Champions League: 'We have to be careful' -Coutinho names danger men ahead of Manchester United-Barcelona clash
What's the story?
Manchester United will host current LaLiga leaders, Barcelona, at Old Trafford this week in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals clash. Philippe Coutinho, who is expected to feature, has experience against United and has warned Barca, pointing out the danger men in the English team.
In case you didn't know...
United secured a miraculous comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 clash at Parc des Princes. Eventually, the Red Devils qualified and were drawn to face Barca. Ahead of this huge match, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side lost to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the English Premier League. Meanwhile, Barca saw off Atletico Madrid in a 2-0 win at home.
Having not played over the weekend, Solskjaer's men would have had more time to rest and prepare for the game as compared to their opponents. United will also welcome back Paul Pogba who served his suspension in the previous game against PSG.
The heart of the matter
Unsurprisingly, Coutinho has named Pogba as one of the danger men from the Red Devils.
"It’s complicated to describe what you have to do to win against this team. For a start, Manchester United have a great goalkeeper and huge players in attack.”
“Pogba and Lukaku are capable of hurting any defence and Pogba, in particular, is a great player.
“We will have to be very careful to stop him because he can generate a lot of problems for us and I think the duel with Pique [and Lukaku] will be important in both matches."
Together with Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford, the trio boast a strong attacking force which could trouble Barcelona.
Despite being worried about the threat from United, Coutinho remained upbeat about the chances that his side has. The former Liverpool star said:
“If we play with our usual character and style, then we can win at Old Trafford.”
What's next?
Both sides will meet at Old Trafford on Wednesday night to battle it out and they are expected to play some fancy attacking football which will keep fans at the edge of their seats.