De Gea Eyes Champions League Progress

David De Gea believes Manchester United must take all three points against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday to secure a place in the Champions League knockout stages, so the Reds can "battle it out for first place" during the final Group B game in Wolfsburg.

United did not get off to an ideal start in this season's European campaign by losing 2-1 in the opening game away to PSV in September. But Louis van Gaal's side have since picked up seven points from three games to lead Group B, and victory on Wednesday will seal passage to the next stage.

De Gea, who was voted Man of the Match by fans on Saturday following another stunning performance in the late win over Watford, wants to get the job done against PSV this week.

"We know it will be a difficult game but we need to get the victory and grab the three points," the Spanish goalkeeper told MUTV ahead of kick-off at Old Trafford. "We started off with a defeat in the first game, but since then we’ve steadily been picking up points. A win would put us through to the next stages, so now we’re just a small step away from qualification."

United conceded a first goal in 641 minutes of competitive football at Vicarage Road, when Troy Deeney scored from the penalty spot, but the Reds' home form has been solid with only one goal conceded in the last seven games at Old Trafford.

"It’s very important not to concede goals; we need to take things gradually and keep improving all the time, growing into a very strong side," De Gea explained.

Van Gaal has a few choices to make ahead of the game on Wednesday, though media attentions will no doubt turn to PSV old boy Memphis, who started his first Barclays Premier League game in seven weeks for United at the weekend and opened the scoring with an excellent early goal.

"He has had a tough few weeks and I’m sure he’ll soon be back at the top of his game,” De Gea said when asked about his team-mate. "He’s going to bring a lot to the team and I’m sure he’ll be really up for playing against his old club."

Looking back on the away fixture against PSV, when the Dutch side overturned Memphis's opener to claim the victory, De Gea believes United performed well.

"We had quite a few chances and I don’t think we deserved to lose," he said. "We have the chance to play against them at home and if we can beat them, we are through to the next stage."