season.

That will be the case again on Friday.

Rosenborg play in the Norwegian Eliteserien, which runs from March 14 to December 13 in 2026. They are currently 10th after playing 13 matches of their league season.

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Since their season resumed in July, Rosenborg have gone on a three-match winning streak, including consecutive 3-0 victories in the lead-up to the United friendly.

Rosenborg’s last three matches:

• 2-1 win vs Molde
• 3-0 win vs Kristiansund
• 3-0 win vs Start

READ MORE: 10 things I want to see from Man Utd vs Rosenborg: A memo for Michael Carrick

United will once again have to take a youthful squad to Norway with the majority of first-team players still on holiday.

Carrick won’t be overly bothered about the result, but kicking off the 2026 pre-season with back-to-back defeats isn’t ideal.