Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Team news ahead of Istanbul Basaksehir clash

Tuesday 03 November 2020 11:30

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has discussed the latest on the injury and illness front ahead of Tuesday's flight to Turkey.

The Reds are looking to extend our 100 per cent record in this season's Champions League when meeting Istanbul Basaksehir for the first time.

Wednesday's 17:55 GMT kick-off may come too soon for Alex Telles, who recently tested positive for COVID-19, but Jesse Lingard continues to make progress in his bid to return to full fitness after injury.

In an exclusive interview with club correspondent Gemma Thompson at the Aon Training Complex, the boss also discussed his options in attack, with Anthony Martial available and Edinson Cavani pushing for more minutes.

"Apart from being a bit flat and disappointed [after the Arsenal defeat], as you'd expect, there are no more injuries and I think the squad will look similar again," Ole told us, ahead of his press conference.

“Jesse has trained. We'll see if there is any reaction. He trained today [Monday]. We’ll see if there is any reaction. He might be able to travel to Istanbul but we’re not sure yet. It’s looking brighter.

“Alex needs to be negative on his next test, so let's hope we can get him back as soon as possible."

Ole later confirmed to journalists that Lingard will not be flying out with the squad.

Martial's domestic suspension has now ended so he is also available for Saturday's lunchtime Premier League game at Everton. However, recent acquisition Cavani is also an option up front as he is improving his fitness after a lengthy lay-off, and was introduced as a substitute again against Arsenal.

“Anthony has been important for us last season and in the time I’ve been here," explained the manager. "So, of course, to have him back is a boost. It gives us more options for up front and on either side, and we’ll look forward to seeing the best of Anthony. I thought towards the end of the Leipzig game, you could see his sharpness getting there and he was really positive and bright, which is good.

“Edinson’s generally a fit man anyway and he’s getting his sharpness in training and he’s got some substitute appearances now. We haven’t managed to get him long enough yet to make a big impact, but he’s looking sharper and sharper in training so it won’t be long.”

Elsewhere, our central defenders Phil Jones and Eric Bailly are both injured and will miss the trip to Turkey.

TEAM NEWS FOR THE HOSTS

Basaksehir, the Turkish champions, look certain to include former Reds favourite Rafael in their line-up, with Martin Skrtel, Nacer Chadli and Demba Ba also familiar faces to followers of the Premier League.

Junior Cacicara has an Achilles problem and there are doubts over the availability of Chadli, Enzo Crivelli, Azubuike Okechukwu and Mahmut Tekdemir.

Okan Buruk's side were extremely unlucky to lose 2-0 to Paris Saint-Germain last week and, although bottom of Group H, they should not be under-estimated.

Watch Ole's press conference on the Official App and ManUtd.com, live from around 12:00 GMT.

Our full interview with the boss will be released on Wednesday morning as the Reds aim to continue our fine form in the Champions League this term.

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