ALEX Neil says his team can take encouragement from their performances against elite opposition when they face Manchester United on Saturday (3pm).

The Canaries drew with Liverpool at Anfield, and also went close to taking points off Manchester City and Premier League champions Chelsea earlier this season.

City head to Old Trafford with Louis van Gaal's team having not won in five matches, but Neil is under no illusions about the challenge his team faces.

"It's going to be tough. They haven't lost a home league game all season, so it's going to be a tough game," he told Norwich City TV on Friday.

"They've got good quality players - they've also got a lot of injuries. Ultimately though, we've got to worry about ourselves. We have to pose as many problems as we can.

"We've equipped ourselves pretty well against the bigger teams away from home and this game should be no different.

"If we can perform as well as we can and hopefully take that grit and determination we had against Everton, then hopefully that will give us a good chance."

After a promising start to life back in the top flight, City have struggled to earn victories over the last couple of months, even though they have picked up encouraging draws against the likes of Arsenal and Everton.

Despite seeing his team drop into the bottom three after results last weekend, Neil remains focused on their efforts rather than those of the sides around them.

"It was always going to be a tough season where we were going to be fighting and making sure that we try and scrap for points," he said.

"What we've got to do is not worry about what other teams do, it's about what we do. We've not been winning enough games recently, we need to get a few more three points on the board and that will get us up the table.

"I think we put on a good performance in the second half against Everton, we got a response and a reaction that we were looking for.

"It's now about putting that together for a full 90 minutes, and seeing where that takes us."

ALEX NEIL: WE NEED TO POSE THEM PROBLEMS

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