Manager David Moyes insists Manchester United will not be
thinking about their crunch clash with Bayern Munich when they line up against
Newcastle on Saturday.
United gave themselves a fighting chance of making the
Champions League semi-finals when they drew 1-1 against the European champions
on Tuesday.
Given that United are almost certainly guaranteed to
finish outside the top four, their Premier League match with Newcastle seems to
be something of an irrelevance, but Moyes says his players must not be
distracted by thoughts of next Wednesday's second leg in Germany.
"The only thing we are thinking about is the
Newcastle game," the United manager told a press conference.
"The focus is all on Newcastle. We have to go up
there, try to put on a good performance, pick three points up and keep trying
to build up some momentum towards the end of the season."
Given the importance of the second leg in Munich, Moyes
is likely to rest a few of his players in Newcastle this weekend.
Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic started at Old Trafford
on Tuesday, but they could be replaced by Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans, who
have been out for one and two months respectively.
"We have got Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling back in
training, that helps us," Moyes added.
"We have missed them through what has arguably been
one of the most difficult times of the season for us.
"We could have done with their youth and
enthusiasm."
Ryan Giggs looks set to miss the trip to the north-east
because of an injury he suffered against Bayern, but left-back Alex Buttner has
recovered well from the hamstring problem he sustained versus the Germans.
Moyes added: "Ryan Giggs picked up a wee bit of an
injury in the game and we are not quite so worried about Alex Buttner. He is
not as bad as when he first came off."
Rafael also missed Tuesday's draw against Bayern with a
thigh problem and could be rested ahead of the second leg.
Although Moyes was keen to focus on the trip to
Newcastle, he could not help but look back fondly on the Bayern game - a night
where his team restored some confidence following what has been a woeful
season.
Moyes knows his team must work hard to make it through to
the semi-finals, but he was glad to put a smile back on the faces of the United
fans who have suffered this year.
"It was a terrific performance from the players and
an all-round really good night at Old Trafford," Moyes said.
"It was a special night as far as I am concerned,
maybe one of the best ever games I have been involved in with football because
of the atmosphere, the crowd and the standard of the opposition. But more
importantly, because of the performance the players put in.
"I thought they played really well, so it was a good
night. I was a bit disappointed with the result, but overall there were a lot
of good things to take from it."
Culled from Sportinglife
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