© EuroFootball.com
"Strategist Sir Alex Ferguson admitted that his team does not compare to Bilbao's Athletic, but hopes for revenge away.
In the first match of the UEFA Europa League round of 16, the English champions lost 2-3 to the Basque team, who are in fifth place in the Spanish championship, in front of their own fans. Interestingly, including the Champions League, "Man Utd" have only won once at home in European tournaments this season - against Romania's Galati's "Otelul".
"They played better. We will have a very difficult task away," said Ferguson. "The question is whether we can win there. I think so."
He continued: "We defended poorly and let the opponents have the initiative all the time. When attacking, we looked good, so the fight was open and interesting. In order to succeed, we need to defend better if we want to win."
Meanwhile, Athletic coach Marcelo Bielsa stated: "Perhaps we played better, but the opponents showed their level by managing to lose by just one goal in such circumstances."
