Man United to face Club Brugge in Champions League play-offs

Manchester United were given a kind draw in the
Champions League play-offs as they were paired with
Belgians Club Brugge on Friday.
The three-time former winners, making their return
to Europe’s premier club competition after a one-
year hiatus, will play the first leg at their Old Trafford
home.
“We’re absolutely delighted to be back in the
competition. We’re back where we want to be,” said
United club secretary John Alexander.
“Belgian football is right at the very top and we have
two Belgian players in the squad who keep us abreast
of what’s going on there.
“We go into any game with confidence. We’d like to
think we can win the competition.”
In other pairings in the League Route, Spaniards
Valencia, finalists in 2000 and 2001, drew 2004
finalists Monaco of France while the clash of the
round sees Italians Lazio up against Germany’s Bayer
Leverkusen, beaten finalists in 2002.
“Ahead of the draw we were fully aware that we were
going to face a very good side in the play-offs,” said
Lazio coach Stefano Poli.
“We need to prepare in the best possible way for this
tie in order to be competitive.”
Leverkusen CEO Michael Schade was also glum over
the draw.
“I think we got the toughest draw possible but
obviously we want to be in the group stage,” he said.
“We are very confident that our coach’s pressing style
will see us do well in the competition.”
United failed to qualify for European competition last
season having finished seventh in the English
Premier League in 2014.
But Louis Van Gaal led them to fourth in the table
last season, giving them the chance to earn a place
back in the group stage of the Champions League, a
competition they last won in 2008 during a run of
three finals in four seasons (the last being a defeat to
Barcelona in 2011).
Club Brugge are the only ever Belgian side to reach
the European Cup or Champions League final, losing
1-0 to United’s bitter domestic rivals Liverpool in
1978.
United forward Adnan Januzaj and midfielder
Marouane Feilaini are both Belgium internationals.
In the other League Route pairings, Sporting Lisbon
will have the chance to gain revenge on CSKA
Moscow, who beat them in the 2005 UEFA Cup at the
Portuguese outfit’s own Lisbon home ground.
The final pairing sees Austria’s Rapid Vienna —
conquerors of Ajax in the third qualifying round —
take on Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk while the pick of
the Champions Route games saw 1967 winners Celtic
drawn against 1979 finalists Malmo.
Draw:
Astana (KAZ) v APOEL (CYP)
Skenderbeu (ALB) v Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)
Celtic (SCO) v Malmo (SWE)
Basel (SUI) v Maccabi Tel-Aviv (ISR)
BATE (BLR) v Partizan Belgrade (SRB)
Lazio (ITA) v Bayer Leverkusen (GER)
Manchester United (ENG) v Club Brugge (BEL)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v CSKA Moscow (RUS)
Rapid Vienna (AUT) v Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
Valencia (ESP) v Monaco (FRA)