Louis van Gaal has called it the biggest game of his Manchester United reign, and the difference between winning and losing is simply immeasurable.
When United take their 3-1 lead over Club Brugge to the Jan Breydelstadion on Wednesday night in their Champions League play-off, they do so with hundreds of millions of pounds and two seasons riding on the result. And that’s not to mention the change it will make to the pulling power of a club who have suffered significant blows in the transfer market this summer.
Another campaign without Champions League football would be a near-disaster for United and, as the manager pointed out on Tuesday, it would undo all of the work of last season too if they were to squander their position of superiority in Belgium.
"It was our aim to participate in the Champions League. We are still not there yet, it's very important," the Dutchman told a press conference.
"We have to play the game, at the end you have to have scored one goal more than the opponent. They have beaten Greek opponents [Panathinaikos] 3-0, they are capable of doing that with the support of their fans."
Following a summer which has so far seen United miss out on many of their bigger name targets and lose the undivided attention of their two-time Player of the Year David de Gea, the last thing they need is to surrender their significant lead against Club Brugge.
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