Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
LOOK AWAY NOW
United last won an away knockout game in the Champions League in 2011 and must now change history to make the quarter-finals
MANCHESTER UNITED must overcome their own dismal recent history in the Champions League as well as a chronic injury crisis in Paris. United have not won away from home in the knockout stage since their semi-final victory at Schalke in April 2011.
And, if trailing 2-0 from the first leg at Old Trafford was not enough of a handicap, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is without 10 senior players, including injured quartet Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard, Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic, while Paul Pogba is suspended.
All five would have been certain starters tonight, but the squad has been affected to such an extent that United’s caretaker boss has been left with very few options at his disposal for the decisive tie.
The odds are stacked heavily against United progressing to the quarter-finals – and not just because of their injury list.
No team has ever managed to overturn a 2-0 home deficit, since the European Cup’s inception in the 1955-56 season. Moreover, since losing 1-0 at Manchester City in April 2016, PSG have scored in 23 consecutive Champions League matches, meaning United are likely to have to score at least three goals to advance.
But Solskjaer – the man who sealed the Treble with his dramatic, last-gasp winner for United over Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final – embodies the never-say-die spirit that has taken the club to such glorious heights over the years.
And it is not just United’s own supreme powers of recovery and refusal to accept they are ever beaten that have given Solskjaer hope of pulling off a major shock.
The 46-year-old referred to Barcelona’s 6-5 aggregate win over PSG in March 2017 – having lost the first leg 4-0 in Paris – as evidence of the potential mental fragility of United’s opponents, even with a commanding lead.
On that occasion, Luis Suarez scored after three minutes to spark Barca’s epic comeback, and Solskjaer knows United must score the first goal – preferably early – if they are to stand any chance of going through.
“It’s a difficult task, but we can do it,” said Solskjaer. “Obviously, we need the first goal and we need to stay in the game.
“Results in the Champions League in the last few years – I don’t want to call them strange – but last year Juventus lost 3-0 at home against Real Madrid and suddenly they were 3-0 up after 90 minutes against Madrid away [before Real eventually won 4-3 on aggregate after extra time].
“The year before that, PSG against Barcelona, we remember those results. So there are so many examples of teams who can change results like this.
“Also, as a club we’ve done it so many times and the players have been fantastic away from home, beating Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea, which has given us the belief we can do this as well.
“If there’s half-an-hour left and one goal in it, anything can happen. But we need a good plan and we need to perform on the night because they’re a team full of quality.”
As Solskjaer said, if anyone can pull off the seemingly impossible, it’s United – especially, as the chant from United fans goes, with Ole at the wheel.