adminMANCHESTER. — Manchester United veteran Ryan Giggs said yesterday that his side will not consider themselves underdogs when they tackle all-conquering defending champions Bayern Munich in the Champions League soccer quarter-finals. While Bayern have gone from strength to strength under new coach Pep Guardiola, successfully defending their Bundesliga title in record time, United have endured a torrid season under their new manager, David Moyes.
United are currently 17 points off the pace in the Premier League and probably need to win the Champions League to qualify for next season’s competition, but Giggs says that they are undaunted by the prospect of facing Bayern in Tuesday’s first leg at Old Trafford.
“Bayern are a fantastic team,” said the midfielder at yesterday’s pre-game Press conference.
“They are the holders and Pep Guardiola has taken over and added a few new players, and they are a very strong team.
“They’re the favourites in most people’s eyes. But we are Manchester United and at Old Trafford we have had so many great nights.
“We don’t see ourselves as underdogs; we see ourselves as Manchester United playing at home. It is going to be tough, but it is always is in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. We are looking forward to it.”
Giggs (40) is the only surviving member of the United team that famously stunned Bayern with two injury-time goals in the final of the 1999 tournament in Barcelona.
He has now taken up a player-coach role, but when he was asked by a journalist if he could ever see himself succeeding Moyes, he was prevented from answering by the United press officer. — AFP
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