Louis Van Gaal has warned Manchester United that they face an “all or nothing” scenario when they face League One side Yeovil Town in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday.
With seven wins in their last 10 Premier League games, United travel to Huish Park as the overwhelming favourites and the Dutchman has stressed they “will go into the match fully prepared” to avoid any potential upsets.
“In the Netherlands we have a saying: “Death or the Gladioli” which means all or nothing. It’s a Gladioli game. You are dead or you receive the gladiolus flower and in cup matches it’s always like that,” said Van Gaal.
“We will go into the match fully prepared.”
Van Gaal saw United humbled 4-0 by another League One side, MK Dons, early in September and he’s keen to avoid any further embarrassment on Sunday.
“We know from our early exit in the Capital One Cup that league places mean nothing in the cups,” added the United manager.
“You can win and you can lose and of course we have to win. The FA Cup the shortest way to success so we are very interested and I think my players are also.”
“Against Milton Keynes we have lost, so what we have learned from that game is what we always learn of games that we lose – what we have done not the right way.”
Van Gaal has experienced cup upsets before, when his Ajax side were knocked out by Cambuur, while he suffered a 3-2 loss at third-tier Novelda when in charge of Barcelona in 2002.
“It’s always a shock when you play against a lower team, because you can assume that you have to win but it’s not like that in football,” he said.
“I have lost with Ajax against a lower team and I have lost with Barcelona against a third-division team.
“I cannot remember anymore! It is wiped out of my mind, but we have lost, so then the criticism in Spain was very high and also in the Netherlands.”
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