April 10, 2019 / 11:29 PM / 3 months ago
United boss Solskjaer hoping for PSG repeat against Barcelona
Simon Evans
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knows all about improbable Champions League comebacks and hopes his side can serve up a repeat of last month's victory against Paris St Germain at Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium next week.
Soccer Football - Champions League Quarter Final First Leg - Manchester United v FC Barcelona - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - April 10, 2019 Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Manchester United's Jesse Lingard after the match REUTERS/Andrew Yates
United, who were beaten 1-0 by Barca at Old Trafford in the quarter-final first leg on Wednesday, lost the home match of the previous round to PSG 2-0 before turning the tie around in the French capital.
That result gives the Norwegian manager the belief that his team are capable of progressing to the semi-finals, despite the fact that Barca are unbeaten in their last 30 Champions League home games going back to 2013.
"The PSG performance gives us hope and belief we can do it, but we are playing against the favourites," said Solskjaer, who famously netted United's stoppage-time winner in the 1999 final against Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp, one of the competition's most famous comebacks.
"It will be a bigger achievement winning that one because with the history of Barcelona, they are not used to losing at home but we can do it. No doubt about it," he said.
Although neither Marcus Rashford nor Romelu Lukaku were able to trouble Barca keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen on Wednesday, Solskjaer believes the United forwards can get opportunities in Spain.
"We are a goal threat, be it Rom or Rash or whoever is playing up there we have to create chances for them.
"We have to take our chances. You have to be very efficient over there. We know we are not going to create loads of chances. We have to take the ones we get.
"We have to soak up the pressure, accept they will want to kill the tie and want to put the sword into us. We have to soak that pressure and break and keep the ball at times better than we did," he said.
"Away from home we beat Juventus, we beat PSG, we have to go to Barcelona and win that one. We know that we have possibilities in this tie. Now is not the time to think about our home performances. Now we've got to look forward to the future."
Reporting by Simon Evans; Editing by Toby Davis