Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's Europa League last 16 clash as Manchester United welcome Rostov to Old Trafford for the second leg! Tonight's match should be a far cry from the first leg, which was played on a pitch that barely passed for a playing surface, but there is still work to do for the home side. Before we get to that, though, let's have a look at some team news...

MAN UTD STARTING XI: Romero; Valencia, Bailly, Smalling, Rojo; Pogba, Blind, Herrera; Mata, Mkhitaryan, Ibrahimovic

MAN UTD SUBS: De Gea, Jones, Carrick, Fellaini, Young, Lingard, Rashford

ROSTOV STARTING XI: Medvedev; Bayramyan, Mevlja, Navas, Kudryashov, Terentyev; Noboa, Prepelita, Erokhin; Poloz, Azmoun

ROSTOV SUBS: Kireev, Bukharov, Devic, Goshev

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well the headline news is a return for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has been comfortably Manchester United's star performer this season. The Swede served the first of his three-match ban for elbowing Bournemouth defender Tyrone Mings on Monday night during the FA Cup clash with Chelsea, but that suspension only applies to domestic duties so he is able to return tonight. He will be the one to watch for Rostov having scored five and assisted two more in this Europa League campaign so far, with four of those goals coming here at Old Trafford.

Arguably United's next most impressive player, at least in an attacking sense, has been Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and the Armenian winger is also in the starting lineup this evening having opened the scoring in the first leg last week. Mkhitaryan has now netted in three consecutive Europa League matches and will be hopeful of continuing that streak tonight in order to take his side another step closer to the quarter-finals of the competition.

It will be very interesting to see how United will line up this evening, with Mourinho having favoured something resembling a 3-4-3 formation in recent weeks. The personnel suggests that could be the case again tonight, with Bailly, Smalling and Blind at the back and Valencia and Rojo as wing-backs, but it could just as easily be a 4-3-3 formation with Blind in midfield. The formation against Chelsea was somewhere in between the two, so Mourinho is keeping us guessing a bit at the moment.

In all, Mourinho has made five changes to the side that lost to Chelsea just three days ago, with Juan Mata amongst those to return to the starting XI. Depending on the formation the Spaniard could be part of a front three alongside Mkhitaryan and Ibrahimovic or a trio just behind the striker of Pogba and Mkhitaryan, but there is no doubt that he has the ability to unlock what could be a stubborn defence tonight.

There are two changes at the back for the Red Devils, including a return to Eric Bailly after he was forced to sit out of the first leg last week due to suspension. The centre-back was also absent for the defeat to Chelsea, but returns this evening to line up alongside Smalling and Rojo. Behind them, Sergio Romero replaces De Gea in goal once again in Europe, with the latter joining Jones, Darmian, Rashford and Young in dropping out of the starting XI.

There is notably no place for captain Wayne Rooney, who was also left out of the England squad having been struggling with a knee injury following a training-ground collision with Phil Jones last week. Luke Shaw was named in that England squad despite his lack of game time for United this season, though, and he is once again absent from the squad entirely for this game. Martial and Schweinsteiger are also on the injury list for Mourinho at the moment.

As for the visitors, they arrive at Old Trafford with a few selection concerns of their own. Captain Aleksandr Gatskan is suspended after picking up a yellow card in the first leg, while Timofei Kalachev is also out for the same reason. With Vladimir Granat having broken his collarbone in that first leg too, Rostov are only able to name four players on their bench this evening - a clear sign of their depleted squad.

Amongst the subs is Bukharov, who scored the equalising goal in Russia to make things all square coming into this second leg. His exclusion is one of four changes to the side that lined up for last week's reverse fixture, with the suspended duo and Granat the others to miss out. In their place are Bayramyan, Terentyev, Prepelita and Azmoun - the latter of whom has five European goals to his name already this season. United will also have to look out for Poloz, who has seven goals in Europe this term, including five in the Champions League, and Noboa, who also have five continental strikes to his name this term.

There are goals in that Rostov team, then, but there is no doubt that United will go into this game as massive favourites to progress into the quarter-finals. The first leg may have ended all square on the night, but Mkhitaryan's away goal gives United the slight advantage and when you consider the difference between the playing surfaces at the Olymp-2 Stadium and Old Trafford, United chances only increase. It would be a major, major shock if United tripped up here tonight.

However, for all of United's honours and pedigree, both domestically and in Europe, this isn't a position they have been in too often. The Europa League/UEFA Cup is the only major trophy that the club has never won, and their previous best performance in this competition saw them knocked out to minnows Videoton on penalties in 1984-85. Defeat tonight would be a shock on a similar scale considering the likes of Pogba, Ibrahimovic and Mkhitaryan are all playing.

The Red Devils are unbeaten in their last 15 home outings in European competition though, including qualifiers. They have won 12 of those too, and even a goalless draw would be enough to see them through into the quarter-finals this time around. In the Europa League alone United have not lost at home since March 2016 - a run of six games which includes a 100% record this term. Indeed, United have scored 12 goals and conceded just one on their way to four wins from four at home in this season's competition.

In all competitions, United are now unbeaten in their last 21 games at Old Trafford - a run which includes 14 victories and stretches all the way back to September. Indeed, that September loss to local rivals Manchester City is their only defeat here in 34 matches since January 2016, although it hasn't all been plain sailing in that time despite what looks on first glance to be a good record.

There have been far too many draws here in the Premier League especially, with United having shared the spoils more time than they have won in the top flight this season. The Red Devils only have the ninth-best home record in the Premier League and average more points per game on their travels than they do here at Old Trafford, with all seven of their draws throughout their current 21-game home streak coming in the Premier League. That form does not translate over to the Europa League yet, but Rostov will take it as proof that Old Trafford is by no means the fortress it once was.

Home and away United have taken their foot off the pedal a little in recent weeks, coming into this one having failed to win any of their last three games since lifting the EFL Cup at Wembley last month. Monday's defeat to Chelsea was their first in their last 11 outings and just their second in 29, and it was by no means a humiliating one as Chelsea picked up a 1-0 victory despite United playing with 10 men from the 35th minute. However, it was still a defeat and failure to win tonight would see United go four games without victory for the first time under Mourinho.

United were in a much more comfortable position after the first leg of the last round, when they beat Saint-Etienne 3-0 before finishing the job in the second leg to wrap up a 4-0 aggregate triumph. They have also progressed from five of their last seven European ties in which they have drawn the first leg - although the two exceptions have been the most recent two, crashing out to Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League in 2014 and Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals a year later.

United fans can be safe in the knowledge that Rostov are not Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, though, and victory tonight would be one of the greatest moments in the club's history. They are already breaking new ground this term, competing in the spring phase of a European competition for the first time, and to make it all the way through to the quarter-finals via the scalp of Manchester United would be a huge achievement for a side whose only previous honour is the 2014 Russian Cup.

That goes to show the disparity in history and pedigree between these two clubs, although Rostov are no strangers to picking up an unexpected result in Europe and have done so against better opposition than United already this season. The Russian outfit dropped into the Europa League via the Champions League group stages, during which time they beat Bayern Munich 3-2 to help them surprisingly pip PSV Eindhoven to a third-place finish behind Atletico and Bayern.

The likelihood of them ever getting out of the group was slim to none from the moment the draw was confirmed, but simply continuing their European journey beyond the turn of the year must be counted as a success for Rostov. This is already their longest European campaign ever, with tonight's match the 14th of their season having started in the Champions League qualifying rounds back in July. Rostov fought off Anderlecht and Ajax to reach the group stages, where they won one, drew two and lost three of their matches.

Those three defeats - which came home and away to Atletico Madrid and away to Bayern Munich - are Rostov's only losses in European competition in their last 14 outings, though, and none of them are anything to be ashamed of. The Russian outfit have won four and drawn seven of those, and while Old Trafford may rank alongside the Vicente Calderon and the Allianz Arena in terms of daunting places to visit, Rostov could only need a draw to progress tonight, so long as they managed an away goal.

It is the European away form which will be the biggest concern for the visitors heading into tonight's match, though. Rostov have not won any of their last five away games in European competition, drawing three and losing two since their 2-0 triumph over Anderlecht in a Champions League qualifier in August. Their record gets even worse when you include domestic form too, with a 6-0 win over bottom-of-the-table Tom Tomsk on their return to Russian Premier League action recently ending a 14-match winless streak away from home.

While the 6-0 win over Tom Tomsk may seem like an emphatic return to form, Rostov remain stranded in mid-table in the Russian Premier League. They are by no means amongst the high-flyers in the top flight, sitting 15 points off leaders Spartak Moscow in eighth place. Last season's runners-up are only three points adrift of the Europa League places, though, and only CSKA Moscow have conceded fewer all season so there is still hope that they can salvage European football again.

The visitors arrive at Old Trafford in fairly decent form too having scored 12 and conceded just two goals in a five-match unbeaten streak since their return from the winter break. You have to go back to November for Rostov's last defeat in any competition, and they fired a warning shot that they won't act as whipping boys in the last round of this competition when they thrashed Sparta Prague 5-1 on aggregate, including a 4-0 win in the home first leg - their biggest ever European victory.

PREDICTION: Right, we're closing in on kickoff at Old Trafford now, which means that it is time for a prediction! United have been fairly hard to call at home this term, but they have at least manage to restrict that form to the Premier League so far. Rostov will look to make things difficult for the hosts, but it is hard to see past a United win tonight. They have the quality, home advantage and as away goal, and are playing a side ravaged by suspension and injury, so I'm going to go for a 3-0 Manchester United victory.

The first leg was the first ever meeting between these two sides, although the playing surface at the Olimp-2 Stadium acted as a leveller for the hosts. To give an indication of just how bad it was, the Russian Premier League has since banned Rostov from holding their home games at the ground until they are able to improve the pitch - a decision which may leave United fans wondering why it passed a UEFA inspection. Still, Mkhitaryan's away goal gave them an advantage in the tie and they emerged unscathed as far as injuries are concerned, so all in all it was a good night's work for Mourinho's side.

This will be the fifth time that United have welcomed a Russian side to Old Trafford, and they are yet to taste defeat in that time, although they have also won just one of the previous four meetings. Three of the games have ended all square, which could end up suiting Rostov tonight. Overall against Russian opposition, United have won two, drawn seven and lost one of their 10 meetings, with their only defeat coming against Zenit St Petersburg in the 2008 Super Cup - a match held on neutral territory.

This is Rostov's first ever visit to England, but the past record of Russian clubs here does not bode particularly well for them. They have won just two of their last 26 away games on English soil, with seven draws in that time and 17 defeats. A trip to Russia is always considered a difficult away assignment for English clubs, but the reverse is true too and it will be interesting to see how Rostov cope with the 3,000km trip to Manchester.

Since the start of the 2015-16 campaign Russian clubs have come up against England opposition on seven occasions, and they have failed to win any of those games. Again, they have managed to record three draws and four defeats, so it has generally been quite close, but the recent history very much sides with Premier League clubs.

However, it hasn't exactly been a stellar season for English clubs in Europe this season. None of the Premier League's top five remain in either the Champions League or the Europa League, with Leicester - a team battling relegation in the top flight - the only side to have made it into the quarter-finals of Europe's premier club competition. United are the only team still flying the flag in this tournament too, and they will attempt to do what local rivals Manchester City could not last night and make it into the last eight.

Fatigue could play a part for United considering they were only in action three days ago, and had to play the majority of that match with just 10 men too. Mourinho's changes should limit the tiredness in the legs a little, but it has been a heavy week for them. Rostov have had an extra day's rest having played on Sunday, drawing 0-0 with mid-table rivals Terek Grozny, but have also had to make that long trip over to Manchester.

Right, the time for talking is almost over! The players are coming out onto the pitch for another big night of European football as United look to avoid an upset and complete the job to progress into the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

KICKOFF: Manchester United get us underway at Old Trafford!

United have indeed gone for three at the back, as was the case in the first leg, with Blind acting as left wing-back and Rojo as the centre-back alongside Bailly and Smalling.

CHANCE! The first chance of the night arrives after just five minutes as Rojo is left unmarked in the area to plant a header from Blind's corner towards goal. The keeper reacts quickly to get a hand to it, but he can't turn it over the bar and instead knocks it down to the side where Ibrahimovic is waiting. It is an impossible angle for the Swede to squeeze it in, though, and his shot hits the post before bouncing back off him and out for a goal kick.

This has been a decent start for United, who have taken control of possession in the opening exchanges, as you might expect. Rostov will look to frustrate the hosts, but it could be a long night for them if that is the plan.

United have the chance to test the keeper again as Blind wins a free kick in a good shooting position. Ibrahimovic stands over it, but the wall does its job and makes the block.

For the second time in quick succession the referee stops play with United in a relatively good position, although this time it is warranted as Erokhin was kicked in the head by his own player. He will be fine to continue, though.

Mkhitaryan gets the ball onto his left and tries his luck from range, but he blazes his shot high and wide of the target.

Another Rostov player goes down to force a stoppage in play, and already the Old Trafford crowd is getting frustrated with what seem to be time-wasting tactics.

CHANCE! Chance for United as Mata clips a pass over the defence for Ibrahimovic to race on to and, despite being 35 years old, he beats the keeper to the ball on the edge of the area. His header takes him a little wide, but he cuts back and eventually sees his shot saved by a sprawling Medvedev.

Rostov have their best attacking platform of the match as they come forward down the right, but the final ball in towards Azmoun is poor. A better delivery there could have caused problems for United!

United have enjoyed 80% possession in the opening 20 minutes, and that figure may not fluctuate too much throughout the night - particularly if it remains goalless for a while.

This has been one-way traffic from the very first whistle, with Rostov unable to get out at the moment. They will need to show more attacking intent sooner or later as they need a goal tonight.

Pogba has been playing as if he has a point to prove so far tonight, but this shot will not be in any of his highlight reels. He turns past one defender but then fires an effort into the upper stands of Old Trafford, about as far away from the goal as possible.

Rostov simply haven't been able to make the ball stick up front for any length of time tonight. Every time they win the ball they are hurried into a clearance and it comes straight back at them. It is wave after wave of United attacks.

PENALTY SHOUT! The hosts feel that they should have a penalty here, but the referee is unmoved. A low cross into the box is not cut out, with the attempted clearance only sending the ball looping into a more dangerous position, Mkhitaryan is waiting under it, but the keeper appears to push him out of the way before claiming the ball. It looked like a pretty blatant shove too, but the referee says no.

Rostov make a rare foray into the United half and there is a slight moment of panic for the hosts as Azmoun picks the ball up on the edge of the area. He looks for Poloz, but Herrera blocks the pass.

CHANCE! Big chance for United to find the breakthrough! Ibrahimovic knocks the ball back to Mata, who immediately plays a first-time pass through for Mkhitaryan. The Armenian only has the keeper to beat, but he tries to clip it over Medvedev and can only put it wide.

The pressure continues to arrive from United and a low cross from the right almost finds Ibrahimovic, but he misses with an attempted flick and the ball goes all the way across the area.

Rostov respond with a rare attack of their own, but once again they are prevented from having a shot. Poloz was the closest to doing so when he attempted to flick the ball past Smalling, but the United defender made an important interception.

OFF THE POST! United are getting closer to that breakthrough! This time it is Ibrahimovic who is played in behind the defence, and he looks up to see Mkhitaryan in support. Zlatan chooses to go alone, though, cutting inside and firing a powerful effort towards the far corner that thumps against the post.

Surely an opening goal is not too far away now? Rostov are piling bodies behind the ball, but United have still had a few good chances to break the deadlock and really should be ahead. It feels like a matter of when rather than if they will get that breakthrough, though.

Rostov are ticking ever closer to half time, which they would consider a good achievement considering it has been one-way traffic since the outset tonight. As things stand, though, United are still the team going through.

One of the strange things about this match is that United may begin to get more and more frustrated as long as this one remains goalless, despite that being enough to see them go through. It won't feel like a particularly big triumph if they progress off the back of a 0-0 draw.

SHOT! United have a free kick in an almost identical position to their earlier one and this time it is Pogba who takes the responsibility, but he fires it well over the bar to groans from the home fans.

In fairness to Rostov, they have been very disciplined and solid so far tonight, and most of all they have been alert to the danger. They have won a number of challenges just as it looked like United were about to pull the trigger.

SHOT! Rostov have a shot! It is their first of the night, and it isn't a good one by any means, but it is a shot nonetheless. They hit United on the break but fail to really make the most of it, particularly when Erokhin slices a 25-yard effort well wide. One minute added time!

SAVE! One final piece of action from Medvedev as he keeps out Pogba with the final moment of the half. Rojo's mis-hit shot ends up at the feet of Ibrahimovic, who knocks it back to Pogba. The midfielder then curls a left-footed effort towards the corner, but the keeper makes a fairly comfortable save.

So far, so good for Rostov... sort of. As things stand they are still heading out of the Europa League, but they will consider reaching half time still level as a mini-success. It has been one-way traffic for United so far, dominating possession and creating all of the chances, but the only thing missing is a goal. They don't need one to go through, but their failure to get one in that opening 45 minutes will be frustrating for Mourinho.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has come within the width of the post of breaking the deadlock on two occasions, the first of which came after just five minutes when he couldn't smuggle the ball home from an impossible angle after Rojo's unmarked header had been kept out by Medvedev. The second time was a lot closer to the opening goal after Ibrahimovic had cut inside past his man and thumped an effort against the woodwork.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has also missed a clear chance to grab the opener having been released through on goal by Mata's defence-splitting pass, but the Armenian winger attempted to clip his finish over the keeper and only succeeded in putting it a couple of yards wide when he should have scored. Medvedev has also been called upon to deny Pogba and Ibrahimovic, with Rostov somehow holding out without conceding in that opening 45 minutes.

As far as the visitors are concerned, their attacking threat has been virtually non-existent. Their first shot of the night came in stoppage time of that first half, and it was well off target from Erokhin. They will need to show more going forward in this second half if they are to get the goal they need, though.

KICKOFF: Rostov get us back underway at Old Trafford!

This looks like an early blow for United in this second half - Pogba has just pulled up with what looks like a hamstring injury. That will surely be the end of his evening.

MAN UTD SUB: Sure enough there is the change as Pogba departs to be replaced by Marouane Fellaini - not the most positive change Mourinho could have made.

Lovely feet from Mkhitaryan as he steps up a gear and glides past a couple of players, but his pass to Ibrahimovic finds the striker in an offside position. It could need a bit of individual flair like that to break through this Rostov defence, though.

Almost a chance for United again as Ibrahimovic and Mkhitaryan both pick up possession in the box, but there are so many yellow shirts back there that neither can get a shot away and it is eventually hacked clear.

A tentative shout for a penalty from the home fans here as Mata bumps into Kudryashov inside the area, but it was good defending and the referee is right to wave it away.

CHANCE! Warning shot for United! Azmoun, aka the Iranian Messi, has their first shot on target of the night and it takes a smart save from Rostov to keep the hosts from taking a shock and very undeserved lead. Azmoun cuts inside onto his left foot and opens his body looking for the far corner, but Romero is at full stretch to tip it away.

SAVE! Wait 54 minutes for one, and two come along at once. The resulting corner only drops as far as Noboa, who connects with his volley well and forces another stop from Romero. This one is more routine for the United keeper, but a shot on target nonetheless.

CHANCE! United respond with a half-chance of their own at the other end as Ibrahimovic meets Valencia's cross, but he can only flick his header a couple of yards over the crossbar.

United break into the Rostov box again as Herrera feeds the ball into Ibrahimovic, who shows good strength to shrug off Mevlja but puts his cross too close to the keeper.

Just half an hour remains in this match and, as things stand, United are still going through. However, a goalless draw at home to Rostov is by no means a result they will celebrate with too much gusto.

ROSTOV SUB: The visitors make their first change of the night as Alexander Bukharov - the scorer in the first leg for Rostov - replaces Azmoun.

MAN UTD SUB: The hosts are forced into another change here as Blind goes off having seemingly suffered a blow to the head a while ago. He is replaced by Phil Jones.

Very important block from Bailly as he throws himself in the way of a Poloz effort after good hold-up play from Bukharov. The visitors have just begun to threaten a little bit more in the last few minutes.

Suddenly United will be starting to get a little more anxious right now. Rostov have begun to see more of the ball in better areas since the introduction of Bukharov, and a goal for the visitors would leave United needed two if they are to progress without the need for extra time.

Confusion on the touchlines here as Rashford had stripped off and looked ready to come on, only for Young to suddenly get the nod instead after a brief conversation between Mourinho and Jones. However, the mind seems to have been changed again and now it is Rashford who looks likely to be United's third and final change after all.

United finally have the breakthrough, and at probably the time in the match where they had been least in control! It is a rare defensive error from Rostov as they give the ball away sloppily in midfield, but from then on it is ruthless from the hosts. Mata pounces on the loose ball and gives it to Ibrahimovic, who in turn pokes it out wide for Mkhitaryan. His low cross into the box is flicked on by Ibrahimovic, and Mata is waiting at the back post to sweep it home.

There was a huge sigh of relief from United fans after that goal went in, but as far as Rostov are concerned it hasn't really changed their objective - they need to score in the closing 20 minutes here.

The cameras switch to banana watch was Jose Mourinho hands a banana to Ashley Young warming up on the touchline, and he in turn passes it on to Rojo, who scoffs it down mid-game!

Mata was about to be subbed off just before scoring that goal, but there has been yet another U-turn from Mourinho on the touchline and now neither Young or Rashford are stripped off and ready to come on.

Good alert goalkeeper from Medvedev as he comes racing off his line to collect a pass forward from Mata. Mkhitaryan was a stud short of getting there first, but the keeper did well.

SAVE! This one isn't over yet, folks! Romero is called into action as Noboa clips a lovely cross into the middle that Bukharov does really well to flick on under pressure. Romero watches it closely, though, and flicks it past the post.

ROSTOV SUB: A second change for the visitors as Marko Devic is introduced in place of Prepelita.

ROSTOV SUB: That is swiftly followed by their third and final sub, in every sense of the phrase. Igor Kireev is their only remaining outfield player on the bench and he comes on for Bayramyan.

Just six minutes remaining in this match now, and Rostov are really running out of time. They have managed to get the ball into the feet of Bukharov inside the box on a couple of occasions, but they need more if they are to salvage extra time here.

Phil Jones, who is playing in the left wing-back role for some reason with Blind also on the pitch, gets the 'Ole' treatment as he makes a marauding run down the flank before eventually carrying the ball out of play.

YELLOW CARD! Bukharov becomes the first name in the book tonight for a foul on Fellaini.

Bailly is fortunate to avoid a yellow card which would rule him out of the next match, and somehow manages to get the free kick himself when Rostov would have had a free kick in a good crossing position had the decision gone the right way.

Manchester United are just four additional minutes away from the quarter-finals of the Europa League!

One last chance for Rostov as they win a free kick in a decent position...

SAVE! Wow! What a finish this would have been! Noboa curls a magnificent free kick towards the top corner from all of 30 yards, but it takes a flying save from Romero to keep him out. There will be no time to take the resulting corner, though - that was the last kick of the match!

It may not have been as conclusive as many expected, but United have got the job done tonight as they progress into the quarter-finals of the Europa League - equalling their best-ever performance in this competition. They had to work hard tonight, with Juan Mata's goal adding to Mkhitaryan's away strike in the first leg to seal a 2-1 aggregate triumph over Rostov, although Romero deserves plenty of plaudits for a few important saves in that second half. United certainly deserve the win, but they had to cope with a few scares along the way.

Right, that is all we have time for tonight I'm afraid! It wasn't a classic in truth, but United progress into the last eight nonetheless courtesy of Juan Mata's goal (and Sergio Romero's hands). I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. We will have coverage of the draw for both the Champions League and the Europa League tomorrow, so check back in with us for that! From me, though, it is goodbye for now!