FC Basel Vs. Manchester United, 2011 UEFA Champions League Matchday 6 Preview: United Squad Thin Up Top

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 03: Nemanja Vidic of Manchester United celebrates victory at the final whistle during the Barclays Premier League match between Aston Villa and Manchester United at Villa Park on December 3, 2011 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Manchester United must get a draw or win away to FC Basel to secure a spot in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League.

Javier Hernandez, Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen are all injured for Manchester United's trip away to FC Basel. In a match where United absolutely must secure a point to go through to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League, this can be a bit of a problem. Danny Welbeck and Federico Macheda have proved in the past that they are competent players, but a trip to Basel is no picnic.

When these teams met last, Basel put in a fantastic performance to draw 2-2 at Old Trafford. They were perhaps the better team on the night in Manchester and missed a number of chances to score a third goal. They did this without Xherdan Shaqiri, their oft-praised winger who is linked to the biggest clubs in the world on a weekly basis.

With a win, Basel go through and United are out. With a draw, United go through, but more likely than not will go through in second place. With a win, United have a chance to win the group if Benfica do not win their final match.

FC Basel Vs. Manchester United

Game Date / Time: Wednesday, December 7. 2:45 pm ET, 7:45 pm GMT, 8:45 pm local

Venue: St Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland

Television: FOX Soccer Channel (USA - English), FOX Deportes (USA - Spanish), Sportsnet World (Canada), ITV 1 (UK)

Check out Manchester United blog The Busby Babe for more on the Red Devils. We'll have coverage of all of the UEFA Champions League matches at SB Nation Soccer. For more from around the world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on twitter.