Sheriff Tiraspol ace Patrick Kpozo is looking forward to facing Manchester United duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Antony at Old Trafford tonight.
Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils only need a point against the Moldovan outfit to be assured of qualification from Group E.
But in order to prevent a play-off against a third-place Champions League side, United need to beat Sheriff to keep the pressure on group leaders Real Sociedad ahead of next week’s showdown in Sen Sebastian for the all-important top spot.
Group winners go straight through to the last-16 whereas sides that finish second will have an additional two matches added to the hectic calendar.
Ten Hag’s side beat Sheriff 2-0 in Chisinau last month, but on the eve of the reverse clash at the Theatre of Dreams, Stjepan Tomas resigned as the Moldovan side’s manager.
Sheriff ace Kpozo looking forward to facing Cristiano Ronaldo and Antony
Jadon Sancho opened the scoring the last two the two sides met, and Ronaldo scored his first goal of the season via the penalty spot to net first Europa League goal.
After failing to get his hands on Ronaldo’s shirt last time out, Sheriff defender Kpozo is hoping it’s a case of second time lucky after tonight’s clash.
The Ghanian posted a photo of him and the five-time Ballon d’Or winner on Instagram after the game in Moldova, but he’s admitted he’ll be doing all he can to acquire the Portuguese’s shirt this time around.
“For me it was a dream come true to play on the same field as a genuine legend like Cristiano Ronaldo. It was painful to lose but meeting Ronaldo softened the blow,” Kpozo said via BBC Sport Africa.
“He was in a hurry to leave [in Moldova] so we just shook hands and managed to get a quick picture. My team-mate Victor [Oliveira] got his shirt but at Old Trafford, I will go and speak to Ronaldo directly in the warm-up; I want the shirt.”
With Anthony Martial unavailable, the 37-year-old may start his fifth consecutive Europa League game after being reintegrated into first-team training on Tuesday having been dropped from the squad for the Chelsea game after leaving Old Trafford early while his teammates were beating Tottenham Hotspur.
Antony is another United star that Kpozo is relishing pitting his wits against for the second time.
Kpozo, who clumsily fouled Diogo Dalot to give Ronaldo the chance from scoring from the spot, believes he did a good job at keeping the talented Brazilian quiet, and he fancies his chances of frustrating United’s number 21 again.
The 25-year-old said: “People thought Antony was going to ‘kill’ me in the first game.
“He is a very good player but when he came up against me, he couldn’t do anything. Still, they are saying again that he will ‘kill’ me again in the match at Old Trafford.
“I’m sure he will be trying to do everything possible to prove himself, but I believe in myself. I am strong, fast and when I stay close to him, he has nowhere to go. I’ve got him.”
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