Make yourselves heard!

Time and time again this season, the Old Trafford crowd has risen to the occasion, dragged the team through the hard moments and celebrated the good. Ahead of the biggest game of our season so far, that will no doubt be the case again under the lights on Tuesday night.

“These are the nights when we must show our best side and perform to our full potential,” Rangnick writes in his regular matchday column in United Review.

“That also extends to you, the supporters, of course. We had a great atmosphere during a big game in our season on Saturday, and we will need the same tonight because it can make a big difference to the players.

“I have stood on the touchline at Old Trafford as the opposition manager when United beat Schalke in the semi-finals in 2011, so I know just how influential the atmosphere here can be. Tonight, I hope we can all drive each other on and get ourselves into the last eight.”

It should never be underestimated how much of an influence a powerful home crowd can have on a game.

1968 European Cup-winning midfielder Paddy Crerand remembers one such match from the 2000s in his programme column.

“You feel the fans can play a bigger part in these games than any other,” he writes.

“I always remember another game against Spanish opposition, against Barcelona in 2008 for the semi-final. In all my life, I’ve never experienced anything like that. If the fans ever won a game for United, they did that night. I was commentating on that game and the noise that night was just fantastic.”

And who better to hear it from than the players? Every member of the squad this season has spoken about the impact of the unwavering Old Trafford support.

Take September’s last-minute victory over Villarreal in this competition. Alex Telles equalised for United after the 60th minute and, although it was not until the 95th minute that Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner, there was no doubt on the pitch that a goal was coming.

Bruno Fernandes captained the team that night and said: “I always had the feeling we would win the game, also when they scored I feel we could come again and turn it around.

“After the goal of Alex, everyone feels the atmosphere was unbelievable. The push from the fans was incredible."

That’s what will be needed again, a push from the fans, as was felt at the weekend as Ronaldo scored three to down an in-form Tottenham Hotspur side.

Paul Pogba described it as a “beautiful atmosphere” and tweeted “Old Trafford energy is undefeated.”

Spurs manager Antonio Conte after the game called it a “difficult atmosphere to play in.” As Rangnick has pointed out, there is no greater compliment.

Reigning Spanish champions Atletico Madrid are clearly formidable opposition, and once again, the Red Army will have to make it difficult for Los Colchoneros.

THE PLAYERS ON TONIGHT’S ATMOSPHERE

David De Gea: “It’s going to be massive, I can’t wait for the game. It’s always a special night when you play in the Champions League at Old Trafford. The atmosphere is crazy, it’s unbelievable, and hopefully with the energy of the fans and the intensity that we have then it will be a good game for us. We have to play better and win the game.”

Alex Telles: “The fans are extremely important tomorrow. They’re very positive and we react positively to that. That’s how it was against Spurs, and I think it will be the same against Atletico.”

Raphael Varane: “For the emotional moments in the Champions League, the stadium is very important. At the top level, it’s about energy. When you have this adrenaline and energy, you have to enjoy your moment. With the pressure in the stadium, with the atmosphere, for the rival when you have a good moment, it’s very difficult. So it’s very important for us to feel the fans with us. The fans are of real importance in these kind of games.”

MAKE YOURSELVES HEARD

Paddy Crerand: “This is the biggest game at Old Trafford since the last Champions League knockout match here, against Barcelona in 2019. The fans can play a very big part tonight. For European Cup nights at Old Trafford, it seems to be the done thing for the crowd to go a little bit more daft than they usually are, and a little bit louder than what they usually are! You feel the fans can play a bigger part in these games than any other.”

Quinton Fortune: “The United supporters have an absolutely massive part to play in this evening’s game. I’m sure everyone saw Simeone geeing up the Atleti fans during the first leg and we need our fans to turn up big-time tonight. The same goes for the players. From the start, we need to see a high-tempo game, with tackles going in – fair tackles, of course! – so that Atletico know straight away that we’re all here and we’re all going to make the evening tough for them. The players and the fans all need to put in huge shifts, help each other out and if that happens then I’m absolutely certain that we can make this a night to remember.”

Andy Mitten, Editor of United We Stand: “The Old Trafford crowd can make a massive difference and they’ve got to be up for it for this one. We saw in Madrid how good the Atletico fans could be and the United fans were brilliant after Elanga’s equaliser – the whole end was singing – but they’ve really got to be up for it from the start against Atletico. I remember the game in 1991. I was still in school, and I went to Madrid, and we got beat 3-0. By the time the game came round at Old Trafford, I thought: ‘we’ve got half a chance here’ and we didn’t really because Atletico were a decent side, but the atmosphere was really, really good that night. Tonight, it’s just got to be good non-stop. There’s got to be echoes of Barcelona in ’84 and 2008 because Atletico have got the players to really hurt United, so the fans have got to be up for it.”