Dean Smith wants his Norwich City side to play without fear when Manchester United come to Carrow Road on Saturday (5.30pm KO).
The Canaries go into the match looking to bounce back from their 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday.
Dean is aware of the qualities his team has and he wants them to showcase their ability in front of the home support this weekend.
“United are a big hitter, but we’re in the same league,” he said at his pre-match press conference. “This league is very competitive and we want to be as competitive as we can.
“We won’t be fearful of them. We’ll give them plenty of respect which they deserve but our players don’t need to be fearful.
“They need to be ready to play the quality football that we know they can go and play.
“Yes, we’ll need plenty of 8/10 performances to go and win the game and I have plenty of belief in the players that they can do that.”
Dean has certainly noticed improvements since he took charge of City on November 15, saying they’re a much more solid outfit.
He wants his side to carry their recent performances into United this Saturday.
“We’re moving in the right direction, I feel we’re a tough team to beat now. We’ve got two big games at home now and hopefully we can get some points out of them.
“We know Manchester United are packed with superstars. It’s a massive name across world football. They’ve got real top players and they’ve brought in a top coach.
“I was saddened to hear that Ole (Gunnar Solskjaer) lost his job, because I knew what the football club meant to him.
“But we all know what football is about. Ralf (Rangnick) has come in and you can already see an identity and what he brings into his teams.
“Top players adapt very quickly, so we’re of full respect for them but at Carrow Road, it’s going to be an important place for us to gather points. The Manchester United game will be no different.”