Sports

Manchester United make Champions League return

Three-time European champs face Club Brugge in play-off round on Tuesday

Afp August 18, 2015

United have opened this season’s campaign with 1-0 wins over Tottenham and Aston Villa and hope that van Gaal, who won the Champions League with a young Ajax side in 1995, can guide them to European glory once again. PHOTO: AFP

MANCHESTER: The Champions League theme music will boom out over Old Trafford again on Tuesday when Manchester United return to the competition against Belgian side Club Brugge in the play-off round.

After a first season out of the competition in 19 years, United have been led back by Louis van Gaal, who won the Champions League with a brilliant, young Ajax team in 1995 and took Bayern Munich to the final in 2010.

Fourth in the Premier League last season, United have opened the new campaign with 1-0 wins over Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, and Juan Mata believes Friday’s victory at Villa Park showed the team’s readiness.

“I think we can improve, but six points from six points is a very good start for us and now we have a lot of confidence ahead of the Champions League play-off,” said the Spanish midfielder. “The clean sheet is a very positive factor. We’re talking about having new players at the back and they’re doing great as well.”

It is a year and four months since United last played in the Champions League, losing to Bayern in the quarter-finals in April 2014, and it says much about the profound change the club has undergone since then that only four of the players who played in the 3-1 second-leg defeat in Munich are likely to line up against Club Brugge.

While United contested three Champions League finals between 2008 and 2011, winning one, Club Brugge are the only Belgian club to have reached the final, losing 1-0 to Liverpool at Wembley in 1978.

Michel Preud’homme’s side finished top of the table in Belgium last season, but lost out to Gent in the ensuing championship play-off.

Club Brugge, who last played in the group phase in 2005, have made a modest start to the season, winning twice, drawing once and losing once, and Preud’homme is concerned that his team have been playing too much sideways football.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 18^th, 2015.

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.