With no away goals rule in the competition this season, the tie is evenly balanced with the winner taking it all on Tuesday night.
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Manchester United brace themselves for a difficult test against Atletico Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League. The Reds managed an unlikely 1-1 draw in the first leg in the Spanish capital. With no away goals rule in the competition this season, the tie is evenly balanced with the winner taking it all on Tuesday night. However, Manchester United will be quietly confident of winning the match since the second leg is taking place at Old Trafford. With the home crowd behind them, the Red Devils will fancy their chances at their own backyard.
Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick started by telling MUTV about the squad news. “Yes, I’m more than happy about that. There is a small question mark behind Luke Shaw but, apart from that, everybody seems to be available for the game tomorrow,” he added.
Asked whether there were any lessons from the first leg to take into the upcoming clash, Rangnick said, “Yes, in the first half, we did almost everything wrong. We played into their hands by playing the ball too slow, passing the ball too slow, too many square passes, short passes, so we sent a lot of pressing invitations to their midfield players. This is what we definitely have to avoid tomorrow and, as you said, learn the lessons from the first leg.”
READ MORE – There is a small question mark about Luke Shaw, says Ralf Rangnick
Ralf Rangnick then opened up about what he thinks would be the key on a crucial Champions League night like the one they are about to experience. “Well, in the end, obviously it’s about what kind of level of emotions are we going to play, it’s about desire again. In the end, we showed against Tottenham that the desire on our end, it was slightly bigger and higher than Tottenham and that was why we could decide the game for ourselves at the end. Against Atletico, it’s even more important as one of their biggest strengths is the way that they play, their aggressive approach they play and the high level of emotions, which is why we have to be better in this area than them.”
On Saturday, Manchester United registered a crucial 3-2 victory over fellow Premier League top four rivals Tottenham Hotspur. The atmosphere inside Old Trafford for the victory was electric. “Our supporters are outstanding, amazing, they can always, even more so on international nights, make the difference and create a very special atmosphere. But, in the end, it’s obviously up to us. We have to take the first step and show them how ambitious we are and how ideally we want to qualify for the last eight and if we show that, the fans will be behind the team and will carry us all through the game,” Rangnick explained.
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