**Champions League** football returns to **Old Trafford** for the first time since 2023. **Michael Carrick** is expected to start the campaign strongly with a win against **Sabah FK** in the new league phase.
After becoming interim head coach in January, Carrick guided [**Manchester United**](https://www.vavel.com/en/data/manchester-united/) back to the Champions League for the first time in three years. The former United player earned the highest points total in the **Premier League** from his arrival through May, securing 11 wins in his first 15 league matches.
Despite the rocky start in the Premier League, Manchester United fans will surely be confident ahead of the game against **Azerbaijan** **title winners** Sabah FK. The game is considered one of the easier fixtures in United's league phase.
_"It's a magical competition; it's where we want to be. We want to make the most of it; we've seen special nights over the years, and it's where we want to be. It's the best competition to challenge yourself against the best. We're delighted to be here, but we're not here just to enjoy the occasion. We're here to do business,"_ said Carrick.
_"We're capable of doing some really big things in this competition, and further down the line, who knows when we get that far. But we're not getting ahead of ourselves. It's a new experience for some of us, but the boys are used to playing European football."_
'That's the challenge'
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Michael Carrick, Manager of Manchester United, looks on during the training session on the day before the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD1 match between Manchester United and Sabah at Carrington Training Ground on September 09, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
In recent history, the Red Devils have always struggled in the Champions League, as they were knocked out on aggregate against Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16 in 2022. The following year, United had an even worse run, as four defeats and one win in the group stage saw United crash out of the Champions League, finishing 4th.
_"We have to be humble enough to understand what recent history we've had. It doesn't take away the desire and expectation to be successful, but we need to be realistic. It's a really balanced view. It's what ahead of us that matters, whether that's coming into this in good shape or not."_
_"We've got a team that's really ready for this phase; we need to learn and keep improving."_
_"We've done good work to get there_ (qualification for the Champions League), _but we want to keep pushing; we want the expectation, the hope and belief we can achieve things. Winning games is always the answer and the more games we can win the better chance we can go further,"_ Carrick explained.