Wolfsburg coach Armin Veh, meanwhile, insists his team "will not hide" at Old Trafford today.
The Wolves stunned German football last season by holding off the challenges of far better known rivals to clinch the Bundesliga.
Their reward is a Champions League debut and, after opening their campaign by defeating CSKA Moscow, they are now preparing to enter one of the citadels of the game.
Veh admits he cannot be sure how his team will react, but he does not expect any sense of inferiority. And neither does he feel they will be scared.
"Old Trafford is a special ground and Manchester United is a very special club," said Veh.
"They have played over 150 games in this competition and we have only had a couple.
"But we will not hide and I won't be losing any sleep thinking about it.
"It is impossible to say for certain whether the players will be inspired or afraid. But I do know we cannot afford to wait until Manchester United have scored four or five goals before we start to impose our own style on the match."
Veh is not expecting a problem. In fact, he feels a myth has grown up around Old Trafford.
"When people talk about atmospheres, the best ones are in Germany," he added.
"We experience those crowds every week, so in describing the atmosphere at Old Trafford, it is more to do with the legend of United, rather than the stadium itself."
But the tough battle will be between Nemanja Vidic (who performed excellently against Stoke City) and Edin Dzeko (who looks in a stunning form)
Bosnian forward Dzeko possesses a fearsome strike record. 26 Bundesliga goals last season and 14 in 18 appearances for his country. The 6ft 5ins forward will test the aerial prowess of Vidic to the hilt and the Serbian defender faces one of his most difficult evenings in a United shirt.
Probable 11's
Manchester United (4-4-2): Foster; O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Valencia, Fletcher, Carrick, Giggs; Rooney, Berbatov.
Wolfsburg (4-4-2):
Benaglio; Riether, Barzagli, Madlung, Schafer; Josue, Hasebe, Gentner, Misimovic; Grafite, Dzeko.
Referee: V. Kassai (Hungary) How much extra time will be given to United today? :D
No comments:
Post a Comment