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Manchester United will face a difficult opponent in Leeds United without Casemiro today in the Premier League.
The defensive midfielder was sent off in the 70th minute during his last match vs. Crystal Palace.
A VAR review had shown that he had in fact grabbed Will Hughes by the neck in a silly sprawl that happened moments before. It was the first red card that he had received in his senior career, which may come as a surprise to many after his robust challenges for Real Madrid in seasons before.
Reports indicated that Man United wanted to appeal the sending off, but this isn’t going to be the case after Erik ten Hag claimed they would not try to reverse the decision. An unsuccessful appeal could potentially bring a four match ban meaning he would miss the Carabao Cup final.
As the red card was in the Premier League, Casemiro will be able to play both matches vs Barcelona in the Europa League as suspensions don’t carry over. He will miss the home and away fixture vs Leeds and the home match vs. Leicester City.
The Mirror has produced a fantastic stat showcasing what United are like as a team with and without the Champions League winning midfielder.
When the defensive midfielder has played, which includes 23 appearances in this stat, the Red Devils have won 18 matches, drawn three times and lost two.
They have also scored 42 goals, with a goals per game of 1.82 while only conceding 14 goals with a goals against per game of 0.60.
Without the Brazilian international, however, things are a lot more reminiscent of the last campaign.
This season, they have won seven matches and had zero draws but they have unfortunately achieved four losses without the defensive midfielder.
The team will need to be defensively aware today as they look to improve on their record without the 30 year old. It remains yet to be seen if anyone will directly replace Casemiro or if the manager changes his tactics. Marcel Sabitzer could earn his full debut today but it is unclear which role he will take up in the midfield.
United will be hoping that they can consolidate their third place position while Casemiro is out as other clubs start to edge closer to the top four.
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