United look to finish as table toppers-Preview

Shakhtar face an under pressure Man United

A point would ensure a top spot for the Reds

After being undone at home by Newcastle United,Manchester United will have to fight off another formidable side at home in Champions League group stage's last fixture.It will surely be a "night of tragedies" for some sides who'd love to book their place in the Round of 16,but the task looks well cut out for the Ukrainian side today.A win would virtually ensure a spot in the next round but only two barriers stop them from achieving this feat.If counterparts Bayer Leverkusen register a win at the Anoeta,then Shakhtar would automatically be kicked out of the competition,irrespective of the fact they win or lose.This means that if Shakhtar are to advance,then Leverkusen must be upsetted by the Basque side-Real Sociedad.The second barrier which Shakhtar are set to face is the uphill task of vanquishing and bewildering  Manchester United on their home soil.

The last time these two sides had met in the reserve fixture at the Donbass Arena,it ended in an impasse 1-1 draw,after Taison had cancelled out Welbeck's opener for United.But,this time,United should look to pick up 3 points from the game as their recent performances have crashed their title hopes seriously and a win would certainly benefit them and their bruised confidence.

Team News

United will once again make do without Michael Carrick, who is still carrying an Achilles knock, while fellow midfielder Shinji Kagawa has been ill this week, but is expected to be fit enough to feature. With United already qualified, David Moyes may rest one or two players.But,reports suggest that United will play without their inconsistent members of the backline which consists of Chris Smalling, Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic,as the trio had skipped training along with outclassed midfielder Marouane Fellaini.

While,Shakhtar boss Mircea Lucescu has a fully fit squad to choose his team from.

Predicted Line-ups 

 I don't actually believe that these rumors are true,so here are the expected/predicted line-ups of both sides

Man United: De Gea; Rafael, Vidic, Evans, Evra; Valencia, Jones, Giggs, Kagawa; Welbeck, Rooney

      Shakhtar: Pyatov; Srna, Kucher, Shevchuk, Rakitskiy; Hubschman, Teixeira,Costa,Fernando,Bernard;Adriano

The match should be a tough one for the Reds while the Ukrainians will come at United continuously and will apply loads of pressure on the defenders.The game shall be an open one,with the chances being evenly distributed among both sides and the conversion and finishing abilities will play a huge role in determining the outcome of the game.
I'll predict a 1-1 draw yet again.