At 03:00 CEST on 11 September, Manchester United will host Qarabag in the first round of the Champions League group stage. Ahead of the match, Manchester United manager Michael Carrick attended a press conference. This article covers the first half of the press conference.

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Michael, tomorrow's match is Manchester United's first Champions League match after several years away. What mindset and approach are you preparing for tomorrow night?

Yes, we've made tremendous efforts to get back here. It's truly fantastic to be in the Champions League, and I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's match. We'll begin this Champions League journey and hope to progress as far as possible in the competition. There will be major challenges ahead, and tomorrow night is a great start. So yes, this is a huge season, and we're looking forward to it.

Michael, Luke Shaw didn't participate in training today. There's been much discussion about how many matches he can actually play. Can he play tomorrow? How is the team balancing his recovery and playing time?

Yes, we've given him an extra recovery day today, so we'll see how he feels tomorrow. It's not a recurring long-term injury or reoccurrence, and it's not a planned situation. It's simply because we played a few days ago. In normal player management, each player has different physical recovery needs, and Luke happens to be one of the players who needed an extra recovery day today.

Michael, what does it mean for you to participate in Europe's top-tier football competition? And what does it mean for Manchester United?

It means a lot. It means you're competing and playing against the very best elite teams and players. As I've said before, for years this club has been accustomed to facing the strongest opponents and being one of the best teams. But being in that position and staying there for a long time is absolutely not something to take for granted. We've been away from this competition for several years, and now we're back, so I think it means a great deal.

We want to be on this stage every year, and that's an expectation we should have for ourselves without being arrogant. This is the standard we need to achieve, and whether we can do so is up to us. I think the team has made tremendous efforts over the past few months and over a year, ultimately building strong momentum and securing our current qualification. Now, the key is the next step: progressing to the next round, the next stage, and the team's continued evolution. This is clearly where we want to go, but now it's up to us to ensure we stay here for the long term.

Michael, Qarabag is making their Champions League debut. When analyzing this team, what aspects of their play impressed you most?

First of all, I think they are a very well-coached team with excellent tactical execution. You can see their tactical ideas and principles very clearly, and these principles are consistently applied. They do many things very well. It's clear they've won many matches over the last 12 months or so and are playing with great confidence. You can see this in how they control the ball and move it forward in the attacking third. They have excellent understanding among themselves, and their collective pressing is also very strong. So we know exactly what kind of opponent we'll be facing, and we fully understand the challenges that await us.

Hello Michael, in nearly seven years at the club, Bruno Fernandes has only participated in the Champions League knockout stages once. He was recently nominated for the Ballon d'Or and is currently negotiating a potential new contract. How important is this Champions League journey to progressing further—to show top players like Bruno that the team is not just about participating in the group stage, but can also achieve the ambitions these top players have?

We absolutely can achieve such goals. We have the ability to do so, and it clearly depends on whether we can actually take that step. I think your point also highlights that we've been working hard to address the situation of not reaching the later stages of the competition in previous years. Therefore, I believe we need to remain humble and pragmatic, understanding clearly where we're starting from in the past and how high we want to reach.

As you mentioned, Bruno has only played in the Champions League knockout stages once, so it's our responsibility to continue raising standards and doing our best. Like everyone, we want to reach that level as quickly as possible. But equally, we need to understand each step and take it methodically. We're capable of performing very, very well, especially on our good days; we feel we can compete with any opponent and beat them. The key is whether we can maintain this consistency over the long term, match after match. With consistency, the results you expect will naturally follow, and hopefully we can achieve the positive results in the crucial knockout stages you mentioned.

Michael, since you appeared in the Champions League final in 2011, the club has only reached the Champions League quarterfinals twice. Regardless of the reasons, the team's performance in this competition has been inconsistent over the years. How do you view this historical record? Do you think this also highlights the importance of consistent participation in the Champions League year after year?

Yes, as I just said, I think we need to remain humble, understand and accept our recent history, but that absolutely doesn't diminish our motivation, desire, and expectations for achieving great success. But I still think it's very important to be pragmatic and understand the reality, which requires maintaining a very balanced perspective.

However, what I can say is that what really matters is our immediate future. Whether we enter this competition in excellent form or with a less than ideal record from recent years, what's most important is always the next step. We now have a team and squad that are very much looking forward to this new stage. We need to learn, we need to continue improving, and we need to make the very best of this valuable opportunity.

Hello Michael, what strategy will you employ for selecting the core lineup for this competition? You clearly played in this competition as a player and know what it takes to win it; and as a manager, you've also made bold decisions during your time here—for example, your debut against Villarreal—what approach will you take regarding team selection in this competition?

Well, that always requires a balanced approach. I think that's why we have the squad we have, and we've tried to build a squad as strong as possible to adapt to different games, different opponent strengths, different styles of play, and different match environments. Yes, we have Thursday matches, Sunday matches, and then Wednesday matches. That's why we're here. Therefore, it clearly involves managing the entire squad and maintaining confidence in every player who could play.

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