"He told me to chill a bit and not kill their players" - FC Copenhagen forward on message from Manchester United star ahead of UCL clash
Manchester United will lock horns with Copenhagen in their third Champions League game of the season at Old Trafford later today (October 24). Ahead of the encounter, the Danish club's forward Elias Achouri has revealed a hilarious message he received from Red Devils youngster Hannibal Mejbri.
Achouri mentioned that Mejbri has begged him not to 'kill' his Manchester United teammates when they clash in England today. However, the Copenhagen forward insists that he'd have to 'give it a try'.
"He [Hannibal] told me to chill a bit and not kill their players. I told him that I have to or at least give it a try," he said during an interview with Danish outlet Tipsdablet.
Today's clash will be an important one for both sides to keep their qualification hopes alive. On the other hand, it will be an opportunity for the players, especially Copenhagen's to get more experience.
"It will be a huge moment for me, one of the greatest in my career," the forward said. "I need to stay focused and not let it get into my head. I'm a professional and I'm going to Old Trafford to help the team and get a great result for the club."
Despite being the underdogs, Achouri believes his side can get a result against Manchester United at Old Trafford today. The forward has revealed that he told Mjebri they will be coming for all three points.
"I told Hannibal that we are going to win the match," he continued. "I think we are going to exchange shirts after the match because he is my friend. It is going to be a cool moment for both of us.”
"I called Hannibal after the draw for the group stages and during the international break, we talked about the match as well, so it will be exciting. I know him very well from the national team and both of us grew up in France so we have a really good connection," he added.
Manchester United's record in the Champions League so far this season
United's start in the Champions League this season has been nothing to write home about. Result-wise, they've been one of the worst teams in the division so far.
Erik Ten Hag's men are yet to pick up a point in the competition so far. They suffered a 4-3 defeat to Bayern Munich their opening fixture before following it up with another 3-2 loss to Galatasaray in their last game.
As it stands, they will need to beat Copahangen in back-to-back games and pick up more points than either Bayern and Galatasaray to qualify for the knockout phase.