United go into the match as the 47/20 underdogs, having scored just seven times in their last 10 matches, but manager Louis van Gaal is convinced they can discover their killer instinct in front of goal again.
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United had already qualified for the knockout stages by the time they arrived at Wolfsburg in 2009, but despite fielding an under-strength side that included Darron Gibson and Tomasz Kuszczak, they came away with a comfortable win thanks to Michael Owen’s hat-trick.
“I believe that every match that he plays he can play better because until now we have not seen the best Schweinsteiger that I have seen at Bayern Munich, but he can guide the team”.
Despite being just three points off top spot, it would seem unlikely that the north-west outfit will lift the Premier League trophy this season unless they can spark into life and start scoring goals, and they also face a crucial Champions League trip to Wolfsburg on Tuesday night.
“But I think when I meet the fans on the streets or wherever, they are very happy with Manchester united and with me, but you have to score”.
“When you are creating chances you shall finish those kind of chances”, said the 64-year-old Dutchman. “It’s a matter of time and I hope we can prove it tomorrow”. The Germany worldwide caught West Ham’s Winston Reid with a forearm during Saturday’s game against West Ham at Old Trafford and the FA has deemed it would have been a red card offence if the referee, Mark Clattenburg, had seen the incident.
Van Gaal signed Anthony Martial and Memphis Depay during the summer at great expense, but neither man have truly demonstrated that they can lead the line for title contenders.
United were booed off following their sixth goalless draw of the season on Saturday, but Van Gaal hopes he will not have to rely on CSKA pulling off a shock win over PSV to qualify. We are trying but we need a goal otherwise you can not talk about winning a trophy because we should be winning at home to West Ham. “I’m anxious about him because the one thing United don’t want is Liverpool to get above us”. He doesn’t need that pressure to score every match.
Phil Jones is still out with a foot problem while Marcos Rojo is ruled out with a shoulder injury so the duo join Antonio Valencia and Luke Shaw on the sidelines. “I think in the first game in Old Trafford we showed what we can do and I think tonight we played superbly and the result cannot be contested”.
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When asked about his relationship with his players, Van Gaal said: “It’s good”.
