Rooney: Manchester United can end Bayern Munich's Champions League reign

The Red Devils were held to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford last week but the England international is adamant that they can upset Pep Guardiola’s side in Bavaria

Wayne Rooney insists that Manchester United can surprise everybody by knocking Champions League holders Bayern Munich out of the competition at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night.

David Moyes has endured a frustrating debut campaign in charge of the Red Devils, with the reigning Premier League champions languishing in sixth place in the table, though continental competition has thus far provided welcome relief for the under-fire coach.

Consequently, while United were held to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their quarter-final tie with reigning European champions Bayern at Old Trafford last week, Rooney – who will “definitely” face Bayern, according to Moyes – believes United can beat the Bavarians in their own backyard and go on to lift the trophy.

“We believe we can go through, we have good enough players,” Rooney told Uefa.com. “It will be tough because, for me, Bayern and Barcelona are probably the two best teams in the competition.

“We have to be at our best, we have to be focused and prepare well. We are ready. It is an exciting game for us, for the fans … it’s a massive game to be involved in.”

When questioned over whether he believes United can go on to win the final at the Estadio da Luz on May 24, Rooney added: “Of course I do. I think we have to. We have seen in the past with so many different teams.

“Everyone has their favourites each year – Bayern or Barcelona – but it doesn’t always happen. For instance, when Chelsea won it in 2012, I think they nearly went out three times.”

The 28-year-old has been sidelined with a toe injury since the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final – in which he was tackled late on by Bastian Schweinsteiger to earn the Germany midfielder a red card and a ban for the second leg – but Goal revealed on Monday the forward was winning his battle to be fit.

Moyes revealed that the England striker is willing to take a pain-killing injection if needed, stating: “We’ll do everything we possibly can [to get him on the pitch]. He’s happy to take an injection to play which I think shows you his feeling about the game and the club.

“We wouldn’t do anything medically wrong. We take advice from the doctors who advise us. Everybody knows the character Wayne is and he is determined to play. If he is determined we’d be mad not to let him do so.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.