Ralf Rangnick has told Manchester United that they must avoid conceding the first goal in their Champions League round-of-16 second leg against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
The Red Devils gave themselves an uphill task in the first meeting by allowing Atletico forward Joao Felix to break the deadlock after just seven minutes, although a timid United were able to salvage a 1-1 draw thanks to a late Anthony Elanga equaliser.
But Rangnick has warned his players that they might not be so fortunate this time around, with a place in the quarter-finals on the line for two teams enduring difficult domestic campaigns.
"It's very important [not to concede first], even more so against a team like Atletico who don't mind the other team having the ball," the interim manager affirmed in his pre-match press conference.
Join the debate! Will Man Utd reach the Champions League quarter-finals? Comment your prediction below.
"I mean, in the last four or five games they played, including their league games, they had less than 50% possession of the ball.
"We are aware of that and we need to make sure that if possible we don't concede at all but, yes, it would be definitely important to score the first goal ourselves."
But Rangnick has admitted that the Red Devils will need help to beat Diego Simeone 's side, who won the La Liga title last season but are themselves scrambling for a top-four finish this term.
The acclaimed German coach wants the crowd inside Old Trafford to be on "top form" - just like in Saturday's thrilling 3-2 win against Tottenham Hotspur in which Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning hat-trick.
"Yes, I think quite like in the game against Spurs, we need both our players and our supporters to be on top form tomorrow night," Rangnick pleaded.
"Our supporters play a vital role, it's always a very special atmosphere at Old Trafford, even more so in international games and in the end they can not only be our 12th but also our 13th player on the pitch and make the difference, making it a very special experience for everybody.
"But, in the end, it's obviously up to us, we have to create those moments and then I think the rest will automatically be done by our fantastic supporters."
United have been boosted by star midfielder Bruno Fernandes ' return to contention, having missed the victory over Tottenham due to testing positive for Covid-19, but there is still one doubt for Rangnick and co.
"As it is right now, we have all the players available for the game tomorrow, there is a small question mark behind Luke Shaw," the 63-year-old revealed.
"He has been training yesterday and today but we have to wait to see if he is fully fit to be available for the game, all the other players are back in training and ready for tomorrow."
