Mata urges Man U teammates to summon 'traditional winning spirit' in Olympiakos match

Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has called on his teammates to summon their traditional spirit in a bid to defeat Greek side Olympiakos in the last 16 of the Champions League at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

United's season hangs on the result, with the side having lost 2-0 in the first leg in Greece and suffered a morale-sapping 3-0 defeat by bitter rivals Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday.

According to Sport24, this leaves them in seventh place and unlikely to qualify for next term's Champions League unless they win the tournament this season although Mata, who is ineligible to face Olympiakos having played in the Champions League for Chelsea prior to his transfer to Old Trafford, insisted that United could bounce back.

However, the Spaniard said that his teammates need to be motivated by the winning spirit and achievements of the club in order to beat Olympiakos and get through in the Champions League, adding that he will be backing the team like any other fan.

Mata also urged his teammate to carry on their successful momentum from their training week, adding that they need to score early in the first few minutes to make any impact in the game.