United head to Brussels with eye on Europa prize
• Anderlecht will be tough opponents, says Mkhitaryan
Henrikh Mkhitaryan says Manchester United cannot afford to underestimate Belgian league leaders Anderlecht as Jose Mourinho’s side attempt to join an elite group of European clubs.
United travel to Brussels on Thursday for the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal tie, with the competition representing their best chance of returning to the Champions League next season.
Having won the Champions League three times and the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1991, United are chasing a first Europa League title that would see them become only the fifth team — after Ajax, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Juventus — to win all three major Uefa trophies.
“It is one of my goals for this season — to win the Europa League,” said Mkhitaryan, who reached the same stage of the tournament with Borussia Dortmund in 2016.
“I know it is not going to be easy, particularly at this stage of the competition as there are no easy opponents.”
The Armenian international scored in Sunday’s 3-0 win at Sunderland in the Premier League, but United face an uphill battle to catch Manchester City or Liverpool in the battle for a top-four finish.
The Red Devils dealt Anderlecht a crushing 10-0 defeat in the European Cup in 1956 — it remains the Belgian club’s heaviest continental defeat and United’s biggest win — but the Belgians have won five of their last six European home games.
“Obviously, we understand the importance of the tie with Anderlecht in the quarterfinals,” Mkhitaryan told United’s website. “We know that we are going to have two very tough games and, of course, Anderlecht are not easy opponents.”
Antonio Valencia and David de Gea could return from injury, although Mourinho hinted Sergio Romero would probably retain his place in goal after impressing in recent outings.
“De Gea’s injury is not serious and Romero, every time he plays, he plays so well,” Mourinho told MUTV.
“The fans are used to having Romero in goal in the competition [the Europa League] — that becomes the most important competition for us after winning the League Cup.”
In another quarterfinal, Lyon of France host Turkish league leaders Besiktas.
Lyon lurched to a disastrous 4-1 home defeat against Lorient at the weekend, ending any slim hope they had of snatching a top-three finish in France.
Besiktas visit Parc OL in the first leg of their tie, but the visitors will be without injured Portugal international Ricardo Quaresma, while Vincent Aboubakar — scorer of Cameroon’s winning goal in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations final — is suspended.
Memphis Depay is ineligible for Lyon after playing in the competition for Manchester United before his January transfer and Maxime Gonalons serves a one-match ban.
Ajax host German outfit Schalke in the first leg in Amsterdam. The Dutch giants reduced Feyenoord’s lead in the Eredivisie to a single point at the weekend as they mount a late charge for a 34th title.
Celta Vigo take on Belgian outfit Genk in Spain in the other quarterfinal.