Preview: Moyes eyeing victorious Champions League debut with the Red Devils
The former Everton manager is set to enter a new territory as he will take charge of his first match in a Champions League competition.
Whereas his former side Everton did qualify for the Champions League back in 2005 when Moyes was in charge of the club, his European journey was short lived as the Toffees were knocked out by Villareal in the qualifying round.
Life at his new club has not been very easy for the Scottish manager and he is set for even bigger challenges as he tests his talents at the biggest competition in European football. His lack of experience in the European arena will surely be a worry, but with the talented squad he has at hand Moyes should be hopeful of qualifying for the next round without much trouble.
Last time out, Man United were controversially knocked out by Real Madrid in the Round of 16 and David Moyes will try to emulate his predecessor by guiding the Red Devils to a better finish this season and will definitely be aiming for a third Champions League title.
However if he is to have any luck in the competition it is imperative that Moyes improves Man United’s home record which has been disastrous as of late. United have managed only three wins in their last nine encounters at the Old Trafford, however their record against German sides seems to be more convincing. The Red Devils have only lost twice against German oppositions in 12 encounters.
Wayne Rooney who played 90 minutes as Man United defeated Crystal Palace 2-0 is yet to be deemed fully fit. Even though the England international capped a brilliant performance with a wonderfully taken free-kick, he is yet to recover from his head injury which kept him out of international duty.
David Moyes’s counterpart for the Champions League game is a familiar face. Sami Hyypia, Leverkusen’s current manager played his trade at Premier League side Liverpool for a decade before making his move to Bayern Leverkusen, where he later took over the managerial post.
With Liverpool, Hyypia has tasted Champions League success after the Anfield side came down from 3-0 against Milan to win the Champions League final in one of the most historical encounters in European football.
The former Liverpool man will now be looking to make history against by guiding Werkself to their first victory in English soil. In eight encounters Leverkusen have drawn two and lost six of their matches in England.
Whereas Man United had a very dull transfer window to say the least, with Marouane Fellaini the only notable addition. Leverkusen added ten new faces to the side whereas there were 13 departures in what was a very busy transfer window for the German side.
They currently sit third in the Bundesliga having played five matches so far and the new signings seem to have gelled along really well. Hyypia will be looking for inspiration from last season’s Bundesliga top scorer Stefan Kießling who has scored four times already in this season’s German league.
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV, Live scores
Manchester United vs Bayer Leverkusen live on Tuesday, September 17, 2013:
In USA at 14:45 ET on SiriusXM FC, Fox Soccer 2Go, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2 (delay, at 20:00 ET), Fox Soccer Plus (delay, at 17:00 ET), Fox Deportes (delay, at 17:00 ET)
In UK at 19:45 BST on ITV 1, UTV, BBC Radio 5 Live
Fans in other parts of the world can watch the match live on their local channels. Those in Germany can watch the match live on Sky Sport 2 HD whereas fans in Canada can watch the match live on Sportsnet Ontario / East / West / Pacific.
For complete details of match listings and live scores, visit the Manchester United vs Bayer Leverkusen match page.
