Rostov vs Manchester United as it happened: Jose Mourinho's men come away from Russia with draw

Relive United's 1-1 Europa League draw at the Olimp-2 Stadium

Manchester United's Paul Pogba battles for the ball in the opening stages (Reuters)

Manchester United's Russian assignment proved as tough as expected, but Henrikh Mkhitaryan's strike on Rostov's quagmire pitch could prove crucial after the first instalment of this Europa League last-16 encounter ended in a credible draw.

As if a 3,750-mile round trip was not enough, United were greeted by a surface so poor that Jose Mourinho wanted UEFA to call the first leg off - a request that unsurprisingly fell on deaf ears.

The wretched Olimp-2 stadium surface made a difficult trip all the harder, with Aleksandr Bukharov cancelling out Mkhitaryan's first-half strike to leave the score at 1-1 ahead of next week's return leg at Old Trafford.

But Mourinho's frustration at being pegged back by Rostov - a side that have beaten Bayern Munich and Ajax at home this season - will likely be tempered by the relief of seemingly avoiding injuries on this pitch.

• Jose Mourinho readies his excuses as Manchester United prepare to play on Rostov's 'field-like' pitch
• Jose Mourinho's Manchester United selection plans left in tatters over the condition of Rostov's pitch
• Manchester United ban supporter for making offensive comments about disabled fans
• Jose Mourinho ready to shelve Manchester United's top four chase in favour of Europa League
• Paul Pogba needs room to grow, not constant criticism, at Manchester United

What time is kick-off?

The game takes place on Thursday, March 9, with kick off taking place at 6pm GMT.

Where can I watch it?

The game will be broadcast live on BT Sport 2 and BT Sport 2 HD.

It’s a big game for…

Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Armenian is expected to return from a hamstring injury on Thursday night having spent a number of weeks on the sideline. Should he feature, Mkhitaryan will be eager to hit the ground running in a bid to remind Mourinho what the side has been missing. Rostov will be no pushover though and the winger will need to have all his wits about him if he’s to stand any chance of impressing at the Olimp-2 Stadium.

Mkhitaryan has returned from injury (Getty)

Interesting fact…

Rostov supporters have organised a delivery of blankets for visiting United fans ahead of Thursday's match, according to state-owned Russian news channel Rossiya 24. The initiative, which is known as 'Gentle Fan', will see blankets handed out at the visitors' entrance to the ground, to ensure the fans will be warm enough. A touching gesture.

Player to watch…

Zlatan Ibrahimovic. A man as hardened and experienced as Ibrahimovic should be in his element on Thursday night. As the old saying goes: when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Indeed, expect plenty of fight and bite from the big Swede as he attempts to lead United’s front-line in what will be punishing conditions.

Ibrahimovic is still free to play in the Europa League after recently being handed a three-match ban by the FA (Getty)

Form guide…

Rostov: WDWDDL

Manchester United: DWWWWW

Odds…

Rostov to win: 4/1

Manchester United to win: 39/50

Draw: 12/5

[9 March 2017 17:02 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the first-leg of Manchester United's UEFA Europa League Round of 16 clash against FC Rostov, as Jose Mourinho's men look to start the tie strongly ahead of the return leg at Old Trafford next week.

The match kicks off at 6.00pm and we'll be bringing you team news and build-up ahead of then. 

[9 March 2017 17:08 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

Team news:

Manchester United name a strong, if rather defensive, looking XI. Zlatan Ibrahimovic leads the line for United, while Juan Mata and Anthony Martial both drop to the bench. As expected, Sergio Romero replaces David de Gea in goal.

Rostov have meanwhile taken the bold step of naming a series of unintelligible characters in their starting line-up:

And yet that graphic still isn't quite as confusing as seeing Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo packed in the same formation. 

[9 March 2017 17:09 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

Team news for the purists: 

FC Rostov: Medvedev, Kalachev, Mevlja, Cesar Navas, Granat, Kudryashov, Noboa, Erokhin, Gatcan, Poloz, Bukharov.

Subs: Goshev, Terentjev, Kireev, Bayramyan, Azmoun, Prepelita. 

Manchester United: Romero, Rojo, Jones, Smalling, Blind, Ander Herrera, Pogba, Fellaini, Mkhitaryan, Young, Ibrahimovic.

Subs: de Gea, Mata, Martial, Lingard, Carrick, Rashford, Valencia. 

Referee: Felix Zwayer (Germany) 

[9 March 2017 17:16 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

Jose Mourinho hasn't been shy in expressing his disappointment at the state of the pitch at the Olimp-2 Stadium, but even so he's announced a strong squad for this match, with Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic both starting, along with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who was ruled out of the EFL Cup final with injury.

Read more on what Mourinho had to say about the state of the pitch here:

[9 March 2017 17:24 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

And, in the interests of balance, here's what Uefa had to say on the pitch after Mourinho's pre-match press conference rant...

Spot the grass 

Life's a pitch 

A pitch inspection has been carried out by the match officials on Wednesday.

The playing surface may not be in perfect condition, but has been deemed playable. The match will go ahead as scheduled.

[9 March 2017 17:34 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

This is good to see:

United have charitably laid on free travel for the supporters committed enough to make the trip. There are believed to be around 250 in attendance this evening.

Meanwhile the Russian authorities have been on something of a charm offensive for this match, with the Police operating a zero-tolerance approach to violence and all fans entering the stadium receiving a free blanket from Rostov to keep them warm.

Read more about the Russian reaction to football hooliganism in the country here: 

[9 March 2017 17:44 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

Jose Mourinho has fortunately found some time in his hectic schedule of moaning about the pitch to speak to BT Sport:

Let's go for it with the best conditions we can have. They are a strong side.

Someone asked me if Rostov achieving goods result has a relation with the pitch, I say no.

In October, November in different competitions they play very well - they are very organised.

[9 March 2017 17:51 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

So just how will Manchester United, with their three central defenders, line-up tonight?

The smart money is on Mourinho sticking with his tried and tested 4-2-3-1, with Phil Jones moving over to right-back. That will allow Ashley Young to move forward alongside Marouane Fellaini and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Although Mourinho could spring a surprise, and he certainly has the players to test a Chelsea-esque 3-4-3, with Blind moved into the left wing-back position.

But is this really the time for tactical tinkering and experimentation? We'll find out in less than ten minutes. 

[9 March 2017 17:52 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

As for Rostov? Expect them to sit deep in a 5-3-2, with Poloz and Bukharov the men tasked with pinching a goal up-front.

[9 March 2017 17:57 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

And if you thought the pitch was bad, just wait until you see Rostov's doctor's waiting room chic changing rooms...

Anyway, enough with all the moaning! The players are on the pitch, including all six central defenders (gulp) and the exceptionally budget Europa League anthem is being blared out.