PSV Eindhoven vs Manchester United: Can Memphis Depay kick-start his United career at former club and will Anthony Martial start?

ANALYSIS: A look at the big talking points ahead of Tuesday's Champions League meeting

Paul Hirst
Monday 14 September 2015 13:52 EDT
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Manchester United take on PSV Eindhoven in their first Champions League group match on Tuesday.

Here, we take a look at five talking points ahead of the match in the Netherlands.

1) WILL ANTHONY MARTIAL START?

Only ardent fans of Ligue 1 knew who Anthony Martial was before transfer deadline day - even his new team-mates had barely heard of him - but the Frenchman announced himself to the world on Saturday with a stunning goal on debut against Liverpool. The 19-year-old, who could end up costing United £58million, stepped off the bench and slalomed his way through the Liverpool defence before beating Simon Mignolet to round off the 3-1 win. Pressure is mounting on Louis van Gaal to hand the youngster his first start, but the United manager is likely to protect his rising star and keep him on the bench even though Wayne Rooney is expected to miss out because of a hamstring injury.

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2) WILL VAN GAAL MAKE ANY CHANGES?

Van Gaal is not a fan of rotating his goalkeepers, so David de Gea looks set to keep his goal after being brought in from the cold for his first match of the season on Saturday. Van Gaal has played the same back four throughout the season, and with just four goals conceded in seven matches, there is little reason to believe he will rotate. Memphis Depay's place is under threat following the impressive performance of Ashley Young off the bench on Saturday and Morgan Schneiderlin is likely to come in for either Michael Carrick or Bastian Schweinsteiger.

3) WILL LOUIS VAN GAAL RECEIVE A GOOD RECEPTION ON HIS RETURN TO HOLLAND?

No. PSV supporters detest Van Gaal. He played for their bitter rivals Ajax and also managed them on two occasions. It is safe to say he will not be well received at the Philips Stadion.

4) IS IT ABOUT TIME MEMPHIS DEPAY SHOWED HIS POTENTIAL?

Depay is on far better terms with the PSV fans, having proved a pivotal role in their first title win in seven years last term. The forward was Eredivisie top scorer last season with 22 goals, but he is yet to set the Premier League alight. The 21-year-old showed flashes of promise on debut against Tottenham and in the Champions League play-off against Club Brugge, but United fans are yet to see the same kind of player that shone for PSV or Holland at the World Cup. Maybe a return to the ground where he spent nine years as a player will help kickstart his United career.

5) ARE PSV ANY GOOD?

Not as good as they were last year. PSV won the title with three games to spare, thanks mainly to the exploits of Depay. Georginio Wijnaldum also chipped in with 14 goals but he left for Newcastle earlier this summer. PSV coach Phillip Cocu has spent the £40million garnered from both sales on low-key acquisitions like Mexican duo Hector Moreno and Andres Guardado, as well as Uruguayan midfielder Gaston Pereiro. Cocu's still should not be under-estimated, though. They are the top seeds in the group and they maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 6-0 win over Cambuur on Saturday.

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