Beat PSG and Ole may get the job
League is back and whether Manchester United caretaker boss Solskjaer gets the job permanently will apparently largely depend on his team’s fate against PSG.
After a two-month break, the UEFA Champions League resumes tonight with the first of the
a massive assignment for new Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer against Paris St Germain.
It is said that any chance the Norwegian has of taking the job permanently next season will be determined by how the Red Devils go against the French champions, who come into this game having lost only once in domestic league competition this season but missing an injured Neymar.
Manchester United can ride their resurgence to mount a realistic challenge for the Champions League according to Solskjaer, who said as much after the stylish 3-0 victory at Craven Cottage over Fulham on Saturday.
Defeating PSG could seal Solskjaer’s case to replace Jose Mourinho full-time and at the same time continue a dramatic
Solskjaer said: “We are performing well and hopefully after this round supporters can talk about us as a challenger for Champions League.”
Tottenham play tomorrow at home to Borussia Dortmund, seeking to gain an advantage over the Bundesliga leaders who contrived at the weekend to let a three-goal lead slip against Hoffenheim and ended up dropping two points.
It meant Bayern Munich cut their lead in the Bundesliga to five points.
Holders Real Madrid continue the defence of their Champions League crown away against Ajax Amsterdam in the first leg of their last-16 tie tomorrow.
It comes on the heels of a comfortable win over Atletico Madrid in the derby at the weekend, for Ajax since they returned from their winter break.
TAB soccer pools’ punters will have all the Champions League games to bet on over the next weeks, plus all the matches on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League.
There are also two important assignments for South African clubs in the African Champions League today at a crucial juncture in the competition.
Orlando Pirates are away at holders Esperance in Tunisia in Group B and Sundowns play ASEC Abidjan in the Ivory Coast later on in Group A. In both cases it is hard to see the South Africans winning in hostile circumstances.