Juan Mata, the new record signing of Manchester United, will miss the Champions League action tomorrow. The Spaniard is cup-tied having already paid for Chelsea before in this competition.
Manchester United will face Greek side Olympiakos in the first leg of the Round of 16 tie on Tuesday night at the Karaiskakis, and Mata is hopeful of a positive result.
In his personal blog he mentions that he will be supporting United from home as any other football fan and says that victory against Crystal Palace in the Premier League has given the team the much-needed-confidence ahead of this match. He said:
“I’ve noticed that my team-mates are very excited about going through little by little. I hope we can do it. I’ll be supporting United from here as any other fan.
I’ll bite my nails nervously watching the game on telly. I will feel the same as you. But we feel encouraged ahead of this game thanks to some good training days and a very important win at Crystal Palace. These three points gave us a lot of confidence. I think the team was solid and it was a clear victory.”
Mata was quick to praise Wayne Rooney, who scored in the last game. The England international has recently signed a new lucrative contract that will see him earn a staggering £300,000 per week wages. While critics have raised points on the demerits of handing Rooney such lucrative contract, Mata feels that it is highly deserved.
“The game was special for Rooney after his recent renewal, and he was very happy. He deserves it; he is a model player in this club and it’s a privilege to have him with us now and in the coming years.”
So, in absence of Mata, how would Manchester United line-up against Olympiakos? Will Kagawa be included in the side? Click here to see the possible Manchester United starting line-up.
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