Manchester United manager David Moyes certainly believes so. After the 3-2 aggregate win over Olympiacos last night he said he believes his team are capable of winning the competition.
It’s safe to say he’s getting ahead of himself a bit.
In theory, Manchester United need to only defeat three opponents to win the trophy again, but the reality is that they are unlikely to even get past the quarter-final.
They have a vulnerable defence; Patrice Evra was badly exposed by Hernan Perez in the Olympiacos game, they don’t have a stable centre-back pairing and their midfield struggles to dictate big games or protect its defenders. There are too many problems in Manchester United’s team and their league position is a reflection of their stuttering performances this season.
Two of the three favourites to win the trophy – Bayern Munich and Barcelona – also have shaky defences, but they have enough quality going forward to dominate games and finish chances.
Another group of teams, like Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, have solid defences capable of suffocating any team and good quality going forward, albeit not to the extent of Bayern or Barca.
Manchester United do not have either. They are arguably the weakest side in the last eight ahead of the draw tomorrow.
Champions League success is difficult to formulate, poorly performing teams can go all the way. In a lot of ways, Manchester United find themselves in a similar position to where Chelsea were in two years ago.
The club has been underperforming throughout the season under a new manager, they unexpectedly overturned a two-goal deficit to qualify for the quarter-finals as the Blues did against Napoli, they are way off the pace in the Premier League and winning the tournament is their only chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
For Chelsea, their dramatic change of fortunes started after Andre Villas Boas was replaced by his assistant Roberto Di Mayteo. The Blues went on to defy the odds by defeating teams like Barcelona and Bayern Munich en route to winning the competition.
Manchester United are unlikely to sack Moyes soon as they are a club that sets itself apart in giving managers time. It is therefore in Moyes’ hands to guide Manchester United to their fourth Champions League trophy.
Even in their best night of the season, Manchester United were exposed by a lowly Olympiacos.
Moyes may be right to say that they have a chance to go all the way but even he realises that his team’s quality alone is not enough. United can still play well and get knocked out convincingly.
They will need a couple of incredible nights and more than their fair share of luck to match what Chelsea achieved in 2012.
