Bayern Will Be Tough, Says Fletch

Darren Fletcher gave us his reaction after United were drawn against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals...

Firstly Darren, what do you make of the draw?
I think it’s a tough one and outside Barcelona it’s probably as tough a draw as we could have got. I was talking to Gary Neville and he said we’ve had a lot of tough games against them over the years. We played Bayern in pre-season and we were very impressed with them. They’ve hit a bit of form since Christmas and are a real danger in the tournament.

The most famous meeting between the two sides came in the final in 1999 – where did you watch that game?
I was at home watching with my dad and I remember jumping up and down when United scored the two late goals. That night was obviously a great night in the club’s history and even though we didn’t play too well we showed that resilience and never-say-die attitude to win it at the end.

As you say, Bayern have really come into form of late…
Yes, they’ve been doing really well. They understand the way Louis van Gaal wants them to play and they have some dangerous players - Robben and Ribery are two of the best wingers in world football and we need to be aware of that threat. And being a German side you know they’re going to be resilient and very tough to beat.

If you get through you’ll be up against either Lyon or Bordeaux, but presumably it’s important not to look too far ahead…
It’s very important not to be too presumptuous and talk about other teams we might play. The teams left in the competition are all tough – you don’t get to the quarter-finals of the Champions League by being a poor team. It’s important not to underestimate anyone otherwise you’ll be out. We’ve got to be 100 per cent focused on every game. We play Bayern Munich first and we’ll be doing our best to try and get into the semi-finals.

How important was to avoid Barcelona in the draw?
I think if you beat Barcelona you won’t be far away from winning the tournament this season. They’re the benchmark right now. We’ve beaten them over two legs before, but if we get them this season it’ll be in the final and if that was to happen hopefully it would be another great final but with the end result being in our favour this time.

After missing the final last season, you must especially determined to get back there again...
Yes I am but just as the whole squad is. It’s in the past now and we’re all just desperate to make to that stage again after the disappointment of last year. Hopefully we can do that.

The two games against Bayern come either side of the crucial league clash with Chelsea – just how big a week is that going to be?
It’s going to be a very big week in the season for us. It’s going to be a really tight run-in from now on – the manager has spoken about needing to win every game and that’s the challenge that’s there for us now in Europe and the Premier League.

Darren Fletcher was speaking to ManUtd.com, PA Sport, Key 103 and BBC Radio.