Erik ten Hag Believes Man Utd Possesses the Quality to Defeat Any Opponent

Erik ten Hag, manager of Manchester United, expresses his confidence in his team's ability to beat 'any opponent' at their clash against Bayern Munich, which will decide their Champions League status.

With only four points from five games, United finds itself at the bottom of Group A. However, the possibility to proceed to the last 16 is not entirely out of their reach, insists Ten Hag. Nevertheless, this would only be feasible if they secure a win against Bayern Munich in their home ground, alongside a draw between Copenhagen and Galatasaray in a different match.

Despite experiencing a stark 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at home, United is heading into the critical Old Trafford match. Choosing to emphasize the silver linings, Ten Hag points out to better performances the team has put forward in recent times, for instance, against Chelsea a few days ago.

He said, 'We have had some notable performances and highs. We have the capability to defeat any rival.' Ten Hag further mentioned, 'The matches against Chelsea, Everton, even Galatasaray, shows this team's potential to perform exceedingly well. We need to build on that.'

He added, 'It is my responsibility to develop the team, and I am wholly committed to it. The team is also eager to improve. I can show them the footage from our Chelsea match to prove that with a solid strategy, we can triumph over any adversary.'

In the initial match in Munich, United was just narrowly defeated by Bayern. The German champions secured a narrow win after several last-minute goals in the seven-goal thriller.

Ten Hag retrospectively observed, 'There were parts of that game where we excelled. We competed head-to-head for a significant duration. We did, however, make some avoidable errors. To go up against Bayern, you have to bring your best game. We managed to dominate Chelsea, who boasts exceptional players.'

It could turn advantageous for United with the knowledge that Bayern, having already qualified for the next round as the group winners, have nothing at stake. The latter's continuous winning streak at the group stage was halted at 17 on matchday five with a scoreless draw against Copenhagen. Furthermore, they were knocked out 5-1 by Eintracht Frankfurt in a shocking Bundesliga match over the weekend.

However, it's not wise to underestimate the upcoming Manchester match as Bayern may use it as an opportunity to bounce back from the unexpected defeat. The Champions League group stage hasn't seen Bayern lose since 2017.