Tuesday’s Champions League first-leg qualifier against Club Brugge at Old Trafford.
Back-to-back 1-0 victories at home to Tottenham Hotspur on the opening day and away at Villa Park on Friday evening have brought maximum points for the Reds, and ensured a start to the season in complete contrast to last term when Louis van Gaal’s men had to wait until the fifth game of the campaign to pick up a first win.
After a positive beginning in the league, attentions now turn to the vital European play-off, with Carrick and his team-mates fully aware of the importance of the two-legged tie.
“It’s going to be a big night on Tuesday. It’ll be a big two games in fact - they could help set us up for the season,” the vice-captain exclusively told ManUtd.com.
“What we have to gain [from winning the tie] is very important, but you approach both matches as any other games. We want to win on Tuesday and not concede. Hopefully we can get a good start and take a lead to their place. We’ll be ready.”
Six points from six was exactly the Reds’ aim to kick off the 2015/16 campaign and while Carrick feels that the two performances could have been better, the victories have given the team a good platform going forward.
“It’s about building momentum from the off,” he added. “It puts us in a decent position at this stage even though it’s early. It’s something to build on and it gives us a base to move forward. We know we can play a lot of better and we have the players to do that; I’m confident that will come.
“Performance–wise it wasn’t as good as we’d have liked against Villa although defensively I thought we did well and they didn’t really have many opportunities. It was a positive three points.
“These games are vital for us to win,” he declared. “Last season we weren’t winning them so it’s a good sign. There is a lot more to come from us, we expect more and we hope for some better performances. Hopefully next time we get the full package.”
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