Manchester United are heavy favourites to get the better of Club Brugge in the Uefa Champions League play-offs as they look to return to the group stage after missing out last season.
United
entertain last season's Belgian league runners-up in the first leg on
Tuesday hoping to take control of the tie before the return in Bruges
next week, and manager Louis van Gaal believes his side are ready for
the challenge after winning their opening two games of the new Premier
League campaign.
"Yes, I think when you win
two times then you shall have a lot of confidence," said the Dutchman.
"But every match is difficult and Belgian teams can play very compactly,
they can defend and a team always has a chance of winning."
Club Brugge,
beaten European Cup finalists in 1978, began their Belgian league
campaign with a defeat to unfancied Sint-Truiden but have since started
to find their feet, winning their last two home matches. However, Michel
Preud'homme's side, UEFA Europa League quarter-finalists last season,
know they will be rank outsiders at Old Trafford.
"Manchester
will try to make the difference in the home leg but I hope we still
manage to create danger," said the 38-year-old captain Timmy Simons. "Of
course, playing at Old Trafford constitutes a real experience for us
but I think we need to put it into context and do our job."
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