Wolves vs Man United - Wolfsburg's Schurrle warns goal-shy United

Posted Tuesday, December 08, 2015 by PA

Andre Schurrle has warned Manchester United they will be hunted down by a pack of aggressive Wolves on Tuesday.

Wolfsburg can create their own piece of history and write a sorry chapter in United's own at the Volkswagen Arena.

United must win to guarantee their passage to the last 16 of the Champions League while Wolfsburg, nicknamed Die Wolfe (The Wolves), will progress to the knockout stages for the first time if they draw against the three-time European champions.

Six years ago on Tuesday, Sir Alex Ferguson brought United here to Lower Saxony and beat the hosts 3-1 to finish top of their group, but as Schurrle admitted, the Red Devils are a different type of team now under Louis van Gaal.

"It's always important to get the first goal. If we can get it, then psychologically it will be good for us because we'll get a little bit more space," former Chelsea forward Schurrle said.

"It's going to be difficult to get the ball so we have to be very aggressive. This is a great game, we are going to give everything we can, really go for it.

"They are third in the league. But we know we will get our chances and if we take them we can have a great game. Our real ambition is to get through to the knockout stages."

United could desperately do with such a deadly finisher in their ranks on Tuesday. They have scored seven goals in their last 10 matches and Saturday's game against West Ham was the sixth time they had drawn 0-0 this season.

Schurrle was never on the losing side against United during his time at Chelsea and he admits there has been a changing of the guard at Old Trafford.

"I think it's quite different," said the German World Cup winner, who joined Wolfsburg from Chelsea for B£22million in February.

"It's a different team, different players, and the style is different. Louis van Gaal is there. He will play possession and want to calm the game down."

United boss Van Gaal backed Anthony Martial to end his goal drought and help the Premier League giants avoid an embarrassingly early exit.

If they draw or lose, United will have to rely on PSV Eindhoven slipping up at home to CSKA Moscow - who have already been eliminated - to make it through to the last 16.

It is a situation neither Van Gaal nor the United board thought they would be in when the groups were drawn in August.

And the United boss concedes dropping into the Europa League would be a big blow.

"It's very important for the club to continue in the Champions League, and also for the players," Van Gaal said.

"They want to show their qualities at the highest podium. That's why it's important (we qualify)."

Martial will bear the responsibility of ending United's woeful record in front of goal despite scoring just once in his last 13 matches.

"He is very talented but he is just 20 years old," Van Gaal said of the forward, who scored four goals in his first four matches following a B£36million transfer from Monaco in September.

"We have to give him time and that's always difficult when you are playing for a team like Manchester United because the expectations are very high.

"But I am very convinced that he will continue with his performances, and that he shall score at the right moment again.

"You cannot expect of a 20-year-old player coming to the Premier League that he scores every week.

"I didn't expect it either. When he came he was accelerating in the start of his campaign at Manchester United. I know that and I have to explain it to everybody because he doesn't need that pressure to score every match."

Like it or lump it, Martial will have to deal with that pressure on Tuesday.

He is the only recognised striker in a squad that contains Nick Powell, who has only played one game for United in the last three years, Sean Goss, who is yet to make his debut, and 18-year-old defender Cameron Borthwick-Jackson.

Guillermo Varela made his debut in the 0-0 draw against West Ham on Saturday but could be thrown into the starting XI on Tuesday.