Moyes stirs under-pressure United for Olympiacos

Manchester United FC manager David Moyes was in defiant mood as he vowed to lift the gloom at Old Trafford ahead of his side's UEFA Champions League last-16 second leg against newly crowned Greek champions Olympiacos FC.

Trailing 2-0 from the Piraeus opener, United's confidence was dealt another blow on Sunday as they suffered a ninth Premier League defeat this term, succumbing 3-0 at home to Liverpool FC. Moyes nonetheless promised the English title holders would "rise again" and instil pride among their supporters, while visiting coach Míchel acknowledged his charges could not afford to simply protect their first-leg advantage.

Manchester United
David Moyes, manager
When you lose in the fashion we did and against one of our biggest rivals [Liverpool] there is always a lot of disappointment. We knew it was a big week, but as soon as [the Liverpool match] was over we concentrated on this game. We told the players on Monday morning that the only thing that matters now is this game and our focus is on that.

The players know they can play better. I don't think any of them are questioning that. But I've got belief in the players because I see what they can do and hopefully we can show it. We have not shown it as often as we would have liked but we will try to make that happen tomorrow.

It has not been the season we hoped we would have, but the most important thing now is to get the Olympiacos game played and hopefully get through. If we can it will be a massive lift for us. We know we have got ourselves in a poor position being 2-0 down, but we have a lot of belief.

The fans have seen great success here at Manchester United and they'll see great success in the future. I've no doubt about that. This club is too big. For me, it is the biggest club in the world. It might not be at this moment in time, and it might not feel it today, but I can tell you it is and it will rise again.

When you win, you win together and when you lose, you lose together. It has been a difficult season for everyone because we are not used to losing games. Everyone wants to fight for this club. I am not going to tell you we will qualify but I can promise you we will all fight and respect the shirt and make sure all the fans will be really proud of us after that game.

Weekend result
Sunday: Manchester United 0-3 Liverpool FC (Gerrard 34pen 46pen, Suárez 84)
De Gea; Rafael, Jones, Vidić, Evra; Carrick, Fellaini (Cleverley 76); Mata (Ferdinand 87), Rooney, Januzaj (Welbeck 76); Van Persie.

• Seventh-placed United suffered their fifth home Premier League defeat of the campaign on Sunday. They are 26 points worse off this term than they were at the same stage last season.

Team news
Jonny Evans (calf) has not played since 1 February. Chris Smalling (hamstring), Javier Hernández (knee) and Nani (hamstring) are also on the sidelines.

Olympiacos
Míchel, coach
My players aren't scared of anything. Maybe the manager is a bit more scared, but they're not. We know the situation at Manchester United but this has nothing to do with us. All we can do is play our game. We cannot rely on their difficulties.

We would like the game to go the same way as it did in the first leg but we know this will be a different Manchester United. There will definitely be more determination and urgency from them. All we want is a good performance. We definitely need one goal. We cannot just sit back and protect our two-goal lead.

I don't like seeing any manager suffer and David Moyes, at the moment, is suffering. But Manchester United are a big club and I know that results will come good soon.

The work of a football team shows on the pitch. There are no secrets, no surprises when it comes to this game. All I know is that we played well in the first leg and deserved to win, but this will be a different game and we will need a good performance and a good result to show our worth.

The atmosphere is always fantastic at Old Trafford, it always lifts the team. It is always a pleasant experience to come here. We have played big clubs in big grounds all over Europe and we are not going to change our style. We are going to try to stick to what we do and, even though we won 2-0 in the first leg, we are not going to change anything. As far as I am concerned the whole tie starts here.

Weekend result
Saturday: Olympiacos 2-0 Panthrakikos FC (Valdez 35, Fuster 90pen)
Roberto; Torres, Papazoglou, Papadopoulos, Holebas; Maniatis, Samaris; Campbell, Domínguez (Šćepović 72), Pérez (Fuster 58); Valdez (Machado 72).

• Olympiacos finally clinched their 41st Greek title with five matches to spare after back-to-back Super League defeats had delayed the inevitable. David Fuster sealed the victory in the final minute, converting from the spot after a foul on Joel Campbell.

Team news
Javier Saviola (quadriceps) and Iván Marcano (calf) resumed normal training at the end of last week and have travelled to Manchester. Michael Olaitan (viral myocarditis) is ruled out, together with long-time absentee Dimitris Siovas (broken ankle). Leandro Salino, Kostas Manolas and Delvin N'Dinga were rested on Saturday.

Match fact
• United have won all their previous home games against Greek opponents while Olympiacos have lost on each of their 11 visits to England.