Solskjaer says Bayern Munich are setting the standard in Europe

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said that Bayern Munich are setting the standard following their 8-2 thrashing of Barcelona in the last eight of the Champions League. The German champions were expected to face a test of their title credentials against the Blaugrana in Lisbon but to everyone’s surprise, they cruised to a comfortable victory over their Spanish counterparts.

They are now regarded as the prime favourites to win the competition and Solskjaer has heaped praise on the transformation of the team under manager Hansi Flick, he told reporters: "We watched it of course and I have to say Bayern Munich are setting the standard at the moment, throughout the season really. The new coach came in and they've been absolutely brilliant. Aggressive, pressing, their recovery runs, technically adept, it was a top, top class performance by a top team."

The Bavarian giants are scheduled to face Lyon in the semi-final stage of the Champions League and they will go into the game as clear favourites despite the fact that Les Gones registered a surprise win over Manchester City in the previous round. Meanwhile, United have the opportunity to secure a place in the final of the Europa League, should they beat Sevilla on Sunday.
The Red Devils are regarded as the front-runners to win the competition ahead of Inter Milan, but they won’t have an easy challenge on their hands. Sevilla beat them during the previous Champions League round of 16 meeting in 2018 and the Spanish outfit are regarded as Europa League specialists, having won the competition a record five times including a hat-trick of title between 2014 and 2016 under Unai Emery. The club prefer to play with possession of the ball and United may seek to outclass them on the counter-attack with the pace of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood.