Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Says Manchester United vs. Barcelona Is Tie Fans 'Crave'
March 16, 2019
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is eagerly awaiting Manchester United's UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie with Barcelona.
The two sides were drawn against one another on Friday, and Solskjaer is keen for his side to pit their wits against the Catalan giants.
Per Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail, the Norwegian said:
"It's these games our fans and this club crave. We're looking forward to this one. We had the final against them in 2009 and 2011 and the semi-final in 2008 when [Paul Scholes] scored.
"We want these games against the biggest clubs. We've shown against PSG we can beat a top team. We can go all the way, but you've got to be lucky and good along the way. The confidence in the players, it's sky high."
The former United attacker is at the helm of the Red Devils, 20 years after he scored an injury-time winner to beat Bayern Munich at Barca's Camp Nou stadium to secure the Champions League and complete the treble.
Solskjaer felt it was fitting to have drawn Barcelona in light of that history:
"It was the biggest night I've had in football," he added. "Of course, for all of us in that team, it was an unbelievable night. It's a great stadium and, of course, we met them in the group stage as well that year—3-3 each both home and away. It'll be a good game."
The two sides have produced some classic encounters over the years:
Unfortunately for United, those meetings typically haven't gone their way:
Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News believes the Red Devils should take inspiration from their history with their opponents, though:
Solskjaer is evidently relishing the clash, and that confidence could translate to his players as his positivity did ahead of the second leg of their last-16 tie with Paris Saint-Germain despite the fact they were 2-0 down from the opening leg.
Barcelona, who most recently won the Champions League in 2015, will be the favourites against a side that haven't reached the final four since their run to the final in 2011.
The Red Devils showed against PSG they are to be taken seriously, though, so they should not be ruled out.