PREVIEW: MANCHESTER UNITED V FENERBAHCE

How can I follow the game? Thursday's Old Trafford encounter kicks off at 20:05 BST and will be broadcast live in the UK on BT Sport. MUTV’s live matchday programme begins at 19:00 BST and subscribers can watch the game in full from midnight. You can also keep up with all the action as it happens via ManUtd.com's live match blog and by following our official Twitter account @ManUtd.

Can I still get tickets? Yes - they are still on sale to all supporters. Visit www.manutd.com/europaleagueor call 0161 868 8000 to book your seats.

Set the scene for me... This will be United's third game in Europa League Group A and the first of a double-header with Fenerbahce (the away meeting follows on Thursday 3 November). If Feyenoord fail to beat Zorya Luhansk in Rotterdam, a home win would lift Jose Mourinho's team to the top of the table.

What kind of form are the two teams in? Very similar! Both clubs have drawn their last two domestic games - Fenerbahce were held 1-1 at Osmanlispor on the Sunday when United were pegged back by Stoke City and our visitors achieved the same scoreline a few days ago, at home to Alanyaspor. The Reds will no doubt have a different game plan to the one which earned a point in Monday's 0-0 stalemate against Liverpool.

How did Fenerbahce fare against the other sides in our group? The Turkish outfit are unbeaten after the first two Group A games, leaving it late to salvage a point against Zorya Luhansk on matchday one, before beating Feyenoord 1-0 last time out, courtesy of an early Emmanuel Emenike strike. Dick Advocaat's men sit top of the early standings, just one point ahead of the Reds.

What is the early team news? Mourinho was reluctant to give any hints about his starting line-up for the game during Wednesday's pre-match press conference, but did confirm that Luke Shaw - who joined him for the media briefing - will be named in the United side. The Reds boss also revealed that Henrikh Mkhitaryan is fit and could be in contention to feature at Old Trafford, and said he's counting on captain Wayne Rooney "to start or be on the bench" for the clash. French duo Anthony Martial and Morgan Schneiderlin have returned to training, but it remains to be seen whether or not they will play a part.

How did our previous meetings pan out? While we've only met Fenerbahce on four previous occasions - the first of which resulted in a 2-0 win for the Reds in 1996 - the most memorable meeting between the sides came in September 2004, when a debut hat-trick from Rooney set United on the way to a 6-2 win at Old Trafford. Our most recent visit to Istanbul came later that season, and saw the Turkish side run out 3-0 winners against a depleted United side thanks to another hat-trick, this time from Tuncay, who you may remember from his time at Middlesbrough and Stoke. Mourinho's men will be keen to set the record straight on Thursday evening...

Who are their key men? This Europa League clash will see a familiar face return to Manchester, as Robin van Persie prepares to face the Reds for the first time since departing in July 2015. The Dutchman spent three years at Old Trafford and played a key part in helping the club to a record 20th league title. While the striker can expect a great reception, it's likely to be a different story for defender Martin Skrtel, who joined Fenerbahce earlier this summer after eight years at Liverpool. Both he and defensive partner Simon Kjaer - who has already scored in this season's competition - represent an aerial threat, while on-loan Sunderland man Jeremain Lens can provide pace going forward.

Did you know? Although Rooney's was the name on the back of the papers following his debut heroics against Fenerbahce, United legend Ryan Giggs played a big part in the hat-trick. The winger set up Wayne's first and was set to take the free-kick that led to his third, with Rooney later revealing that he managed to persuade his team-mate otherwise. "For the hat-trick goal, Giggsy was all set to take the free-kick but I said to him, 'I think I'm going to score this, I fancy myself to score,'" Rooney said after the game. "The match was more or less done at the time so he let me take it and thankfully it went in." How's that for confidence!

Any other fixtures to look out for on Thursday? Fans will have one eye on the other game in Group A, as Feyenoord welcome Zorya to Rotterdam. Meanwhile, the Premier League's other representatives are in action before United kick off at Old Trafford, as Southampton travel to the San Siro to take on Inter Milan at 18:00 BST.