Manchester United will be looking for the goals that have been so hard to come by this season when they travel to VfL Wolfsburg on 8 December, with their hopes of sealing qualification for the Champions League knockout stage still hanging in the balance. All the talk among United supporters is of the teams lack of goals under what they believe to be manager Louis van Gaals sterile conservative approach.
Since winning 2-1 at home to Wolfsburg in September, United have scored only twice in three Champions League games. In the Premier League the record is five goals in the last six games.
United captain Wayne Rooney, who missed the goalless draw at home to West Ham on 5 December with an ankle injury, will again be absent, but like Memphis Depay he has scored only two league goals this season. Anthony Martial, the young French prodigy has three and midfielder Juan Mata is top scorer with five.
United supporters have taken to chanting attack, attack, attack in almost every game and they will need goals on 8 December, with the team second in Group B on eight points, one behind leaders Wolfsburg with PSV Eindhoven, playing CSKA Moscow, on seven. And manager Van Gaal says it is up to the players to prove themselves and show the fans they deserve to qualify from the group.
Always when you lose it you are so close, always you are so close, so its so disappointing but now we are in the qualification group. That is in my opinion different. You have to prove, as a club, as a team, as a player, you have to prove yourself that you continue. And thats why it is very important to beat the opponent tomorrow, he told journalists in Wolfsburg on 7 December.
German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger said he and his team-mates did not feel under any pressure, that they knew what was expected of them and will take comfort from their victory over the Germans at Old Trafford.
We are here in Wolfsburg, we know the situation of the scoreboard of course. We know we need a good result here and I think we have to think about our performance and how we can beat Wolfsburg. We did in Manchester, we played against them , we won 2-1 and we want to do it again. Of course here it is not so easy as maybe at the Old Trafford, but its a challenge and we have just to prove ourselves here. Im convinced that we will make a good game tomorrow evening, he said.
