Manchester United hope to solidify their spot amongst the top eight in the UEFA Europa League table as they host Rangers in a Thursday showdown at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils have struggled domestically this season, down in the bottom half of the Premier League table, but they are still in the hunt for a Round of 16 bye in Europe as they sit seventh in the league-phase standings. Those who finish amongst the first eight positions are given passage straight to the Round of 16 without needing to navigate a nervy knockout playoff.
Rangers are in the hunt as well, sitting one spot below United in eighth. With two matches to go, the room for error in the chase for one of these top places is miniscule with many strong European clubs also in the mix.
The Sporting News is following the Man United vs. Rangers match live, providing score updates, commentary.
Latest live updates | Team news and lineups | How to watch where you are
Man United vs. Rangers live score
| Score (1H) | Goal scorers | |
| Man United | 1 | – |
| Rangers | 0 | – |
Location: Old Trafford (Manchester, England)
Referee: Erik Lambrechts (Belgium)
Starting lineups:
Man United (3-4-2-1, right to left): 1. Altay Bayindir (GK) — 4. Matthijs De Ligt, 15. Leny Yoro, 6. Lisandro Martinez — 20. Diogo Dalot, 43. Tom Collyer, 14. Christian Eriksen, 17. Alejandro Garnacho — 16. Amad Diallo, 8. Bruno Fernandes — 11. Joshua Zirkzee.
Rangers (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Jack Butland (GK) — 2. James Tavernier, 4. Robin Propper, 27. Leon Balogun, 22. Jefte — 8. Connor Barron, 43. Nicolas Raskin — 18. Vaclav Cerny, 14. Nedim Bajrami, 3. Ridvan Yilmaz — 29. Hamza Igamane.
MORE: Find out how to stream the Man United vs. Rangers match LIVE
Man United vs. Rangers live updates, highlights from Europa League
24th min: Chance, Man United! Manchester United have the ball in the back of the net off a corner, as Matthijs de Ligt heads it in, but it’s been ruled out for a foul!
Leny Yoro appears to have spilled a Rangers defender from behind, but that feels weak to call while ruling out a goal! Manchester United so unlucky not to have the opener!
23rd min: Chance, Man United! Alejandro Garnacho fires over the crossbar! Looks like it was deflected over by a defender, which was key because it was blazing towards goal!
11th min: Now Rangers have another effort on goal, but this one is parried by Altay Bayindir from a tight angle. It was always going to be difficult to score from there.
9th min: Chance, Rangers! The first opportunity of the game falls to the visitors as Rangers picked up possession in midfield and broke the United lines with a gorgeous vertical ball from deep by James Tavernier! Unfortunately for the Scottish side, Nicolas Raskin slipped as he went to shoot and was smothered by Altay Bayindir!
7th min: The two teams have been cautious thus far. United are holding most of the possession so far, with Rangers sitting deep and looking to counter. The visitors have had a few chances to get forward on the ball but have been stopped in their tracks.
Kickoff: They’re under way at the famous Old Trafford ground! A critical top-eight matchup in the Europa League will set the stage for the final day of league phase matches next week.
Man United vs. Rangers: Pre-match commentary, analysis, more
15 mins to kickoff: A last-minute update from Manchester United has seen Noussair Mazraoui withdrawn from his place amongst the substitutes due to a precaution after reportedly suffering a knock in the Brighton game.
30 mins to kickoff: Visiting players are completing their walkthroughs on the Old Trafford pitch. It’s getting closer to kickoff!
Rangers’ players going for a walk. pic.twitter.com/kMGI3eaMmd
— Simon Stone (@sistoney67) January 23, 2025
45 mins to kickoff: While much of the narrative around Manchester United this season has been negative given their poor overall performances and results, there are a few bright spots. One of them is new defensive signing Leny Yoro, who was snatched up from Lille last summer at just 19 years old.
After missing the bulk of the first few months due to injury, the French youth international has been exceptional, and is being rewarded by Ruben Amorim with more playing time lately. He has started each of the last two Premier League games, and now earns his first Europa League appearance of the season as well.
It can sometimes be hard to judge talent that arrives from a top-heavy league such as France’s Ligue 1, but Yoro looks to be a quality addition early on.
Leny Yoro, Sven Botman, Benoit Badiashile — and now #MCFC‘s Abdukodir Khusanov.
When Premier League clubs go shopping for defenders, they tend to cast their net in Ligue 1 — but why?@jwhitey98 and @LiamTharmeCoach explain.
🔗 https://t.co/zsyCkk2pP0 pic.twitter.com/UA432EJ5qQ
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) January 21, 2025
1 hour to kickoff: Lineups are in, and there are some surprises from Ruben Amorim, who hands 21-year-old midfielder Toby Collyer a start with Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro both on the bench. Alejandro Garnacho is in the starting lineup too despite rumors of an exit, playing wing-back, while Lenny Yoro starts at the back.
For Rangers, it’s mostly as expected, with Leon Balogun getting the start at center-back over Clinton Nsiala with John Souttar out injured.
1 hour 15 mins to kick: Elsewhere in the Europa League, Tottenham lead Hoffenheim on the road by a 2-0 score at halftime.
This is a very important score to keep an eye on, as a win for Spurs jumps both these sides into a top eight position. It means only three points will guarantee United to keep hold of a Round of 16 bye, while Rangers are already on the outside looking in entering the match.
Another score to keep track of is Anderlecht, who sit fifth at the moment but trail at Viktoria Plzen 2-0 at the break. A loss there would give both United and Rangers a chance to gain ground with victory today.
Heung-Min Son with a deflected strike to make it count for Spurs💥 pic.twitter.com/9yDKQ0loQJ
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) January 23, 2025
1 hour 30 mins to kick: It will be fascinating to see if Alejandro Garnacho is deployed today by Ruben Amorim in European action. The Man United youngster has never been able to nail down a starting role at the club, and there are reports that he could be sold this winter, with the club looking to secure funds in the ongoing battle with PSR regulations.
It would be quite the decision for United to sell one of the club’s three promising young attacking stars. With Amad Diallo flourishing and Kobbie Mainoo on a strong developmental track, keeping Garnacho would seem like a positive step towards building a future roster. But if the club prioritizes the need for incoming funds, it sounds as though the Argentine could be sacrificed.
Will he stay in the Premier League and join a club like Chelsea, or will he move abroad with Napoli reportedly in the mix?
1 hour 45 mins to kick: Rangers have a decision to make at striker, as Cyriel Dessers is rumored to be leaving the club. The 30-year-old has 16 goals in 33 appearances across all competitions this season, but has seemingly lost his starting place to Hamza Igamane up front.
Dessers hasn’t had a great season from a finishing perspective despite the volume, and reports claim he’s being courted by a number of Italian clubs.
2 hours to kickoff: This match represents a full-circle moment for young Amad Diallo who has blossomed into a Manchester United prodigy in the last few months. His last-gasp hat-trick against Southampton a week ago was one for the history books, turning around an embarrassing 1-0 deficit and converting a 3-1 victory in epic fashion.
Amad was considered a flop at Rangers after being sent out on loan exactly three years ago for the second half of the 2021/22 season. He managed to earn just 10 league appearances, scoring three goals, while coming up empty in his three domestic cup matches.
Now, he will hope to bury his former club and prove he was unfairly judged as he continues to provide a rare shining light amidst an otherwise miserable season for United.
Man United vs. Rangers kick off time
This Europa League match kicks off from Old Trafford on Thursday, January 23 at 8 p.m. local time in Manchester, England.
Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA/Canada | Thu, Jan. 23 | 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT |
| USA/Canada | Thu, Jan. 23 | 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT |
| UK | Thu, Jan. 23 | 8 p.m. GMT |
| Australia | Fri, Jan. 24 | 5 a.m. AEDT |
| India | Fri, Jan. 24 | 12:30 a.m. IST |
Man United vs. Rangers lineups, team news
Mason Mount participated in their last game in this competition, but he is still not ready to return from yet another muscle issue sustained since. Luke Shaw, Victor Lindelof, and Jonny Evans also remain out of action.
Rasmus Hojlund remains on the bench despite five goals in six games in Europe this season, with Joshua Zirkzee deployed up front. Lisandro Martinez starts in defence after sitting out the Brighton loss, alogside young Lenny Yoro who has impressed. Christian Eriksen may come into midfield to give Kobbie Mainoo a break, with young Toby Collyer also a surprise selection.
Amorim gives Altay Bayindir his first Europa League start in goal after impressing in peripheral domestic competitions. Andre Onana‘s awful mistake against Brighton has seen the regular No. 1 taken out of the firing line.
Man United starting lineup (3-4-2-1): Bayindir (GK) — De Ligt, Yoro, L. Martinez — Dalot, Collyer, Eriksen, Garnacho — Amad Diallo, Fernandes — Zirkzee.
Man United subs (10): Heaton (GK), Onana (GK), Maguire, Malacia, Casemiro, Mainoo, Ugarte, Antony, Hojlund.
The big loss for Rangers is midfielder Mohamed Diomande, who is suspended thanks to his third booking of the league phase against Spurs last time out.
Goalkeeper Jack Butland will is fit to face his former club, but John Souttar and Dujon Sterling are out due to injury along with Oscar Cortes and Danilo, while Tom Lawrence recovers enough to make the bench. Striker Cyriel Dessers has been nothing more than a bench option to spare Hamza Igamane and thus has been linked with a winter exit.
Rangers starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Butland (GK) — Tavernier, Propper, Balogun, Jefte — Barron, Raskin — Cerny, Bajrami, Ridvan — Igamane.
Rangers subs (12): Kelly (GK), Munn (GK), Dowell, King, McCausland, Lawrence, Rice, Lovelace, Curtis, Nsio, Hutton, Dessers.
Man United vs. Rangers live stream, TV channel
Here is how to watch the match in some of the world’s major regions: