Manchester United vs Barcelona preview – team news, press conference quotes and more!
By Ali Akbar
What did that manager have to say before the game?
In his pre-match press conference, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was asked by reporters if this is his side’s toughest test yet. He replied:
"“Every game is the biggest game. Of course, when you get Barcelona, with the quality of their team, we know we need to step up our game and perform at our best level. “The outcome of the second leg against PSG has given the players and supporters belief that the same is possible against Barcelona.” [manutd.com]"
The Norwegian was also asked whether he has any special plan on how to stop Lionel Messi. He responded:
"“What kind of plan can you have to stop one of the best players in the world? We are looking forward to the opportunity. “But this season we played against Juventus and [Cristiano] Ronaldo, PSG with [Kylian] Mbappe – Neymar didn’t play. We’ve played Chelsea with [Eden] Hazard. “[Luis] Suarez, [Phillipe] Coutinho and Messi, they’ll keep our defenders on their toes, so let’s see how we manage tomorrow.” [manutd.com]"
A reporter also asked the manager about Paul Pogba’s future, to which he replied:
"“Paul is looking forward to tomorrow. He’s a Man United player, he’s one of our bigger performers on the big stage. The game against PSG was not his greatest moment and he is only focused on playing well against Barcelona. I cannot see him not playing for Manchester United next season either.” [manutd.com]"