Champions League Preview & Prediction: Man United vs Wolfsburg

Despite sitting at the top of the Premier League, Manchester United will be looking to get points on the board in Group B as they host German side Wolfsburg.

League form which reads just one defeat from the opening seven matches has been somewhat dampened by an opening 2-1 defeat in this competition at PSV, which saw the Red Devils lose a one-goal lead and Luke Shaw to long-term injury.

In what is the first Champions League proper game to be held at Old Trafford since April 2014, when a certain Bastian Schweinsteiger snatched a 1-1 draw for Bayern Munich, Louis van Gaal knows how important it is to get a victory on home soil.

Wolfsburg come to the Theatre of Dreams on the back of a 1-1 draw with strugglers Hannover 96, but they still sit fourth in the Bundesliga losing only one game in the opening seven.

Despite losing star performers Kevin De Bruyne & Ivan Perisic in the summer, Wolfsburg have continued to turn heads within Germany, in particular with the signing of Draxler from rivals Schalke. Early season wins over Schalke & Hertha have given Dieter Heckling’s men a strong platform for a successful season but they did suffer a 4-1 hammering at Bayern Munich last week thanks to Robert Lewandowski’s five goals in nine minutes.

As well as Draxler, the likes of Bas Dost, Max Kruse and the recognisable duo of Niclas Bendtner and Andre Schurrle will be a handful for the Red Devils’ defence.

But the hosts, who have a much bigger pedigree when it comes to European football, will be confident that their attack, including Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney, Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial, will be able to produce the required result.

Back in 2009, United did the double over Wolfsburg, and Wednesday could be the start of a similar outcome should the English side continue their early season performance levels.

Van Gaal is without Michael Carrick for this clash, while fellow midfielder Ander Herrera and winger Antonio Valencia are doubts.

Wolfsburg midfielder Luiz Gustavo and centre-back Robin Knoche are sidelined, while winger Vieirinha and goalkeeper Koen Casteels are not expected to recover after missing the last five matches.

Group Position: Man United – 3rd,  0 pts; Wolfsburg – 2nd, 3 pts
Last Meeting: Wolfsburg 3-1 Man United, December, 2009
Key Men: Man United – Juan Mata; Wolfsburg – Julian Draxler
Form: Man United – WLWWW; Wolfsburg – DWWLD
Shoot Says: Man United 2-1 Wolfsburg