Manager Brian Barry-Murphy says it will be a “huge honour” to manage Rochdale at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening.
The Boss has been looking ahead to Dale’s Carabao Cup Round Three tie against Manchester United.
“The excitement is building around the players and the squad," said BBM.
"There seems to be a great buzz around the town itself – going into Rochdale this morning, everybody was talking about the game, so it’s got a great feel about it. It’s a reward for all the effort that everybody at the club and the players have put in, and also the supporters for their years of loyalty. It’s an exciting day for everybody and one we should all relish.
“It’s humbling when you think of all the managers who have managed the club before and the number of years that the people of Rochdale have waited to go to Old Trafford. It’s more about them than it is about myself and the players.
“It’s a huge honour to take the club into that stadium in a fixture that everybody has been looking forward to since the draw was made. It is going to be a great occasion for everyone. It’s very important that the supporters get to have a day in the sun and enjoy the occasion.”
How does BBM plan on approaching the game against the Premier League side?
“We’re not naïve and every game we play we’re very respectful of the opposition and the problems that they are going to cause us. We try to play with our personalities in every moment of every game but there are different conditions within that game and obviously the opposition are a huge part of that.
“We’re not naive enough to think we’re going to go there and have position of the ball for prolonged periods of time at a place like Old Trafford, but we definitely want to adhere to what we believe we are as a group and what we want display, and that will be to be committed and courageous in the way we play the game. That has been a constant since this group of players has been together. Whatever moments we have on Wednesday night, we’ll try to display those characteristics throughout.
“It’s obviously difficult to predict their line-up in relation to what they will do on Wednesday night, but they have mixture of young players who played against Astana and their established players who played on Sunday. There are traits and similarities between a lot of their young players who played the game on Thursday night and some of our own young players. I think it is hugely exciting to see where our young players stand in relation to those players.
“The club have always tried to promote our young players, coupled with established players. That combination has been very nourishing for the club. Our lads have come through a series of years of dedication and hard work to get to this point and they deserve that chance to test themselves against some of the world’s best opposition.”
On the injury front, Barry-Murphy has confirmed that Eoghan O’Connell will miss Wednesday’s match through injury.
Watch BBM's pre-match interview in full on iFollow freeview HERE.