Xherdan Shaqiri provides advice to ex-club Basel ahead of Manchester United game
Stoke City attacker Xherdan Shaqiri has provided valuable advice to his former club Basel ahead of their Champions League outing at Manchester United on Tuesday night.
The Swiss international played the full 90 minutes of the Potters' 2-2 draw against Manchester United last weekend.
In an interview covered by Blick, Shaqiri admitted that Basel face a tough task on their hands at Old Trafford, where United are mostly dominant with their football. He added that the Swiss champions must focus beyond the defensive aspects if they are to take a positive result away from the Mancunian giants.
He said: “You have to play bravely. It does not matter if you lose. Man United have so much class in their attack.It will be extremely difficult for Basel. Especially at Old Trafford, where Manchester is much more dominant than abroad. Old Trafford is one of the best stadiums in the world. They have to be brave, risk something. Just defending will not be enough."
Meanwhile, Shaqiri was asked about United's potential weakness, to which he replied: "If they do it’s with their defence. That’s what our goals have shown. If you play quickly and bravely, their defenders will have problems. At the back, Manchester United are vulnerable."
Basel previously grabbed a 3-3 draw at Old Trafford back in the 2011/12 Champions League season, and it eventually proved valuable as they secured a shock 2-1 win in the reverse fixture to oust United from the Champions League.
Both teams have had a lot of personnel changes since the period, and Jose Mourinho's will be determined to begin their Champions League campaign with a comfortable win. United have kept three clean sheets in their opening four league outings but they will be without the services of both Phil Jones and Eric Bailly, who are still serving the final game of their European suspension. Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof are expected to take their positions in central defence.