Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher has insisted that Basel will not be underestimated when they arrive at Old Trafford.
Midfielder cautious as Man Utd enter the 'unknown' in Europe
Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher has insisted that Basel will not be underestimated when they arrive at Old Trafford in the UEFA Champions League this week.
After claiming an away draw against strongest group rivals Benfica in their opening match a fortnight ago, United already looked well-placed to claim their customary last-16 berth.
Romanian debutants Otelul Galati have to be faced in back-to-back meetings next month, so if Basel are dismissed with customary efficiency at Old Trafford on Tuesday, it is hard to imagine Sir Alex Ferguson's men being stopped.
But Fletcher is acutely aware life is never quite so easy, as he aims to avoid a repeat of the shock defeat to Besiktas a couple of seasons ago.
"You've got to be cautious about unknown quantities," said the 27-year-old.
"Obviously we went to Benfica and got a draw, but the two we face in our next two games are a little bit unknown. Some people expect you to just walk over teams like that and win comfortably.
"It's never as easy as that though.
Early days
"We are playing in the Champions League and we know from past experience how difficult it is.
"We must have the right attitude and make sure we perform because if we get the three points it would set us up nicely."
Given their form so far this term United can approach their task with confidence, but Fletcher agrees with Sir Alex Ferguson's view that the season has not been up and running long enough to gain any true picture of how the entire campaign is going to unfold.
"You can see where the manager is coming from," he said. "It is still early days.
"We keep looking back to Chelsea's fantastic start last season. Everyone thought they were going to walk the league, but they didn't."
