Erik ten Hag is set to face his boyhood club Twente when Manchester United begin their Europa League campaign on Wednesday evening.
It is the first time in history that the two clubs will meet, and it is the first of United’s eight Europa League fixtures under the competition’s new format.
Erik ten Hag started and ended his playing career at Twente after graduating from their academy back in 1989.
Ahead of the match, Ten Hag admitted he would rather face another team as “it’s not nice to hurt something that you love”. The United manager has been public about his affection for Twente and it is bound to be an emotional night for the Dutchman.
But it is not the first time Ten Hag will face Twente as an opposition manager. In fact, he has faced them 12 times in his career.
Erik ten Hag record as manager vs Twente
Despite playing 257 games for Twente as a player over three separate spells, Ten Hag has never managed his boyhood side.
He has, however, faced them 12 times as manager of Ajax and Utrecht.
His record shows Ten Hag often gets the better of Twente as an opposition manager, and supporters should also expect a lot of goals.
In his 12 games against Twente, Ten Hag has won seven, drawn two and lost three of them.
| Matches played vs Twente | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals scored | Goals conceded |
| 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 29 | 18 |
There has been a total of 47 goals in his 12 meetings against Twente – an average of 3.9 per game.
His last meeting in 2022 should fill United with confidence with Ajax beating Twente 5-0 in a match which included United duo Lisandro Martinez and Antony.
Twente are unbeaten in their last three games this season and will head into their clash against United on the back of a 5-0 victory over Almere on Sunday. In contrast, United are looking to bounce back after a frustrating 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace.
Man United must target Europa League glory
A top-four finish and more silverware would mark another successful season under Ten Hag.
The Dutchman, as he often reminds everyone, has won two trophies in his first two seasons and he will want to make it three for three.
The Europa League is a great opportunity for Ten Hag to achieve that. Not only would it add to United’s European honours list but it also grants passage back to the Champions League if a top-four finish isn’t possible.
Under the new format, United should be targeting a top-eight finish in the league rankings to qualify directly for the knock-out stages.
It starts with Wednesday night’s clash against Twente, where United will be strong favourites against Ten Hag’s boyhood side.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/1N3Goca