Bigger than Bayern: Why Manchester United next match is the real must win game

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Manchester United play a crucial match against Crystal Palace this week in the Carabao Cup.

Manchester United are expected to rotate the team, with some players needing a rest, and others needing game time. That’s the reality of the situation.

Yet, it is a little odd too, because this is an absolutely crucial game, a must- win knockout tie.

You can make a case it is bigger than the Bayern game last week, which United lost, yet still have five matches to recover and qualify from the Champions League group.

United are Cup holders

There is a concern this season that Manchester United have not yet shown any sign of progress since a promising 2022/23 campaign. If anything, rather than stagnating, early results have actually been a backwards step, with the team sitting in ninth place in the Premier League.

One barometer of progress was United winning the Carabao Cup earlier this year. To exit the competition at the first stage this season, really would be a setback.

While there are no guarantees United will win it this year, an early exit would be worrying, especially at home, where the foundation of cup success came about last season.

Cup needed for rotation and morale

In 2021, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer lost his job in November after an awful start to the season. One of the factors may have been an early round Carabao Cup exit at home to West Ham.

There was a reason this mattered. It meant there were less forthcoming opportunities to rotate his players, and many of those on the fringes grew restless and added to disharmony in the dressing room.

United seem like a tighter-knit group up Erik ten Hag, but leaks and stories of upset behind the scenes emerged last week regardless, via the Manchester Evening News.

The cup gives an important outlet for non-regular players to get game time and build a case for more meaningful involvement. It’s important United win, to set up more Carabao Cup games, and further opportunities.

Let’s build momentum

It’s been interesting to see just what one win can do. Beating Burnley at the weekend has stemmed the negativity.

This would all be undone with a home defeat to Crystal Palace and a cup exit.

United have a chance now to build some momentum. A games against Palace in the league is set to follow, before Galatasaray, Brentford, Sheffield United, and Copenhagen.

Erik ten Hag’s side should be targeting wins from every single one of these, it’s achievable, despite injury woes. But let’s take it one step at a time, starting with the Carabao Cup tie.