Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal agrees with his Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger about the difficulties of negotiating a Champions League playoff tie early in the season.
While Van Gaal’s men managed to guarantee European football next season, a fourth place finish means that they need to negotiate a playoff tie to enter the group stage of the Champions League.
The first leg of the tie will be played on either 18th or 19th August, and the second leg a week later.
While there is euphoria around Old Trafford that the club have bounced back into the competition after spending just one season out of it, Van Gaal stressed that they have not qualified yet.
The Dutchman agrees with his Arsenal counterpart Wenger about the difficulties of playing a Champions League qualifier early in the season and admits that it is not as easy as it sounds.
relatedNewsStory
However, the Manchester United manager is looking forward to the draw for the playoff tie and is confident of making it through to the group stage of Europe’s elite club competition.
“First we have to qualify because we have to play two matches to [enter the group stages of] the Champions League”, Van Gaal told MUTV.
“That's not so easy. My colleague Arsene Wenger has said the right words – you can meet with a club that is halfway [through their pre-season] and you are at the start of the pre-season.
“It is a stressful period so I hope we succeed but still we have to be aware that it is not a piece of cake.
“I have a lot of confidence that we will qualify – first I want to hear the draw and then we shall talk again!”
In the 1998/99 season, where they won the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League, Manchester United had to beat Polish outfit LKS Lodz over two legs in the second qualifying round to earn their passage into the group stage of the competition.
Don't bet on football until you've visited Inside Bet! Interesting markets, top tips, betting facts – get all the info before you bet.
