Anna Sandberg names United’s secret weapon to crush Atletico Madrid in historic UCL clash

Manchester United defender Anna Sandberg has named a big advantage the club has over Atletico Madrid ahead of their Champions League meeting later this evening.

United set for showdown with Atletico

United are set to take part in the club’s first-ever UEFA Champions League knockout tie when they take on Atletico at the Centro Deportivo Wanda Alcala de Henares in Madrid on Thursday evening.

It sets up the first leg of the two-legged tie, with United having ended the league-phase campaign inside the top six of the 18-team standings.

It’s certainly a historic night and the stakes could not be higher, with a place in the quarter-final awaiting Marc Skinner and his players.

Skinner told reporters he expects a tough test against the Spanish side, singling out their attacking threat and the ability of their front two to change the game quickly.

Sandberg accompanied Skinner in the press conference and said that United have an advantage, having played Atletico earlier in the campaign and got the better of them, hence they know what to expect.

Sanberg pinpoints United advantage

Sandberg said, “We kind of know what to expect from this team because we played them once before, and I think we did a really good team performance, especially being one player down as well.”

“It’s always a bit extra to play in the Champions League, out in Europe. But I think it’s a good thing that we played them before, and we kind of know what to expect. But it will be a hard game, a tough game, of course, but we are very excited.”

On her performances this season, Sandberg remarked, “I think it’s been an amazing season so far, both for me and for the team as well. I think we’ve been performing really good. I’ve been given the chance [to play] a bit more this season and I’ve been really, really enjoying it. ”

“It’s my second season here now with Manchester United and it’s always something different to move abroad. It’s my first time moving abroad, but I feel like I’ve really found my place here now and the team, the club is fantastic. So, I feel like I’ve been taking steps since I joined and I feel like this is the best place for me to be at the moment.”

United added two of Sandberg’s compatriots in January, signing Hanna Lundkvist and Ellen Wangerheim.

The defender said, “Of course, it’s amazing. I said that before, like even if it would be just one Swede here, it would be really nice. But the fact that we’ve got, what, five now [after the signings of Hanna Lundkvist and Ellen Wangerheim in January]? It’s really nice.”

“And they’re amazing football players, not only football players, but only also as people. So, they’re great adds to the squad and they’re doing amazing.”

Atletico vs. United kicks off at 20:00 GMT.

Featured image Tom Dulat via Getty Images

The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

The post Anna Sandberg says Man United have huge advantage over Atletico Madrid ahead of clash appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.