ERIC BAILLY HAS NAMED HIS FAVOURITE TEAMMATE.

Eric Bailly has named his favourite Manchester United teammate and most fans will agree with him.

Ivory Coast international Bailly has made eight appearances for the Red Devils this season to help them into second in the Premier League and the top of their Champions League group.

United's decent season yet are in part down to Romelu Lukaku's 11 goals in all competitions. And centre back Bailly is thrilled to have the prolific striker as teammate.

"Playing football for a striker is not just about scoring goals," Bailly said ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash with Benfica.

"So he is untouchable in my team and also in the support and respect he deserves from the fans.
"He is an excellent player.

"I've played against him and now I am fortunate to play with him. Every player knows what kind of player he is and he's playing well and scoring goals.

"The most important thing is he carries on doing his job like a good centre forward."

Bailly also believes United will qualify for the Champions League knock-out phase if Jose Mourinho's side can overcome Benfica on Tuesday.

United won the reverse fixture in Portugal a fortnight ago and Bailly knows that a victory will guarantee United's place in the round of 16.

"Tomorrow’s game will be very important for us, because we have won the first three games and we feel that with the fourth one we can basically qualify for the next phase," he added.
"If we do that, it will give us a lot of confidence."

Meanwhile, United Boss Jose Mourinho has reiterated his desire for his side to win Tuesday's clash as he believes that qualifying early would help his side's course.

“Our aim is to qualify,” said Mourinho. “Ten points would be OK to qualify, but our main aim is to finish first in the group.

“We know the statistics are what they are, but Basel have had good results against CSKA and Benfica.

“A draw is not a bad result, but Benfica will give us a difficult match. They have their own ambition and pride, and will try to win. But we want to get to the last 16 as first in the group."

Having won the Europa League last season to reach the Champions League, Mourinho said United are a far better side now, as they seek to re-establish their European credentials.

“We played in the Europa League and then returned to the Champions League two years later,” said Mourinho.

“United were eliminated by Basel and PSV Eindhoven in recent years, but I think that’s quite a logical consequence of evolution.

“We won the Europa League last season, but my team are now playing in the Champions League and are much better than last year or three years ago.”

Despite the tricky weekend trip to Stamford Bridge; the venue where United suffered a humiliating defeat last season, the Special One claimed his only focus is tonight’s encounter against the Portuguese champions.

“Nobody here thinks about any other match,” he added.
“Nobody here thinks about Chelsea, it’s just ­Benfica, the Champions League and only the ­Champions League.”

Source: www.clubgist.com