Sabah FA have won seven straight at home, and that is the most awkward detail in a preview already full of travel pressure. Manchester United drew at home to Tottenham Hotspur and sit 13th in the Premier League, with only one win in their last five league games. Sabah's 4-0 defeat at Old Trafford on Matchday 1 is still there in the background, but the return game now looks far less comfortable for United.

Sabah's home record and United's league form

The home split is doing most of the work here. Sabah's seven straight wins on their own ground make them a very different side from the one United saw in the first meeting, while Atlético Madrid's four-game winning run adds another layer of difficulty to the trip.

United's recent league numbers are not the sort that calm anyone. Thirteenth in the Premier League, one win in five and a home draw with Tottenham is a mixed run by any standard, and it is the sort of form that gives an away tie extra edge. Atlético's current streak only adds to that feeling.

Lens and Sporting CP bring different kinds of pressure

Lens offer the cleaner home advantage story. Bollaert-Delelis Stadium has sold out for 90 consecutive official matches, with an average actual occupancy of 98.6%, and the ground had 38,153 in it, including 1,000 visiting supporters, for the recent visit from Lyon. Lens are fourth in Ligue 1, so the atmosphere is backed by decent domestic form as well.

The off-field mood around the stadium was calmer by the time of the report, despite the protest scenes described by François-Xavier Lauch, who said there was "a larger group than on previous days, of 150 to 200 high school students, who threw a series of objects at the police." The key point for Sporting is simpler: Sporting CP are third in the Primeira Liga and unbeaten in their last five league matches, so they arrive with steadier domestic form than some of the ties around them.

Sabah's home run makes them the clearest upset watch on the slate, but the broader matchday is really about which clubs can carry domestic momentum into Europe. Sabah have done it at home, Lens keep proving how hard Bollaert-Delelis is to quieten, and Sporting arrive in good shape. United, by contrast, still have to show that their league wobble does not follow them into the Metropolitano.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →