Manchester United take on little-known Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League this week – although there will be one somewhat familiar face.
Ruben Amorim‘s first Europa League away game as Manchester United boss will see the Red Devils travel to the Czech Republic to take on Plzen.
It will be a step into the unknown for Manchester United, facing a team who rank second in the Czech first division, with only two league losses from 18 games.
And taking on Manchester United will be a new experience for Plzen’s players, with one exception.
Matej Vydra leads the line for Plzen
Plzen’s centre-forward is former Premier League and Championship striker Matej Vydra, a Czech international with 44 caps, finding his way back from a serious injury.
Vydra signed with Plzen as a free agent in 2023 after his contract at Burnley expired. Upon signing for the club, he told them of his time in England: “The best atmosphere is probably at Manchester United or at Liverpool.”
Now 32, Vydra played for Watford, Reading, and West Bromwich Albion, before becoming Derby County’s record signing for £8 million in 2016 under Nigel Pearson.
A prolific second season at the club saw Vydra net 22 goals in 44 games and earn a move to Sean Dyche’s Burnley.
He told BBC Sport after joining them: “For the last four years I have been fighting to be in the Premier League. I haven’t done it with the teams I was playing for and sometimes it has to be done with a transfer and now I’m so happy.”
His time in the Premier League was not the success he hoped for on an individual level, scoring only 8 goals in 82 top flight games for the Clarets, before suffering a torn ACL in 2022.
Matej Vydra record vs Manchester United
There is a good omen with Matej Vydra facing Manchester United, he has lost all five games he has played against the Red Devils.
- 2018: Manchester United 2-0 Derby
- 2018: Burnley 0-2 Manchester United
- 2020: Burnley 0-1 Manchester United
- 2021: Manchester United 2-1 Burnley
- 2021: Manchester United 3-1 Burnley
But there is one thing worth noting; Vydra has been a substitute in all of his appearances. He could get to start for Plzen this week against the 2024 version of Manchester United.
How Vydra is faring at Plzen now
Matej Vydra started for Plzen at the weekend, although did not score in their 2-1 win. He has played 23 games this season, scoring five times.
None of his goals have come in the Europa League, and that’s a record United will look to keep intact this week.
Over the past month, Vydra has shown flickers of form. As Czech outlet iSport wrote, there were doubts if the player who once featured in England could find his scoring boots again after his ACL injury.
Vydra is now back on track, with the outlet describing a recent performnce: “He won headers, sprinted selflessly into the depth of the field for 40 metres”.
“He is currently visibly enjoying his time on the pitch and at Plzen. This is also reflected in his body language on the pitch. Vydra appears light, energetic, and football-minded, just like in the days when he was one of the best strikers in the Czech Republic and won a place in the national team and the Premier League.”
A big performance against Manchester United would cap his comeback story, but Ruben Amorim’s men will be doing everything to shut him out and leave the Czech Republic with all three points.
United won Amorim’s first Europa League game in charge, 3-2 against Bodo/Glimt, and looking for another victory this week, ahead of the Manchester derby.
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