Manchester United v AS Roma: Champions League prediction, line-ups & team news

Manchester United v AS Roma is a matchday-four fixture in the Champions League league stage, and neither side can afford a slip. United sit 21st on 3 points from three games, with a goal difference of -1. Roma are 15th on 4 points (goal difference +3). Both are inside the play-off places rather than the top eight, so the standings snapshot shows a gap of five or six points to the leaders, who are on 9. A home win would lift United above Roma on points, while a Roma victory would leave United with one win from four.

Manchester United's season data shows one win, no draws and two defeats in the league stage. The win was a 4-0 home victory on 10 September, and the form data shows the two defeats were away trips, 2-0 at Atletico Madrid and 4-1 at Como. That means six goals conceded in two away games, an average of 3.0 per match, against none conceded at home. Their recent-form data also puts their expected goals for at 0.68 per game against 1.81 against, which suggests the 1.67 goals per game they have scored overstates their attacking output.

Roma have won one, drawn one and lost one. They drew 1-1 at Fenerbahçe, lost 4-3 at home to Real Madrid and beat Slovan Bratislava 4-0 at home on 20 October. They have scored 8 and conceded 5, and the recent-form data records an expected goals figure of 2.53 for and 0.94 against per game. Roma average 62% possession and 16 shots per game over those three matches, while United average 48% and 13.67.

Rotation looks a secondary concern for United. Their league-stage position means a third defeat from four would leave the play-off route as the realistic target, and the home side are short of options in attack, with Rashford and Šeško both out. Roma have a similar pull towards a strong XI, since the play-off places are where they currently sit. The visitors' injuries are concentrated in midfield and attack, with Dybala, Koné and Pellegrini all missing, so the selection looks forced rather than rotated. No competition-specific rotation pattern is available in the supplied data, so changes from the last Champions League outing are likely to come from fitness rather than choice.

Manchester United (4-2-3-1, the formation used in all three league-stage games so far): Lammens; Dalot, Yoro, Lisandro Martínez, Mazraoui; Baleba, Mainoo; Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes, Cunha; Zirkzee.

AS Roma (3-4-2-1, as used in all three games): Gollini; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Rensch, Cristante, de Roon, Wesley; Soulé, Gollini would start in goal, and the midfield pairing is the most uncertain area given the three absentees.

Kick-off is at 8pm UK time on Tuesday 3 November 2026 (GMT, as the clocks have already gone back), at Old Trafford. The UK broadcaster for this fixture is not confirmed, and this page will be updated closer to kick-off. This is a single league-stage match rather than a knockout tie, so there is no extra time or penalty shoot-out: if level after 90 minutes, the match ends as a draw and each side takes a point.