Van Gaal: Pressure On To Beat Brugge

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has no injury worries as he prepares for Tuesday’s Champions League play-off against Club Brugge, a tie he admits carries plenty of pressure.

Only Phil Jones (mild thrombosis) remains sidelined after Friday’s 1-0 Barclays Premier League win at Aston Villa, with Marouane Fellaini in contention for a place as his current suspension only applies to domestic games.

If the Reds can see off the Belgian outfit at Old Trafford and in next week’s second leg, a return to the Champions League group stages will be secured.

"There’s a lot of pressure because our aim is to reach the Champions League and that is what Arsene Wenger mentioned last year," van Gaal said at his press conference.

"These kind of matches are difficult. We’ve drawn Brugge and they can defend very well. They can attack also, so it shall be a difficult match – that is why the pressure is high.

"The board, the players and the fans want to participate. We have to show our quality against a good team. It is not an easy game."

One player United will need to keep an eye on is Belgian Player of the Year Victor Vasquez, an attacking midfielder who was a youth player at Barcelona during van Gaal's time in charge of the Catalan club.

"He is very good; he is one of the key players," van Gaal admitted. "He is not only fast but he has good vision. I liked him when I analysed him, but there are other good players.

Both United and Brugge have had a full weekend to prepare for the first leg, having played on Friday night.

"When you can play Fridays, you have a better balance in the week," van Gaal continued. "Brugge have done that also. We don’t have any advantage but I think it’s good for the players to recover. That is why I was very pleased we played on Friday."

Van Gaal admitted to MUTV that he has missed the Champions League, having not managed a club in the competition since leaving Bayern Munich in 2011. And he feels that, should United overcome Brugge, his side's style could suit European football.

"Of course you miss that because as a manager you can show yourself at the highest podium against other clubs at a high level," he said. "You can get more from yourself and the players can get more from themselves when the resistance is higher.

"Every English team can play in the Champions League or the Europa League. I think in England the rhythm is the highest in Europe and a lot of European clubs are not used to that rhythm. I hope that advantage is good enough to beat Club Brugge."