Manchester United Football Club sees their Europa League campaign come back to the fore this midweek when Jose Mourinho’s side host Saint-Etienne at Old Trafford. The game itself won’t be as easy as many think, with the French side sitting fifth in Ligue 1 and playing some nice stuff.
At the weekend, Anthony Martial came back into the Red Devils starting XI, and it’s fair to say the supremely talented forward took his chance with both hands as he grabbed one goal and one assist.
Now, the 21-year-old is looking forward to the Europa League tie against Saint-Etienne, and it holds even more meaning for Martial due to his Olympique Lyon background.
The Frenchman spent time with Lyon before he moved to AS Monaco, and he has been talking to United’s official website about how he’d really enjoy finding the back of the net against Lyon’s fiercest of rivals.
“There was a huge rivalry while I was still at Lyon – it was always a highly-charged atmosphere and they were usually massive games, the kind all players love to play in,” Martial told ManUtd.com.
“So there will be that added competitive edge whenever I play against them. We know it will be a difficult match but if we play with all our quality, I think we can do good things. “
“Of course, it would be great if I could score against them again, but I hope we can win the game because that’s the most important thing, then it would be a bonus if I managed to grab a goal.”
As he says, the most important thing is the final result, but if the rivalry inspires Martial to play even better then that can only be a good thing for Manchester United Football Club.
The first leg is at Old Trafford, and it gives Jose Mourinho’s team a real chance to throw down a marker and stamp their authority over the two-legged tie. If we can somehow find the back of the net a few times, it’ll give the manager the option to rest some players in the return leg.
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