Manchester United face PSG in the Champions League tonight as the Reds look to progress to the quarter-finals for the first time in five years.
United are a team transformed under their caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, while PSG are without Neymar (broken metatarsal), full-back Thomas Meunier (concussion) and remain unsure about Edinson Cavani’s availability after he was forced off with a thigh issue over the weekend.
Manchester United legends Bryan Robson, Denis Irwin and Wes Brown shared their thoughts on the Red Devil’s chances of progressing to the quarter-final for the first time since David Moyes’ era.
Bryan Robson
"Neymar missing the games against us is going to be a plus for us because he’s a world-class player. I think it gives us a good chance. The confidence in the club is really good at the moment. I don’t think PSG are
that good defensively, compared to some of the teams in the Champions League, so it gives United a great chance of going through.”
Denis Irwin
"It is what it is. They [PSG] are a great team. You look at the strikers they’ve got. They’ve got loads going forward. They’re in their own league. They beat Guingamp 9-0 but I think that can lead them to a false sense of security. We saw Liverpool push them at Anfield and really should have won by more. If you get at them, you can disrupt them. But we will have to defend very, very well in the two games for us to get through. I think that’s a given. They’ve got great forwards but it’s a cup competition and I think it suits us being at home first, actually. Scratch a 1-0 victory and go across there and they might panic a little bit, but we’ll see. I can see why supporters are feeling a bit more relaxed about it."
Wes Brown
"I’m just looking forward to it. Just before December
, no one would have thought that we would have a chance. Now all of a sudden with the way we’ve been playing, the way we’ve been winning, there’s a chance. It’s two games and it’s definitely achievable. We’ve got the players in the squad to do it. It’s going to be hard, yes, but there is confidence there at the moment and hopefully
, the lads go into the game very excited."
(Via Manchester Evening News Sport)