Erik ten Hag has reminded his Manchester United players that they must expect a difficult game against a difficult opponent when they face Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday at Wembley.
The Red Devils go in as favourites to lift the trophy in north London, coming off an impressive and confidence-boosting win over Barcelona in the Europa League on Thursday night.
They were not short on morale as it was, having beaten Leicester City 3-0 last time out in the Premier League, so it will be a buoyant squad that heads south this weekend.
However, Newcastle are enjoying an excellent season as well, sitting fifth in the table as Eddie Howe impressively builds them up into European challengers.
They may not be in their greatest form at the moment, without a win in three matches, but they too are a confident squad, with a solid defence and having had a week off while the Red Devils had a tough game on Thursday night.
Ten Hag is full of respect for Howe and Newcastle, and has warned his side off any kind of complacency as they go in as favourites at Wembley.
‘It’s a difficult game. It’s a difficult opponent,’ Ten Hag told Sky Sports. ‘They are so difficult to beat and it’s a big compliment for them, but we have to find a way to beat them and no matter what. And so we put all the effort in.
‘I have all the respect for the opponent and what the manager, Howe is doing. It is great to see from the outside. And you see also there is a real team and good team spirit. So yeah, it’s gonna be a great game between two really good teams.’
The England star is not guaranteed to play, but it seems likely, with Anthony Martial set to miss out through injury.
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