NYON • For Manchester United caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and assistant Mike Phelan, travelling to the Nou Camp for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie brings back memories of the 1999 final.
The Norwegian came off the bench to score a stoppage-time winner against Bayern Munich at Barcelona's stadium, while the Briton was Alex Ferguson's right-hand man that night.
Phelan yesterday tweeted of his excitement after the Red Devils were drawn against the Spanish champions, who are in the quarter-finals for the 12th successive season, recalling it was "many a happy memory" before telling his team to "get down to business".
Solskjaer also cracked a joke at the magnitude of the pairing, claiming he had "so many texts from friends saying this year is going to be the year because of my number, 20, and it being 20 years ago".
Recalling the moment he sealed the historic treble, the interim boss told the club website: "It was the biggest night I've had in football... It'll be a good game."
But former United boss David Moyes was less enthused, describing the tie as "an incredibly tough draw" although he believes Solskjaer's men "can take anyone" following their heroics against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
QUARTER-FINALS
1 Ajax v Juventus
2 Liverpool v Porto
3 Tottenham v Man City
4 Man United v Barcelona
1st leg: April 9 & 10
2nd leg: April 16 & 17
SEMI-FINALS:
Winner of Q1 v winner of Q3,
winner of Q2 v winner of Q4
EUROPA LEAGUE
QUARTER-FINALS
1 Arsenal v Napoli
2 Slavia Prague v Chelsea
3 Benfica v Eintracht Frankfurt
4 Villarreal v Valencia
1st leg: April 11;
2nd leg: April 18
SEMI-FINALS:
Winner of Q1 v winner of Q4,
Winner of Q2 v winner of Q3
He told Sky Sports: "The Barca game is a great one, I still see them as favourites for the competition. It will be a good match.
"Ole going back to the Nou Camp will be big for him. It's the sort of occasion United are used to."
The Scot also felt "even if it's a draw going into the Nou Camp, that isn't the worst thing" with United more than capable of nicking a good result on their travels, as proven in Paris.
Barcelona will visit Old Trafford in the first leg after Uefa switched the order to avoid United's home match clashing with Manchester City, who host Tottenham in the second leg of their last-eight tie.
With both sides meeting three times in 10 days in April with a Premier League fixture following hot on the heels of their second leg, the all-English clash does not do City's title hopes or Spurs' top-four aspirations any favours.
However, Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris feels that having "already proved against Barca away", his team "are ready to compete", before conceding "you then need a little luck and team spirit" against Pep Guardiola's side.
Meanwhile, Juventus meet Ajax, who are back in the last eight after a 16-year absence, while Liverpool will face Porto in a repeat of last year's last-16 tie, which they won 5-0 on aggregate.
While Juventus and Liverpool fans were understandably thrilled on social media, the respective club officials urged caution over underestimating their opponents.
Labelling the Dutch side as "no joke", Juventus director Pavel Nedved said: "We will have to be very careful. We will have to face Ajax with great commitment."
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp also refuted suggestions they had the "best" possible outcome, insisting: "We've played there already, and we know how good we had to be. We saw the character and quality Porto have."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Former Real Madrid striker Predrag Mijatovic criticised Gareth Bale for lacking leadership qualities and hit out at coach Santiago Solari after the club's La Liga title ambitions were dented by
Gareth Bale 'nowhere near' being Madrid's leader, says
SUN 06 Jan 2019 Spanish La Liga. rivals and current leaders Barcelona in March. Santiago Solari's side can move to level on points with third-place Sevilla with victory over 15th-place
La Liga: Pressure Piles On Coach Zinedine Zidane As Real
Barca give fresh hope to La Liga rivals after Bilbao stalemate Sports By John Doe 2019-02-11 Madrid, Spain (AFP): Lionel Messi was short of fitness and Barcelona lacked spark as a goalless draw away to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday offered fresh hope to their rivals in the title race.
Barca give fresh hope to La Liga rivals after Bilbao stalemate
Warnock hails Cardiff's heart as Bluebirds win again for Sala Kenneth Zohore snatched a dramatic winner after Southampton had equalised in stoppage time.
Warnock hails Cardiff's heart as Bluebirds win again for Sala
Leicester City's youth movement could prove to be what ushers in a new era of success, but they are likely facing a race against the clock. With every passing season the shine of the Premier League title dims a little bit and the team is forced to look forward before its effects completely wear off.
Clock ticking on PA city manager search - Beaumont Enterprise
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - OGC Nice v Olympique Lyonnais - Allianz Riviera, Nice, France - February 10, 2019 Lyon's Ferland Mendy in action with Nice's Patrick Burner REUTERS/Eric Gaillard(Reuters) - France coach Didier Deschamps said on Monday that Olympique Lyonnais left back Ferland Mendy will join Real Madrid.
Football: Ferland Mendy set for Real move, says France coach
worldsportstale.com/soccer/football-ferland-mendy-set-for-real-move-says-france-coach-deschamps/
Football: Ferland Mendy set for Real move, says France coach Deschamps 06/11/2019 Comments Off on Football: Ferland Mendy set for Real move, says France coach Deschamps MADRID (REUTERS) - France coach Didier Deschamps said on Monday (June 10) that Olympique Lyonnais left-back Ferland Mendy will join Real Madrid.
Ferland Mendy set for Real move, says France coach Deschamps
Zainudin bin Nordin is Member of the Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency at Parliament of Singapore. View Zainudin bin Nordin's professional profile on Relationship Science, the database of decision makers.
Kayveas claims Deputy Sec Gen Simon Sabapathy was lying, and
Klopp Excited By Premier League Title Fight. after the English Premier League football match between West Ham United and Liverpool at The London Stadium, in east London on February 4, 2019
Klopp excited by Premier League title fight - World Soccer Talk
worldsoccertalk.com/2019/02/08/klopp-excited-by-premier-league-title-fight/
Liverpool (AFP) - Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists the Premier League title race is something to get excited about rather than stressed about despite seeing his side overhauled by Manchester City in the past week. City climbed to the top of the table on goal difference with victory against
Klopp excited by Premier League title fight - punchng.com
LONDON: Manchester City's Raheem Sterling struck twice to beat Crystal Palace 3-1 at Selhurst Park in the Premier League on Sunday (Apr 14). The English champions had earlier moved a point ahead
Crystal Palace shock defending champions Manchester City in
Spurs' new home to usher in a new era, Football News & Top
MADRID (Reuters) - Real Madrid must win Wednesday's La Liga game at relegation-battling Real Valladolid or their hope of snatching the title from Atletico Madrid or Barcelona will be over, coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Tuesday. Real missed a chance to wrest the initiative from leaders Atletico and
Suarez and Messi on target as Barcelona beat Real Madrid
0 comments:
Post a Comment