It will be Brann vs Manchester United on Thursday as the Red Devils return to Champions League action, and here we give our preview and prediction for the first-leg of the third qualifying round clash.
Brann vs Manchester United match facts
- ⚽️Women’s Champions League third qualifying round first-leg
- 🏟️Brann Stadion
- ⏱️Thursday, September 11th – 6pm (BST) (shown live on MUTV)
Brann vs Manchester United preview
Following the return of the Women’s Super League, Manchester United return to Champions League action when they travel to Norway on Thursday.
Marc Skinner’s side had a fantastic start to the WSL season, hitting Leicester for four goals in their opener on Sunday.
United will now switch their attention to qualifying for the new league phase of the Champions League. Standing in their way are the Norwegian side Brann, whom they play over two legs.
The first-leg will take place at Brann Stadion on September 11th, before the Norwegian side travel to Leigh Sports Village on September 18th.
Both sides last played in the Champions League during the 2023-24 campaign and it was Brann who went further into the competition.
United were knocked out at the second qualifying round by Paris Saint-Germain, while Brann crashed out in the quarter-finals to eventual winners Barcelona.
The Red Devils will be favourites to reach the league phase but Brann are no pushovers and have some talented players, including highly-rated Signe Gauspet, who could punish Skinner’s side if they are not at their best.
Opening our #WSL account for the 2025/26 season, and it meant so much ❤️
— Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) September 8, 2025
Manchester United team news
Fridolina Rolfo and Rachel Williams are pushing to be involved on Thursday, after missing Sunday’s victory over Leicester City.
Marc Skinner said ahead of the clash with the Foxes that the pair would likely return against either Brann or London City Lionesses this weekend.
If Rolfo does feature, it will be her debut for the club after joining the Red Devils earlier this summer.
Gabby George, Leah Galton and Simi Awujo will all miss the clash. George could be in contention to return against the newly-promoted Lionesses, but Galton and Awujo could be out for a couple of weeks still.
New signing Jess Park will be pushing to start after coming off the bench against Leicester. This will allow her to build her on-field partnership with Ella Toone, which is exciting United fans.
United only had five players on the bench against Leicester, and Skinner addressed their thin squad after the match.
He will be hoping United have more options off the bench against the Norwegian side on Thursday.
Predicted lineups
Brann: Panengstuen; Stenevik, Authen, Tynnila, Lehtola; Gauspet, Peuhkurinen, Haugland, Eikeland; Davidson, Zomers
Manchester United: Tullis-Joyce; Riviere, Le Tissier, Janssen, Sandberg; Olme, Miyazawa; Park, Toone, Malard; Terland
Brann vs Manchester United prediction
Manchester United go into the third qualifying round as favourites, though Brann are no pushovers, as shown by their passage to the quarter-finals of this competition in 2023-24.
Brann will put up a good fight on home soil but the Red Devils should have enough attacking quality to return to Manchester with a lead in this tie.
However, similar to their second-round qualifying match against Hammarby, we expect a close game, with United walking away with a 1-0 victory.
Prediction: Brann 0-1 Manchester United
