Bruno Fernandes is relishing the return of Champions League nights at Manchester United later this month.
The Reds are back in Europe’s premier competition after a season away and last Thursday’s draw pitted us against five-time winners Bayern Munich, plus the champions of Denmark and Turkey - FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray - in Group A.
Our campaign gets under way at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday 20 September, with Bundesliga heavyweights Bayern the opposition.
Bruno no doubt had matches like this in mind when he signed for us back in January 2020 and, having made 13 appearances for United in the Champions League in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons - scoring four goals in the process - the Portuguese midfielder is aware of just how special the tournament is.
Fernandes knows big European evenings just ‘hit different’ when they come around, whether at Old Trafford - where Bruno can look back on dramatic victories against Villarreal and Atalanta a couple of seasons back - or away from home…
“It’s always special to be in the Champions League,” said Fernandes, speaking in the first episode of the new TeamViewer Diaries series.
“It’s the best competition in the world for clubs and it’s something that you want to be in, because you play against the best clubs in Europe, so that’s why you want to be there.
“It’s a special night, I’ve been saying this. Since I’ve played here, [we were] in the Champions League in a stadium without fans.
“But after I had the chance to play with the fans and we had some late wins, that was something special and the Champions League nights will hit different.
“You know also for the new arrivals I think they will be looking forward to those nights. Us too and hopefully I can score some goals at the Stretford End.”
