Manchester United return to Champions League against Sabah FK at Old Trafford

On Thursday, the Champions League anthem will ring out at Old Trafford for the first time since 2023 as Manchester United are back in Europe's premier competition under Michael Carrick. But are they ready for what's to come? Facing Sabah FK may not be when we'll find out the answer to that question, but it's still a moment where United will need to make a statement of their intentions by winning big after a draw against Everton in their last match.

It's an incredible achievement for Sabah to be here. The club has only existed for nine years and needed to enter the first qualifying round in order to make it to this stage. Led by Lithuanian manager Valdas Dambrauskas, it's a story so unlikely that all of this would come together at once, but here we are. In 2002, Dambrauskas was on the Lithuanian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and used the money from that to move to England to start his coaching career in soccer. Now, after stops all over Europe, he's here with the Owls, going to one of the most historic stadiums in the world.

How to watch Manchester United vs. Sabah FK, odds

Date: Thursday, Sept. 9 | Time: 3 p.m. ET

Location: Old Trafford -- Manchester, England

Live stream: Paramount+

Odds: Manchester United -900; Draw +900; Sabah FK +2200

While this is a lot of words to say that United are rank favorites in the match, the expansion of the Champions League has let teams like Sabah show why they belong in this competition. That's something that Carrick will need to deal with, as anything other than a resounding win will be unacceptable. With all the pressure on his team, this is going to be uncharted territory for Carrick, but it's a moment he must conquer to show why United removed the interim tag for him to become the permanent manager at the club.

"It means an awful lot, you know. It's challenging yourself against the elite and the very best," Carrick said about United's return to the Champions League in his pre-match press conference. "Over a long, long period of time, this football club has been used to challenging with the best and being the best. It's not something you can take for granted. We've missed out on it for a number of years, and now we're back, so I think it means a lot. We want to be able to be here every single year."

United has a tough league phase draw of the Champions League, facing Sabah, Atletico Madrid, Como, Roma, Sporting Club Portugal, Red Bull Leipzig, Bayern Munich, and Villarreal. While there are winnable games in there, not getting all three points at home to Sabah would be a cause for concern. With the squad returning to health, Carrick will have most of his players available as only Amad Diallo, Manuel Ugarte, Carlos Baleba and Matthijs de Ligt aren't up to fitness for the clash. Needing to balance both his game with a Manchester derby over the weekend, the Red Devils will have to ensure that they don't look past this game as Sabah enters with a five goal victory of their own.

It's the first time that United will face a team from Azerbaijan in Champions League history, and it is an important tie. United are looking to show that they can hang with teams such as Manchester City and Arsenal in Europe's premier competition, and their lack of depth and poor set piece defense will be things that they'll have to overcome to prove their worth. Especially on the wing without Diallo, Marcus Rashford will need to show why he's playing and translate the form that he showed while with Barcelona last season.

Bruno Fernandes has picked up where he left off after breaking the Premier League record for assists last season, and he has been named a finalist for the Ballon d'Or thanks to his plaudits, but he alone can't bring United back to where they want to be. This is a game where rotation will be crucial, and players will have to step up to show why they should be receiving more minutes for the Red Devils as Sabah comes to town. If that doesn't happen, the Owls will be buzzing to force an upset, and anything but a win will raise the concern level at Old Trafford ahead of an already critical derby.