Moyes, who saw his United side beat Crystal Palace 2-0 on Saturday night has claimed that his side are capable of repeating the unlikely Champions League win of Liverpool in 2005, despite their poor league form.
The current Premier League champions have barely made a challenge to retain their crown as they now 15 points off leaders Chelsea and are in a battle just to finish in the top four.
With their chances of gaining an access to Europe’s elite through the league slipping away, their only hope would be to win the competition this year, and their fight begins on Tuesday with a clash against Olympiakos.
Moyes is hoping to take inspiration from Liverpool’s Champions League triumph in Istanbul, 9 years ago. They did so coming from 3-0 down against a fierce AC Milan side and even finished just fifth in the league that season. Moyes reckons his side do not have to be the best team in order to win the cup: “It isn’t always the best teams that get to the final in Europe”
“Liverpool in 2005 gives us hope, but in any cup competition you always have a chance.
“I knew it was going to be a hard competition before it started. Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid and PSG are all top clubs.”
Similarly to Liverpool, Chelsea defied the odds in 2012 to beat Bayern Munich on penalties despite finishing 6th at the end of the campaign. Using these games an example of the fact that anything can happen, Moyes understands that the underdogs can often come out on top.
“You see some of the games, where teams have hung on and hung on and somehow nicked a goal.”
By Phil Wellbrook
