FC Twente boss gives simple plan for causing Man Utd upset at Old Trafford
FC Twente head coach Joseph Oosting has outlined how his side will go after Manchester United in their first Europa League match of the season at Old Trafford on Wednesday
by Felix Keith · The MirrorFC Twente are not coming to Old Trafford to park the bus against Manchester United – they are convinced they can win.
United host the Dutch club on Wednesday evening in their first match of the new-look Europa League season. The two clubs have never met before in a competitive fixture, but Twente are very familiar to Erik ten Hag, who made 257 appearances for the club as a player, spread across three separate spells.
Twente are the first of eight different opponents for United in the first round of the Europa League, which has changed its format to a league table. United will play four matches at home and four away with the aim of finishing in the top eight, so they can progress straight to the last-16.
Ten Hag’s side have won just two of their opening five Premier League matches and drew a blank in their goalless draw against Crystal Palace on Saturday. United remain favourites to beat Twente, who sit fourth in the Eredivisie, but their stuttering start to the campaign has encouraged the away side.
“I always believe in opportunities,” Twente boss Joseph Oosting said. “If we dare to play, we can also create opportunities. Especially in the transition, we can hurt Manchester. That is easier said than done but the will is definitely there. We played games against Red Bull [Salzburg] that you learn from.
“Everything goes at the highest tempo, whether it is on the ball or in defence. You have to be top in everything and we need everyone to be there. I think we have also made progress in that. We have respect for Manchester United, but we also have the full conviction and the will to get the most out of the game.”
Twente will be roared on by 4,000 fans at Old Trafford – the club's largest ever European away support. And under different circumstances Ten Hag would also be supporting the Dutch side, having made his name for the club between 1989 and 2002.
"I would have preferred to play against somebody else,” he admitted. “It's not nice to hurt something you love. Of all the teams, Twente is the team I follow the most. I watch them as a fan, as a supporter, not as an analyst. It's a different way of watching their games. Twente brought me a lot, I was put through their academy, so for me [I have a] great deal of history there."
Rasmus Hojlund could make his first start of the season after recovering from a hamstring injury to come off the bench at Palace. United are also boosted by the returns of Mason Mount, Tyrell Malacia and Victor Lindelof, who are all back in training following injuries, but Luke Shaw is still unavailable.
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