However, while the perception of United's season is slowly slipping into a negative place, that can all change over the course of this next week. Victory over Bayern Munich, to reach a Champions League semi-final, would be a monumental achievement for a team that is many years behind Europe's elite, having only reinstated a senior women's team in 2018. A result against Man City, meanwhile, would do absolute wonders for United's hopes of being back in the Champions League next season.
Neither will be easy to achieve. Bayern are the runaway leaders in the Bundesliga, some 11 points clear of second-placed Wolfsburg, while City outclassed United in their meeting in November,in a 3-0 win. But neither are infallible. Bayern have had some iffy results in Europe this term, most recently drawing against an Atletico side United have beaten three times this past year, and City have also suffered some slip-ups lately,drawing at Aston Villa afterlosing to Arsenal.