How Do Manchester United Beat Barcelona?

Saturday is a chance for redemption for Sir Alex Ferguson. Two years ago on that fateful night in Rome, Manchester United succumbed to a 2-0 defeat in a final which has been privately exasperating the manager. Barcelona overran the Red Devils in the centre of the pitch and it has been said that Michael Carrick is only just starting to rediscover that consistency which vacated him after that game.

United come into this match after a title-winning campaign brandished as lacking ‘fantasy’, but perhaps that will put them in good stead against a team who have it in abundance. Trying to play Barça at their own game will generally result in defeat, but with dogged determination, team full of energy and a potent striker, United have a great chance of reversing the disappointment from 2009.

Despite claims that we might be witnessing one of the greatest teams ever in the Catalans, they still have their flaws, and Ferguson knows if he can exploit them and more importantly take their chances, then United are one of the best teams to sit back and play on the counter-attack when protecting a lead.

Busquets Needs To Be Prevented From Playing

Manchester United Player Focus – Antonio Valencia

On Tuesday evening Manchester United opened their Champions League campaign with a 0-0 draw against Scottish side Rangers. There were a few talking points, firstly how Coach Sir Alex Ferguson rotated with his squad and made 10 changes to the line-up from the Everton game, bringing up accusations of arrogance and where his priorities lie – with a Premier League clash against rivals Liverpool on Saturday. Secondly how Rangers performed marvellously to frustrate and stifle United with a disciplined defensive performance, which the Red Devils are used to from travelling teams. Questions arose as to how good this squad really is and how they did not have somebody to unlock the tight knitted defence. Unfortunately the headline was not one people will have comfort in seeing.

Luis Antonio Valencia caught his foot in the turf while under-pressure from Kirk Broadfoot and dislocated his ankle, an injury which is likely to rule him out for the remainder of the season. It evokes sour memories for United fans, as only four years ago Alan Smith picked up the same injury when blocking a shot from Liverpool full-back John Arne Riise. The worry is not if he will recovery from the injury physically – thankfully medical advances in football mean the chances are he will recover – it is that recovery from such an injury is fraught with psychological implications. Since his setback Smith has moved on to Newcastle United, but it is fair to say he is not the same player he was pre-misfortune. He is not alone in that.

Valencia Has Made An Impact At Old Trafford

Low Expectations This Time Around For Portugal

We are now at the stage before every major football tournament where punters are looking for decent odds on who could be a surprise package. After reaching the semi-finals last time around in Germany 2006, the Portuguese have long odds of 28/1 and would naturally attract your eye. However there are very clear reasons why they aren’t contenders this summer.

With the charismatic Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari at their helm at the last three tournaments, the so called ‘golden generation’ took the world by storm. At Euro 2004 in their own back yard the Selecção das Quinas reached the final and lost to Greece in one of footballs biggest upsets. However after losing to Germany and finishing fourth in the World Cup, the last of a crop of superstars including Luis Figo and Pauleta withdrew themselves from the international scene. The players were clearly missed as they were knocked out in the first round of Euro 2008 by the Germans once more.

Ronaldo has attracted criticism from the Portuguese faithful