Champions League Semi Final Preview: Man Utd vs Barça Pt. II

It’s no secret that second legs are almost always better. Why? Because that’s when we find out who wins. And so the fireworks we were expecting from last week’s first leg between Barcelona and Manchester United should all go off today. Cristiano Ronaldo will be out to make up for that missed penalty and Thierry Henry will be hoping that English grass reignites the magic in his boots.

Neither team enjoyed a particularly good weekend though.

Man Utd

Alex Ferguson must regret leaving with recently crowned PFA Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo out of his starting XI against Chelsea. The 2-1 defeat means Utd come into this game not as near-certain Premier League champions, but locked in a title race that could have been over.

Even worse, Saturday’s side effects are worry lines on Fergies brow over injuries to Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Vidic. Good news for Man Utd is that after four games on the road, they’re back at Old Trafford.

Barça

Barcelona lost this weekend too, going down 2-0 at Deportivo La Coruña. But good news for Barca: the mansteel of Carlos Puyol returns from suspension, Leo Messi is another week healthier, and Thierry Henry will likely relish playing against Utd again.

Not sure if he’ll start though. Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o and Andrés Iniesta were all rested for the Deportivo game, while Henry played the full 90 minutes. That should worry Henry the same way his former Arsenal teammates worried if they played 90 minutes in the Carling Cup. Good news for neutrals is that – unlike Fergie last week – Frank Rijkaard has pledged to attack. Possibly because it makes no sense to try and defend when you’re not all that good at it.

Goals?

One thing this game might decide once and for all: is a 0-0 draw away from home actually a good Champions League result? Fergie seemed pretty chuffed with last week’s goalless draw (achieved by playing Wayne Rooney at right back and Owen Hargreaves at right back-even-further) but with today’s game likely to be an end to end orgy of entertainment (and if it’s not you can always enjoy the Champions League Offside Semi Final Drinking Game ) Fergie might come to regret his team’s lack of away goals.

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Category: Champions League