Guille Franco believes West Ham United need to go on the offensive against Manchester United this evening.
The Mexico striker came within a post's width of scoring a UEFA Champions League winner for Villarreal CF in their goalless draw with the Red Devils at Old Trafford last season, and he believes the Hammers can secure a similarly positive result this time around.
To do so, the 33-year-old insists that West Ham cannot sit back and allow the Barclays Premier League champions to dictate the play, as they did in allowing United to secure a 4-0 victory at the Boleyn Ground in early December.
"I played at Old Trafford last season in the Champions League, and the game finished zero-zero. I remember having one opportunity. The ball was crossed to me by Angel Lopez and I flicked it with my right foot behind my left leg and it came back off the inside of the post and into the arms of the goalkeeper.
"It was similar to the goal Clarence Seedorf scored for Milan against Manchester United last week, but mine didn't go in! It would have been a great goal for me to score in the Champions League, but it's OK.
"It was a very good result for Villarreal last season. We played very well and played a very intelligent game.
"I think when you play against Manchester United at Old Trafford, the team has to play intelligently. You can't just defend, because if you give the initiative to Manchester United, it's impossible. We had this problem when we played Manchester United at home, because we sat too deep and gave them the initiative.
"On Tuesday, I think it is necessary that we play intelligently, not sitting back and waiting for Manchester United. I think we have an opportunity to win this game, but if we sit back, it will be impossible."
While Franco will be looking to continue his promising partnership with Carlton Cole - which was reinstated on the Mexican's return from injury in Saturday's 3-0 win over Hull City - the forward also warned that West Ham's defenders will have to be at their best to keep the twin threat of Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov at bay.
"It's normal to speak about Rooney every day because he's scoring a lot of goals now, but of course he is a fantastic player, a fantastic striker, not only for his goals. He works and runs so much for the team, he holds the ball, passes it and creates chances for his team. He's a very good player. I don't know if he's the best in the world, but he's a fantastic player.
"Berbatov is unbelievable. He's very, very intelligent. He doesn't run and he doesn't sweat, but he's always in the right position. Rooney supports him and they work well together. I think his technique is also fantastic when he has the ball."