Edwin shocked at ‘crazy’ Champions League groups

D7MUTBCHSMY9 Edwin van der Sar is shocked at the way the Champions League group stages are looking at this stage of the campaign.

With teams like Liverpool and Barcelona facing the possibility of going out of the competition at the group stage, van der Sar is just thankful United are safely through to the knockout stages.

“The other groups are crazy,” Van der Sar told the M.E.N.

“It used to be the case that you always wanted to be first in your group but there are a couple this time where you know already that the runners-up would bring a difficult draw in February.

“The most important thing for us is to get the win on Wednesday and see what happens later on.”

however, van der Sar acknowledges that whichever teams get through t the next stage, the road to the final is a long and tough one and by no means guaranteed.

“It is not easy to get to the final,” said the veteran Dutchman.

“There is a lot of quality around and we have lost some players, so just because you have reached two consecutive finals, it doesn’t automatically mean you are going to get to a third. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication.

“But what we are doing now is all building to what we hope will be a nice end to the season.

“You don’t win things early in the season. You have a path to go along, starting with the group phase.

“Everything is part of the big picture to win a trophy.”

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