Good evening and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the first leg of the Europa League semi-final clash between Celta Vigo and Manchester United. With a Champions League place just three matches away, this is a HUGE game for both teams.

The team news klaxon has sounded off! Both starting XIs incoming...

CELTA XI: Alvarez, Mallo, Cabral, Roncaglia, Castro Otto, Wass, Radoja, Hernandez, Iago Aspas, Guidetti, Sisto

UNITED XI: Romero, Valencia, Bailly, Blind, Darmian, Herrera, Fellaini, Pogba, Lingard, Rashford, Mkhitaryan

We'll start with the visitors, who have named their Europa League regular Sergio Romero in goal. The fit-again Paul Pogba and Eric Bailly are among five other changes for the Red Devils.

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United boss Jose Mourinho had a defensive crisis to contend with during last weekend's 1-1 draw with Swansea City and there were suggestions that promising youngster Axel Tuanzebe was in line to step in this evening, but the return of Bailly and Chris Smalling has boosted their options at the back.

Antonio Valencia, Matteo Darmian, Marouane Fellaini and Henrikh Mkhitaryan also start for the Premier League outfit, who have named an attacking line-up in Spain.

Celta Vigo have also set out an attacking stall and have included a couple of familiar faces in their line-up. Iago Aspas is formerly of Liverpool while John Guidetti knows this evening's opponents well, having played for their local rivals Manchester City.

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It's wholesale changes for the hosts, with Aspas back in the fold after being rested against Athletic Bilbao last time out. There are seven other alterations as Jonny Castro, Hugo Mallo, Gustavo Cabral, Pione Sisto, Pablo Hernandez and Nemanja Radoja are drafted in.

This is Celta Vigo's first European semi-final and their fans have turned up in droves!

The @RCCelta fans give their heroes a welcome to remember... #UEL pic.twitter.com/BU2aCqTpY8 — UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) May 4, 2017

United are the favourites to progress to the final, but they don't have the best of records on Spanish soil, with two wins in 22 matches. Their last win in this country came in 2010 when they saw off Valencia 1-0 courtesy of a Javier Hernandez goal.

That isn't to say Celta are pushovers. They may be lurking in midtable in La Liga, but Eduardo Berizzo's side are known to rise to the occasion. They knocked Real Madrid out of the Spanish cup over two legs and beat Barcelona here in a thrilling 4-3 league encounter.

No doubt Mourinho would settle for a 1-0 win and a precious away goal to take back to Old Trafford, but I think United will go for it this evening. Expect Lingard and Rashford to spearhead the counter-attacks while Pogba provides the ammunition from midfield.

Pre-match quotes from each camp coming up...

GUIDETTI: "Obviously [United have] got a good manager, a fantastic stadium, and they're one of the favourites to win the Europa League but, as they say 'Manchester is blue' and that's how it will be when we visit there as well, because we are Celta Vigo and we will try to keep the city blue."

MOURINHO: "It's a difficult game for us. Because of their situation in La Liga, a comfortable situation, they managed to think just about the Europa League, to rest players, to be in the maximum condition."

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HERRERA: "Celta are a very complicated team, with players that have a lot of quality. In theory, we are the strongest team left in the competition but we have to respect all of our rivals because otherwise, they can surprise us." (via The Mirror).

Tonight is a sort of homecoming for Ander Herrera, as his father Pablo once played for Celta Vigo. He ended his playing career there in 1989.

To add some spice to the occasion, the Europa League is the only UEFA trophy United are yet to win. Given that they have lifted both global cups, they will become the only club other than Bayern Munich with the full collection of major non-domestic trophies if they go the distance in this competition.

PREDICTION: It's prediction time and I'm going with a 1-1 draw this evening. Both sides have the potential to ask plenty of questions in the final third, but United have more quality on their side and I feel they will come away with a slender advantage in the form of an away goal.

Both sides are out there on the pitch now and the stadium is a cauldron of noise. Stay tuned for minute-by-minute updates from this crunch Europa League showdown!

KICK OFF! United get us underway, kicking from right to left in the first half.

There's an early break in play as Pablo Hernandez, the most fouled player in the competition, is brought down by Marouane Fellaini in his own half. The ball ends up back with Celta goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez, who clears his lines with a big kick upfield.

Neither side have found their feet at this early stage in the contest, but United look determined to keep hold of the ball. There is almost an opening for Pogba as Mkhitaryan floats a cross towards the back post, but the ball takes a deflection along the way, allowing the Spaniards to regain possession.

United are camped out in their opponents half and keeping the pressure up. Pogba is covering a lot of ground and his link-up play has been excellent. He picks out Rashford wide on the left but Cabral does enough to put the youngster off and shepherds the ball out for a goalkick.

CHANCE! It's a let-off for United as non-existent marking at the far post allows Radoja's cross to find the head of Wass, but the Celta man misses the target completely. Romero would have been beaten at full stretch had that been on target!

United controlled the early play but they were almost caught wide open a moment ago. Wass's header was the first clear-cut chance of the evening and if he had made a better connection, the Red Devils could well be a goal down now.

Here's one reason United fans should be optimistic tonight...

Manchester United have scored the first goal in each of their last 8 #UEL ties... #MUFC pic.twitter.com/dTl7teEYOi — UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) May 4, 2017

The game has come alive now! Solid defending from Bailly keeps out Aspas and Wass in quick succession before a powerful Pogba run at the other end of the park is halted by a blatan foul from Roncaglia, which goes unpunished. Back at the United end, Wass flashes a strike over the bar from an acute angle.

SAVE! Rashford cracks open his box of trick and swivels on edge of the area before bending a strike towards the top corner. It's heading straight for the back of the net but Alvarez produces an acrobatic stop to push it behind for a corner. Fantastic save!

United's first big chance of the evening almost yields a superb goal as Rashford showed us what he is capable of. It took an equally good save from Alvarez to keep his top corner-bound shot out.

And here's that man Rashford in action, proving a handful for the Celta defence...

📸 @MarcusRashford is looking lively for #MUFC. #UEL pic.twitter.com/8JAybXPBBC

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 4, 2017

As we expected, both sides are asking questions of each other and this match looks like it really could go either way. Pogba has exploited a few gaps in the Celta defence tonight, while Wass and Aspas are proving a handful for the Red Devils' back line.

CHANCES! There are chances at both ends as Celta force United onto the back foot, moving the ball confidently in the final third before Pione Sisto lets fly from the edge of the box, straight at Romero. United stage a swift counter which might have yielded the opening goal had Lingard managed to reach Mkhitaryan's low pass across the face of goal!

BOOKING! Fellaini picks up the first yellow card of the afternoon for going in hard on Hernandez.

ANOTHER GREAT SAVE! Excellent approach play from Pogba, who slips a perfectly-weighted ball through to Mkhitaryan to send him clean through on goal. The Armenian international looks odds on to make the net bulge, but Alvarez races off his line and makes a top-drawer block!

Celta have played with a lot of energy and given United some nervy moments in the final third, but the best chances have fallen to United, who have been thwarted only by the good form of Alvarez.

CHANCE! Alvarez is called into action once against as Rashford and Lingard play a deft one-two before the latter shoots from inside the box, directing his effort straight at the Celta goalkeeper.

United have created some great chances tonight, but they've been unable to take them - and that's more down to Alvarez playing a blinder than poor finishing.

Darmian is charging forward to give United more width in the attack now. There is fluidity to their movement going forward and they're growing in confidence as half time approaches. They still have to find a way past Alvarez, though!

The referee blows for half time and there are no goals at Balaidos so far, but plenty of goalmouth action. Rashford, Mkhitaryan and Lingard have all been denied by good saves while Celta have looked dangerous on occasion.

This feels like a vintage cup tie and I get the impression something will give late on. United have plenty of options on the bench, with Mata, Rooney and Martial potential second-half introductions.

Lots of positives for United to draw at half time and they have plenty of firepower in reserve. Both sets of players are about to leave the tunnel now. Will there be any changes at the break? Stay tuned to find out...

KICK OFF: Celta Vigo get the action back underway!

There's an early free kick for Celta as Darmian goes in late on Aspas. Guidetti throws a hopeful ball into the box which United clear easily.

United fans won't like this stat, but all signs suggest the trend could be bucked tonight...

6 – Man Utd haven't won any of their last 6 games against Spanish opponents beyond the group stage of European competition (D1 L5). Phantom. pic.twitter.com/KMpnaDV2sl

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 4, 2017

Poor effort from range by Pogba, who sidefoots the ball into the stand from 25 yards out. The Frenchman has been United's best player so far, but that goes down as a rush of blood to the head.

CHANCE! Wass is given too much space in the final third and he takes full advantage, floating a cheeky lofted pass towards Aspas in the box. The former Liverpool man attempts to meet the cross with a diving header, but it strikes his shoulder and bobbles wide.

Aspas is Celta's main goal threat but they failed to provide him with enough service in the first half. They are already setting that right early in the second period, so United will have to stay on their toes and keep the likes of Wass and Sisto closed down.

United are sitting deeper now as Celta look to attack the channels. Bailly and Darmian have looked strong at the back, but there have been a couple of occasions where the visitors' marking has been slack.

SAVE! It's Romero's turn to deliver a masterclass in shot-stopping as he tips Sisto's dipping strike over the bar with his fingertips. Celta were given far too much room to break there, and they pressed United hard, the move ending when Sisto let fly from the edge of the box with an effort that looked goalbound!

No doubt Eduardo Berizzo told his players to get up in United's faces during his half-time team talk. That's exactly what they've done in the second half, but they need to keep an eye on that Red Devils counter when committing so many bodies forward.

WASTEFUL! Rashford goes on a lung-busting run and pulls away from Cabral as he reaches the penalty area. He has Lingard and Mkhitaryan available to his right, but the youngster goes it alone and lets fly, missing the target by some distance. Poor decision making from the forward, who is guilty of selfish play.

BOOKING! Hugo Mallo goes into the book for a cynical lunge into Rashford, who steps up to take it himself...

Oh that is textbook! Rashford takes a step to the left and sidefoots an effort straight over the wall and into the back of the net, leaving Alvarez with no chance. Even Zlatan Ibrahimovic would be proud of that one!

Celta respond by surging forward from the restart and they have a corner to show for their efforts. Wass attempts to take it quickly but the United defence makes short work of a poor cross.

To add some context to that Rashford stunner...

1 - Marcus Rashford's strike was his 19th for @ManUtd in all competitions, but his first from outside the box. Lash.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 4, 2017

CHANCE! Celta have a great chance to level things up as Guidetti picks out Jonny to the left inside the box. He holds the ball up before squaring a pass to Aspas in front of goal, but the Spanish international fumbles it wide under pressure!

SUBSTITUTION: The hosts make a change as Jozabed comes on for Wass.

This is the ultimate seal of approval given how lethal this man was in front of goal in his day...

Yessss @MarcusRashford 🙌🏾 0-1 #MUFC — Andrew Cole (@vancole9) May 4, 2017

SUBSTITUTIONS: United make their first change, swapping out Mkhitaryan for Young. Moments later, they withdraw their goalscorer Rashford and throw in Martial in a like-for-like swap up front.

There's been a hard-fought battle between Valencia and Sisto along the left flank all evening and the Celta man has only now found a way through. He swings a cross in to Guidetti but the ball rebounds off the striker, behind for a United goalkick.

Fellaini vs. Hernandez has also been a good battle in the centre of the park, but the Belgian has just conceded a needless free kick by clattering into the man he's marking. He will have to be careful given that he picked up that yellow card earlier.

BOOKING Paul Pogba gets a yellow for timewasting as he dithers over a free kick before putting it into that stand. Content with a 1-0 then, Paul?

Pogba isn't the only United man who looks happy to settle on this scoreline. The visitors have done everything in their power to run the clock down since taking the lead. Expect a good few minutes of stoppage time...

Five minutes of stoppage time to be exact...

An away goal, a 1-0 win and a hugely professional performance from Manchester United as they claim a 1-0 win over Celta Vigo in Spain. That makes them clear favourites to finish the job at Old Trafford on 11 May.

That's all we have time for here, but stick with Sports Mole for all of the fallout from tonight's big game. Many thanks for reading.