Manchester United Return to the Champions League, but Carrick Is Already Calculating the Derby Equation

Don't be fooled by Thursday night. Manchester United are back, and the Champions League is back. This Thursday Beijing time, the Red Devils will face Azerbaijani side Sabah in the first round of the Champions League league phase, marking their first appearance in the competition since December 2023.

The opponent's name may be unfamiliar, and the matchday is not the traditional Tuesday or Wednesday, but this remains Europe's top club competition. According to the original article, this ends Manchester United's longest absence from the Champions League since Ferguson's retirement — the last time they missed the competition for such a long period was back in the early 1990s, when Mark Hughes and Brian McClair were playing in the Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Cup eras.

The goalkeeper position has gone through a complete change

Onana is currently on loan at Trabzonspor, which itself says something. Replacing him is Senne Lammens, who is set to make the second Champions League appearance of his career — his previous one came in November 2023, when his Antwerp side lost 0-2 away to Porto.

The back line, however, has not changed much. Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire and Diogo Dalot are familiar faces remaining from the Ten Hag era and are likely to continue starting. Lisandro Martinez should replace the retired Varane, while the other positions could look exactly the same as Manchester United's last Champions League match — a 0-1 home group-stage defeat to Bayern Munich in December 2023.

The midfield and attack have almost completely changed

Summer signing Youri Tielemans appears set to play at the base of midfield, alongside Carrick favorite Kobbie Mainoo. Captain Bruno Fernandes will continue to operate behind the forwards, with the front three consisting of Bryan Mbeumo, Marcus Rashford and Matheus Cunha.

This lineup is basically Carrick's preferred starting eleven. Even against a relatively weaker opponent, he is inclined to put his strongest side out directly — after all, this is Manchester United's first time adapting to the expanded league-phase format, and Carrick needs to set a benchmark and establish a tone.

But the Manchester derby is also coming on Sunday

Will rotation enter Carrick's considerations? Manchester City have a full two more days of rest and preparation time than Manchester United. At the pre-match press conference, Carrick did not reveal much.

"I'm not worried," Carrick said when discussing the short turnaround between the two matches. "It's not ideal, but there is nothing we can do about it. Whatever cards you are dealt, you have to play them."

In defense, Patrick Dorgu, Noussair Mazraoui, Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro are all rotation options. Matthijs de Ligt has only recently returned to training and could gradually regain his form from the bench. In midfield, if Carrick decides to make changes, Mason Mount and Andre Santos could also get opportunities.

The original article did not provide further predictions about the match, nor did it mention any details about Sabah. Manchester United's Champions League return will begin under the shadow of the derby.