Manchester United have no margin for error against Copenhagen, says Fred
The Europa League's changed format will pose a different challenge to the last eight teams and Fred wants Manchester United on top form in Tuesday's quarter final.
Manchester United cannot afford to slip up in the revised Europa League format, Fred has warned. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side beat LASK 2-1 on Wednesday to wrap up a 7-1 aggregate triumph and reach the quarter-finals. The impact of the coronavirus on the competition's schedule means ties will be settled in one-off matches, all played in Germany, with United facing Copenhagen on Monday.
Wolves or Sevilla in the semi-finals
Should they prevail, the 2016-17 tournament winners would face either Premier League rivals Wolves or LaLiga side Sevilla.
"There are two important games, and a single match in the final. You have to make sure you're highly prepared, you can't make mistakes," Fred told United Review. "In league football you still have the chance to recover, you make a mistake and lose the game you can still recover later in the competition. In tournaments if you lose a game by a certain margin of goals it's difficult to come back. So you need to concentrate even more. I think that is what’s most important for us. That will be the biggest test."
If United do reach the final on 21 August, it would mean playing 15 games in 63 days since their campaign resumed on 19 June. But Fred is not worried about fatigue as he feels the squad are fit enough to cope. "We've got used to these games coming one after an another during the intense fixture calendar in June and July," the midfielder said. "So we're kind of used to it and I think it could be an advantage when playing games that are a few days apart, like they will be in Germany. I think it will be an advantage for us in the Europa League tournament format – I'm certain we'll be ready."