Manchester United manager Marc Skinner says his side are capable of beating the top teams in Europe ahead of their inaugural Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.
United’s finish of second in the Women’s Super League last season gained them entry into the Champions League qualifiers, with Skinner set to compete in Europe for the very first time as a manager.
His side still need to eliminate PSG over two legs before they are officially European contenders, though Skinner insisted his side can hold a candle to any opposition ahead of Tuesday’s game.
“I believe we can beat any opponent at any team,” he said. “I think PSG are a team that are very one-v-one orientated, are very aggressive and try to make you make mistakes, they are very mobile especially in the front lineup and they were able to rest Jackie Groenen from the squad the other day.”
Dutch midfielder and former United star Groenen will be vying to show her improvement to her old side, but Skinner’s squad is not without depth. Two Champions League winners in Geyse and Melvine Malard arrived over the summer with the hope of making their mark during United’s maiden European appearance.
Malard scored on her debut against Arsenal on Friday with Geyse yet to net a goal for the side. However, with prolific goalscorers Leah Galton and Lucia Garcia out wide, United have a devilish attack that will look to exploit gaps in PSG’s thin defence after losing Amanda Ilestedt and Ashley Lawrence to WSL clubs.
“From our perspective, we know it will be a tough game but we’ve been in tough games before,” Skinner continued. “We want to progress and we need to show that in our performance. We need to defend with everything and we need our fans’ energy in both legs. It will take a lot out of us but we need to put everything in and have no regrets.
“I feel we’re at that level. We still have lots of growth – we’re not the finished article – but I’m really happy with where we’re at right now. I think we can beat any team.
“I’m fully expecting a raucous atmosphere that feeds both sets of players. But we can’t get swept away with the emotion from that. We need to use it to fuel us to run, to be energetic and win our one-v-one duels.”
Skinner also touched on the tough route English teams face in Champions League qualification compared to other sides around Europe.
He added: “I’m under no illusions as to how difficult this is but there’s something special about Manchester United and Champions League nights. I want to make sure we can do everything to get in there as that would be a really special moment.
“I think teams in England have a much harder qualification route than other teams. I’m sure PSG don’t want to be playing us right now. But when I look at some of the teams who will make the group stages from the other section, it just doesn’t seem right.
“There’s some teams that are playing each other that I think is almost a free-hit. From our perspective, it’s tough, but we’re resilient and we’re here to give it our very best.”
Irene Guerrero has returned to full fitness following a quad issue in the 2-2 draw with the Gunners on Friday night, with Skinner revealing there are no further injury concerns in his squad.
“The game is on a pedestal, I don’t need to put it up there as it’s already there. I want to make sure we perform in it. I don’t want the game to pass us by and us not perform because we’ve put it somewhere that is out of reach,” he continued.
“I’m looking forward to living in that environment, feeding off that environment and it is another thing to add to my experience so I can be a better coach coming out of it. Hopefully I can learn quickly from this game to go into the away leg.”
When asked if this is United’s biggest ever game, Skinner added: “It’s hard to summarise.
“We will approach it that way with our energy and our commitment but also if you put it on a mantle it will be too big. For us, the reality is it’s another game. I want our fans to love it and we want to progress so they can have European nights, of course. But from our perspective it’s another game.
“So in theory, yes it could be [the biggest game ever] but in reality, it’s another game. We will treat it like that. The difference is it’s a two-game knockout so that’s a different feel. You have to have your brains ahead and think ahead but also stay in the moment and win the game. I still think we’ll have to score in both legs if we want to win the tie. We’ve got some work to do.”
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