Manchester United Women take to main stage for biggest week in their history | OneFootball

It is no exaggeration to describe the next seven days as the most significant week of fixtures in the history of the Manchester United women’s team, as they contest their first European quarter-final with a crucial derby in between.

Debutants in the Champions League main draw, Marc Skinner’s side now have three box-office matches in huge arenas, starting with the first leg of their quarter‑final against Bayern Munich on Wednesday at Old Trafford, as the runaway Frauen‑Bundesliga leaders arrive in England hoping to illustrate their own European title credentials. The stage is set for a thriller.

Any United fan used to waiting to catch the V1 bus for games at Leigh Sports Village might say “typical, you wait 133 days for a game at Old Trafford and then two come along in the space of four days”, because they will then be back at Old Trafford on Saturday to play Manchester City, the Women’s Super League leaders, before the trip to Munich’s Allianz Arena for the second leg next Wednesday and the chance to make more club history in Europe.

It is time for this United team to do more than simply take part in these big games, though. This season-defining week presents a momentous opportunity for the English club to reach a European semi-final and, while being conscious of Bayern’s numerous strengths, they must grasp the opportunity in front of them, as they seek to establish a place among Europe’s elite. Doing so while needing a result against their in-form neighbours on Saturday will be extra difficult, but it is weeks such as this when we will truly find out how good this improving United team really are.

Reach a Champions League semi-final and do enough to qualify for Europe again with a top-three finish in May and that, combined with having reached the League Cup final, would represent a very strong campaign for Skinner’s side. Bow out against Bayern and lose against their local rivals – possibly missing out on the Champions League next season as a result – on the other hand, and in two months’ time most pundits will probably look back on this season as a disappointing one for United.

Standing in their way is a world-class side. Only Barcelona and OL Lyonnes have a better passing accuracy percentage in this competition this season than Bayern, whose winger Klara Bühl has provided by far the largest number of Champions League assists this season, eight, which is double her nearest competitor. Unfortunately for the visitors, Bühl has a calf injury and will not be available on Wednesday. They certainly have other threats, of course, not least the England midfielder Georgia Stanway, who is in some of the best form of her life, and only Alessia Russo has scored more goals than the five of Bayern’s Pernille Harder. The former Chelsea forward has an ominous track record of scoring against United.

Yet it could also theoretically be a relatively low-scoring affair. Of the quarter-finalists, these two sides have scored the fewest goals since the league phase started, while United’s defence in particular has stood out: they have the highest number of clean sheets in the Champions League this season and their captain, Maya Le Tissier, has recovered the ball more times (59) than anyone else in the competition.

If anyone can break through this United backline, though, Bayern can, as they are averaging just shy of four goals per game at home, where they hold an 11-point lead over Wolfsburg, having won all but one of their Bundesliga games. They have managed that despite the midfielder Lena Oberdorf being out since October with a cruciate injury.

United have their own injury problems, not least the absences of the left-back Anna Sandberg (knee) and the midfielder Ella Toone (hip), but they were handed a big boost on Tuesday with the news that Jayde Riviere is available to play again after a knock. Skinner issued a rallying cry to his players on Tuesday. “You don’t just turn up and say: ‘We enjoyed the ride.’ We’ve got two fantastic games against a brilliant opponent, [and] we’ve got to maximise the moment.

“We appreciate how far we’ve come, but while you’re in it [the Champions League], we have two magical nights of football that we are absolutely looking forward to.”

Header image: [Photograph: Poppy Townson/MUFC/Manchester United/Getty Images]