Manchester United travel to Celta Vigo this evening (8.05pm kick-off) in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final clash.

Jose Mourinho’s men edged past Anderlecht 3-2 on aggregate in the previous round to earn their spot in the last four, adding to knockout stage successes over French outfit Saint-Etienne and Russian side FC Rostov.

It is becoming increasingly likely that United’s only route into the Champions League next season is by winning the competition, with a 1-1 draw at home to Swansea on Sunday, their tenth home league draw of the campaign, denting their hopes of a top four finish.

Mourinho’s men sit fifth in the Premier League table and, although they are only a point behind neighbours City in fourth, the fixture congestion looks set to damage their chances, with it clear that Portuguese boss Mourinho is prioritising a second piece of silverware of the season as opposed to a top four finish.

However, it won’t be easy against Celta Vigo this evening, with the La Liga outfit having got past Shakhtar Donetsk, Krasnodar, and Genk en route to the semi-finals, although they have lost their last three league matches.

Thus, Mourinho’s men will be favourites to take an advantage into the second leg at Old Trafford next week, but a mounting injury-list could pose a problem for the Portuguese boss this evening.

So, here are THREE Man United stars who deserve a chance against Celta Vigo in the Europa League tonight…

Matteo Darmian

Mourinho saw left-back Luke Shaw hobble off in their 1-1 draw with Swansea on Sunday, and the England star looks set to miss their Europa League clash this evening.

Thus, 27-year-old Matteo Darmian will likely deputise in his absence after he was dropped to the bench against the Swans.

The Italy international played the full 90 minutes in their 0-0 draw with neighbours City a week ago, and what with the fixture congestion starting to take its toll on the United squad, Darmian is one who Mourinho will need performing at his best over the coming weeks, starting against Celta Vigo.

Axel Tuanzebe

19-year-old defender Axel Tuanzebe has been in and around the United first team squad for a while now, and with an injury to centre-back Eric Bailly against Swansea, he may make his first senior start against Celta Vigo tonight.

The youngster has been at Old Trafford since the age of eight and has worked his way up through the youth ranks at the club, making his senior debut off the substitute’s bench in their 4-0 FA Cup success over Wigan Athletic back in January.

However, United’s fixture pile-up is starting to take its toll, and with Bailly, Phil Jones, and Chris Smalling a doubt for this evening’s clash, and Marcos Rojo out for the season, Mourinho may call upon Tuanzebe to start in the heart of the backline in Vigo tonight.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Henrikh Mkhitaryan is United’s joint-top goal-scorer in the Europa League this season alongside striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but with the Swedish star set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines, Mourinho will need the Armenia captain to lead by example in his absence.

The 27-year-old was benched against Swansea on Sunday although did come on for the final ten minutes, which indicates that Mourinho was readying him for their clash with Celta Vigo this evening as he bids to keep the squad fit and fresh going into the run in.

Mkhitaryan scored in both legs in the narrow victory over Anderlecht in the previous round, and with a prolific record in the competition this term, he’ll be the man United look to in a bid to take a lead into the return leg at Old Trafford next week.