Erik ten Hag has urged his Manchester United players to keep their heads amid the hostile atmosphere away at Galatasaray, insisting he has a "plan".
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Ten Hag urges players to keep their headsUnited face hostile reception in IstanbulManager says he has plan to help Red Devils winWHAT HAPPENED?
United had an infamous match with Galatasaray in the 1993-94 season, with the Turkish fans giving the Red Devils a hostile greeting at the airport in Istanbul and brandishing a banner reading 'Welcome to Hell', a phrase which has continued to be associated with the club 30 years on. The manager said his players would need to keep their wits about them amid the cauldron of noise, having had Marcus Rashford sent off in their last Champions League outing at Copenhagen and Casemiro dismissed when they lost to Galatasaray at Old Trafford in October. He does, though, have a plan that he hopes the players will execute effectively.
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"Absolutely, you have to stay calm in your head and don’t get too emotional and control emotion, don’t give them anything, the referee as well, don’t give them a moment they can take, so you have to stay away from such moments," Ten Hag told a press conference.
"You have to make it your game, it is not that important how the opponent is playing, it is how you are playing. We will make a good plan and the players they have to decide. We have to make our game and it is history. Manchester United has a great history, we have to make our own."
Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
United return to Galatasaray – where they have never won – needing to win to stand a realistic chance of staying in the Champions League. They have lost three of their four matches in Group A, leaving them bottom.
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?
United should be in high spirits after beating Everton 3-0 on Sunday and after facing Galatasaray they visit Newcastle and then host Chelsea in the Premier League. As for their final Champions League group game, they face already-qualified Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on December 12.