Michael Owen claims Manchester United can harness the Old Trafford atmosphere to beat Atalanta and relieve some of the intense pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
But the ex-England striker expects another of his former clubs, Liverpool, will struggle to maintain their 100 per cent record in the Champions League as they face Atletico Madrid.
The Reds travel to the La Liga champions on Tuesday before United host Italian entertainers Atalanta the following night.
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Liverpool beat AC Milan and Porto in their first two group-stage fixtures, while the Red Devils bounced back from defeat by Young Boys with a dramatic victory over Villarreal last month.
Jurgen Klopp's side have had the superior domestic form since the last round of European fixtures and sit second in the Premier League after a thumping 5-0 win at Watford on Saturday.
United, meanwhile, fell to a 4-2 defeat by Leicester City to leave them sixth and prompt further speculation about manager Solskjaer's future.
However, Owen anticipates United will fare better than rivals Liverpool in midweek, backing them to edge out Atalanta in a hard-fought fixture.
"This feels like a season-defining game for United," the 41-year-old told BetVictor . "Their form hasn’t been great and after that defeat to Leicester at the weekend, the pressure is massively on Solskjaer here.
"I’m expecting a brilliant atmosphere at Old Trafford and think Atalanta might struggle to deal with it. I don’t think it will be emphatic, but I think United will win 2-1."
Turning his attention to Liverpool's trip to the Spanish capital, Owen recalled Atletico knocked out the Reds at the last-16 stage in the 2019/20 campaign.
PREDICTION: Do you agree with Michael Owen? Have your say in the comments!
"This won’t be an easy one for Liverpool that’s for sure," he added. "(Diego) Simeone’s side remain as difficult to beat as ever and knocked Liverpool out two seasons ago.
"The Reds are playing well though and in Mo Salah, they’ve maybe got the best player in the world right now. I don’t think Liverpool will win this, but I can’t see them losing either. I’m going for a 1-1 draw."
Owen also cast his eye over the other Champions League clashes involving Premier League clubs.
Manchester City travel to Club Brugge on Tuesday evening and Owen expects Pep Guardiola's side to ease past the Belgian champions with a 3-0 victory.
Champions League-holders Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Juventus in their last Group H match and Thomas Tuchel will be keen to return to winning ways against Malmo on Wednesday.
Owen anticipates the Blues will do just that, tipping them to beat the Swedish club 2-0.
