It’s do or bust for Manchester United in the Champions League tonight and Erik ten Hag doesn’t want to dwell on the negatives going into the crucial clash against Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
The Reds know they will be up against it tonight at Old Trafford. When they faced Bayern in Bavaria earlier this season, it ended 4-3 and tonight we know conceding four goals will be too much to overturn.
However, in United’s final group stage match, Ten Hag’s side need to win as well as hope for a draw when FC Copenhagen take on Galatasaray in the other Group A match. That is the only way we stand a chance of progressing to the last-16.
That means it will be a big night at Old Trafford and we can only hope that it’s one to remember – for the atmosphere, result and final outcome.
Ten Hag has done an exclusive interview with club media ahead of the game.
“Well we know what to do,” Ten Hag told ManUtd.com in the lead up to tonight’s game. “We have to win. We want to stay in Europe so we have to play our best and we are able to do it. We are, everyone sees, quite inconsistent in this moment but also [have] highs in the team.
“The highs from performance levels. Sometimes it can drop below, but it is up to us to do it more regularly. You see in the last couple of weeks, in a couple of games, we played brilliant football and we have to make sure that we bring it tomorrow on the pitch.”
Bayern go into the game after securing top spot in Group A, but Thomas Tuchel will demand a response from his players after losing 5-1 against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday. On the same day, however, United lost 3-0 versus Bournemouth so both teams go into the game on the back of defeats.
“I think we can take our belief from the game against Chelsea,” the manager added. “We also know what happened at the weekend but we want to go back to those levels against Chelsea. When we do that – when we have the right spirit and mood, when we have that strong belief, I am sure the fans will be behind us. They will energise us, they will support us and we will come to a high level. That is necessary if you are to beat Bayern Munich.”
The ultimate aim is to progress in the Champions League and Ten Hag doesn’t want to think too much about possible outcomes (United crashing out of Europe).
“We can’t think about what’s going to happen. We have to think about winning the game and there is only one way there is still a chance. If you draw there is a very small chance. We have to win tomorrow. We have to be aware of that. We are aware of that. We make a good plan and then it is up to us to beat Bayern Munich.”
When asked more precisely about facing Bayern, a club he previously worked at as a coach, Ten Hag said: “It is a very attractive team, Bayern Munich, but as you say, especially in the Champions League but also in other games, [against] Chelsea, we created so many chances.
“This team can play very attractive and dynamic football [and] create from that point of view a lot of chances. I think we are able to score a lot of goals and I am aware they have a lot of individual quality so we have to defend very well.”
Let us know in the comment section below how you think tonight’s game between United and Bayern will go.
Get the latest Manchester United news, opinion, interviews and exclusive features with the Stretty Newsletter – Ad Free! Kick off your afternoon with the Stretty News verdict on all matters Manchester United.
