CHAMPIONS LEAGUE BETTING PREVIEW - MANCHESTER UNITED VS ROMA

Champions League

2026-11-03 - Manchester United vs Roma

A Sports Betting Preview by Auls

Manchester United v Roma
Football: UEFA Champions League Match Day 4
Tuesday 3rd November 2026 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV

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Manchester United

You can understand Michael Carrick speaking positively about the first half performance at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, but Manchester United have suffered another defeat and the manager remains under immense pressure. As we approach the halfway mark of the Champions League, early results under Carrick means Manchester United are in danger of becoming the first English team to fail to make it out of the new Group Stage format in this competition.

With just days to go before the next international break, Michael Carrick will be well aware that his needs to oversee two big results at Old Trafford. The first is in the Champions League where Manchester United are 20th in the standings after following the home win over Sabah by losing at Atletico Madrid and Como.

Manchester United's latest poor result means they have not won any of the last 9 games in all competitions, but most worrying is that they have lost 4 of the last 5, including the last 3 in a row. The second half of last season under Michael Carrick saw Manchester United pick up a lot of wins at Old Trafford, but they were beaten 0-3 here by Bournemouth last time out and have lost 3 of 4 games at Old Trafford since the 4-0 win over Sabah.

Kobbie Mainoo is set to be restored to the starting lineup, but Luke Shaw, Patrick Dorgu and Marcus Rashford are set to miss out. Lisandro Martinez is available, and Leny Yoro is also back from a European suspension.

Roma

The last time Gian Piero Gasperini was appointed to manage one of the big Italian clubs, he lasted five games as manager of Inter Milan. Fifteen years later, Gasperini is having a much bigger impact with Roma having guided them to their best League finish in eight years at the end of last season, following a long stint managing Atalanta into one of the leading clubs of Italian Football.

The 3rd place finish last season means Roma have returned to the Champions League for the first time since the 2018/19 season and in recent years the club have reached the Europa League Semi Final before consecutive Last 16 exits in that competition. They are 15th in the Champions League standings in this Group Stage having picked up 4 points from the opening fixtures against Fenerbahce, Real Madrid and Slovan Bratislava.

Roma have won 4 of the last 5 games in all competitions, which has meant moving up the Champions League standings and also into 3rd place in Serie A. They are unbeaten in 9 away games in all competitions going back to last season, while Roma won 2-5 at Udinese on Halloween having previously drawn at Napoli and Como.

A number of squad players have already been ruled out with injury, but the manager will be pleased those available have come through unscathed from the weekend win in Udinese.

Head to Head

Manchester United beat Roma 8-5 on aggregate when the teams last met in the Europa League Semi Final in 2021.

The game at Old Trafford finished 6-2 in favour of Manchester United who have won all 4 matches played when hosting Roma.

Prediction

One of the finest games Michael Carrick played in the Manchester United shirt came in the Champions League win over Roma in April 2007 that ended in a famous 7-1 win.

Most recently, the meeting between the clubs at Old Trafford ended 6-2 in favour of Manchester United in the 2021 Europa League Semi Final, but the two sets of players representing the 2026 teams will be entering Match Day 4 of the Champions League in very different mindsets.

While Manchester United have been racking up the losses, Roma have enjoyed an October where they have won 4 of the last 5 games in all competitions to remain firmly on track domestically and in Europe.

Serie A is not the powerful European League it once was, but Roma will also take a lot of confidence from Como's thumping win over Manchester United a couple of weeks ago.

Of course it should be noted that Como's win was in Italy and not at Old Trafford, but Manchester United's recent form in front of the home supporters will not intimidate the visitors either.

Gian Piero Gasperini had helped Atalanta into a 0-2 lead at Old Trafford in October 2021 in the Champions League before Manchester United fought back for a 3-2 win, but that experience will help the manager. His style is one that will have Roma playing on the front foot, but that can leave them vulnerable and Fenerbahce had enough chances to beat this Roma team in Istanbul earlier in the Group Stage.

Roma did have Real Madrid in all sorts of trouble before a late capitulation at home, which makes them a team deserving of respect, but they will give Manchester United chances.

You have to expect goals with the threat Roma will bring, but Manchester United's performance on Saturday, especially in the first half, suggests the team have enough about them to find a way to earn three points in this hugely important Champions League game.

If the game had been played a month ago, Manchester United would have been a much shorter price, but they may be a little underestimated here.

As well as Roma have been playing, they were fortunate to leave Fenerbahce with a point as mentioned... They did win twice in Glasgow last season against both Celtic and Rangers, but Roma have not been the most convincing of travellers in European competition and Manchester United still have enough about them to believe they can win this game.

Scoring first will be vitally important, if only to give the players a bit of belief, and Manchester United might be able to do enough as an attacking unit to secure three priceless points.

The Pick :

Manchester United 2-1 Roma

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

I'll back Manchester United to Win at 2.30 with BetFred