‘We have to’ - Erik ten Hag opens up on Ineos target for Manchester United

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur had contrasting European nights this week, with FC Twente enthusiastically celebrating a draw at Old Trafford while Spurs coped with an early red card to cruise to victory against Qarabag.

Neither of those results shifted the opinion of bookmakers, who have the English pair as clear favourites to win the Europa League in Bilbao in May. At that stage this is a tournament that would have got interesting, but for now the one thing that unites United and Tottenham is that this isn't where they want to be.

While Manchester City played Inter last week and Liverpool travelled to AC Milan, United and Spurs are on the fringes of Europe. A glance at their eight games in the league phase proves that.

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Both will feel they belong in the Champions League. Historically, there is a stronger case to be made for United than Spurs deserving a seat at Europe's top table, but there's no doubt it is Tottenham who have the stronger pedigree. United have won one of their last nine Champions League fixtures and only two knockout ties since 2011.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made his view clear, however. When his £1.25bn investment was confirmed in February he was still floating the ambition of qualifying for the Champions League this season. It's hard to believe he will be accepting of more than one season outside of Europe's elite, especially has he called United one of the "six biggest clubs in Europe". That isn't a description of a team that should be playing Bodo Glimt and PAOK ion Thursday nights in Europe.

The problem for the two sides ahead of Sunday's Old Trafford showdown is that the domestic competition for one of the four or five Champions League places has never been so fierce. After mediocre starts, United and Tottenham are four points adrift of the top four.

The concern for Erik ten Hag is that if United drift further from the heat of the battle then Ratcliffe will be more inclined to make a change. Ten Hag insists Ineos haven't told him that qualifying for the Champions League is a minimum requirement this season, but Ratcliffe's public comments suggest that must be the case.

"It’s never spoken of how you ask me the question now, but what I think is we have to succeed," he said, when asked about Ineos' Champions League demands. "We have to win trophies, that is what this club stands for. This club has the ambition to play on the highest platform and we want to achieve the Champions League. We have two routes, one is through the Premier League and one is through the Europa League."

Maybe that backdoor route in Bilbao will come in handy. With Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool looking strong, it's difficult to see how United and Tottenham finish in the top four. Aston Villa, Chelsea and Newcastle will have their sights set on fourth and all are ahead of United and Spurs heading into this weekend.

That raises the stakes this weekend. The margin for error has already been reduced and if either side is beaten at Old Trafford they will already be more likely to reach the Champions League via winning the Europa League than the Premier League.