“I said after the draw I am happy for this draw, not because I think it is easy but because it is absolutely exciting for everybody”.
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And Varela told MUTV: “I feel enormous pride in being able to play for a club like Manchester United”. It’s a round of 16 clash with the victor advancing towards the chance to be crowned Europa League champion, and this earn their spot back into the big boy tournament for next year.
Tottenham Hotspur, winners in 1972 and 1984, take on Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in another intriguing last-16 tie that pits together two more genuine contenders. How many fans do you think we’ll have against Liverpool, I think maybe 75,000.
“It’s a season with ups and downs”, Blind is quoted as saying by Sky Sports. Indeed, of the teams the Brazil global has faced twice in the league, West Ham are the only other side that the former Bundesliga star has failed to register either a goal or assist against. “Not many leagues have clubs participating at that high level”. In this period, Liverpool claimed 11 league titles, 3 FA Cup crowns (excluding 1992), 4 League Cup wins, 10 Charity shield triumphs, 4 European Cup crowns, 2 UEFA Cup wins and one UEFA Super Cup crown to round things off. “You live in the past”, said Van Gaal of United’s regular recent appearances in the Champions League knockout stages.
“I think football in England is very deep in the life of the people, of course I have noticed that also in Spain and Germany but that was less deep than here”.
‘It is also one aspect as to why I came here to have that experience.
“The fans can show that we can create a better atmosphere in the first leg than Manchester United in the second leg” – at Old Trafford a week on Thursday. “But to play 90 minutes, I don’t think so. They are games that us players look forward to and I’m definitely looking forward to it”.
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Van Gaal has played down talk that the heated rivalry between Liverpool and United adds extra significance to a two-legged tie that begins with a match at Anfield on Thursday, saying Sunday’s 1-0 Premier League defeat at West Bromwich Albion was just as significant to him. United have been decimated by injury but the silver lining for the club has been the emergence of several youth team players and in particular Marcus Rashford who has netted four goals in his first four games for United, Varela at full back and Lingaard has really come through with the potential the club knew was there. Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino has said he is scaling back the intensity of his training sessions to keep his players as fresh as possible, having revealed that star midfielder Dele Alli is playing through ankle and knee injuries.
