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On Wednesday, an intriguing Champions League round of 16 match awaits us, where Marseille will challenge the titled Manchester United. Before the match, Vytautas, a fervent fan of the Manchester team, shared his thoughts on the EuroFootball.com portal.
We have finally reached the knockout stage of the Champions League - after the winter break, the strongest clubs in Europe are taking their first steps towards the prestigious title. On Wednesday, two giants will meet - England's vice-champions Manchester United and France's champions Olympique de Marseille. The "blue and whites" against the "red devils". The match will take place at the "Stade Velodrome" stadium, known for its fans who love pyrotechnics, so the spectacle should be impressive.
Marseille's team has nothing to lose, as the visitors are already considered one of the favorites to win the title - at least that's what defender P. Evra told the press. The "blue and whites" will have to try hard and give their all if they want to avoid defeat, as they cannot expect the kind of lineup that Manchester United chose in their recent national cup match against "Crawley Town". Especially noting that due to injuries, several Marseille attacking stars will not be able to play.
Still, Manchester United cannot boast the strongest lineup either. The situation may even be worse - experienced defender Rio Ferdinand is out (of course, he will be replaced by the young C. Smalling), legend Ryan Giggs, so it is likely that those who play less frequently will be given the opportunity to shine - and the "blue and whites" may take advantage of this.
It is probably impossible to predict the exact outcome of the match, so this time I suggest saving money on bets. Marseille won a victory in their league over the weekend and now they are only 3 points behind the leaders, while most of Manchester's key players are rested. Knowing the high level of the English league and the possibility of "sorting things out" by losing 0-2 and coming back to win 3-2, betting would be too risky.
Speaking about tactics, I believe Sir Alex Ferguson will not reinvent the wheel and will choose the usual 4-2-2 or 4-5-1 formation with Wayne Rooney as the attacking spearhead. Edwin Van der Sar will guard the goal, in front of him defenders Nemanja Vidic, Chris Smalling, Patrice Evra (recently extended his contract) and Rafael. Predicting the choice of midfielders is complex. I really wouldn't want to see Gabriel Obertan, who makes painful mistakes, so I have no doubts that on the field there will be Nani, who constantly gives assist passes and scores himself, maybe Darren Fletcher together with Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick.
The upcoming match between Manchester United's P. Evra and Marseille's representative G. Heinze (who defended the honor of the English team a few years ago and left the team not without conflicts) has sparked a lot of discussions. P. Evra openly stated that, although he admires G. Heinze as a player, he does not want to see him win. Perhaps a slightly controversial statement, but it is obvious that the mood in the red camp is competitive.
Nevertheless, Manchester United faces a quite difficult and dangerous trip - Marseille's footballers have not lost at home in 12 matches, and their manager Didier Deschamps will definitely not be willing to give away victories. I have a feeling that this match will be interesting for everyone who first and foremost feels love for football, and only then for their club. Also, I don't think the match will be very high-scoring, let's say 2-1 or 2-0 in favor of the "red devils." May luck be with them.
