Danny Welbeck and Phil Jones are both doubtful for Manchester United's first Champions League game against German side Bayer Leverkusen. Welbeck and Jones missed training on Monday. Wayne Rooney will play but he will have wear a protective headband after a recent head wound, while Shinji Kagawa could play as well after returning to training. Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender has suffered a hip injury but might be fit for the match after missing his team's 3-1 weekend win against Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga.
Man United manager David Moyes says he is thrilled to achieve his dream of managing in the Champions League group stages for the first time. The manager guided his former club Everton to the qualifying stage of Europe's top club competition in 2005-06, but they failed to reach the group stage after they were knocked out by Spanish side Villarreal.
"I've been excited about it ever since I've joined Manchester United," he said. "Moyes has yearned for another crack at the Champions League, not simply to right that wrong but also to prove his pedigree on the European stage after unfulfilling treks to foreign soil at Everton. I've been there before with Everton - we didn't quite make the group stages but this is different. This is a club that's used to getting to the latter stages."
United are favourites to reach the knockout stage as Group A winners after being drawn alongside Leverkusen, Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk and Spanish side Real Sociedad. "You used to be able to always pick out the group winners but in the last few years that has become more difficult," said Moyes. "It is more unpredictable than it was. We've got a leading team from Germany, one from Spain and we go to Donetsk to play Shakhtar. It's a tough group."
Leverkusen finished third in the German championship last season, under the management of former Liverpool captain Sami Hyypia. They got off to a great start to the new season, having won four of their first five league matches this term and are currently third behind Dortmund and Bayern Munich. "I hope my players want to play football in Manchester and not just get autographs from Rooney," said Hyypia, who is also making his Champions League coaching debut.
Here are the odds for tonight's match at Bet365:
Manchester United win - 5/6
Draw - 13/5
Leverkusen win - 4/1
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