Olympique Marseille takes on Manchester United in France – UEFA Champions League Match Preview
As the English league leaders, Manchester United, prepare to visit Marseille for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of sixteen matchup, let’s take a look at how both the clubs will match up in Stade Vélodrome on 23rd of February,
2011.
Olympique Marseille
Unbeaten in their last five matches, Marseille will be relishing the sight of Manchester United after gaining crucial experience against English opposition during their group stage campaign. As a part of Group F in the UEFA Champions League earlier on in
the season, Marseille defeated http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 at Stade Vélodrome but still finished second in their respective group.
Didier Deschamps’s men won their last Ligue 1 encounter against Saint Etienne and after just conceding two goals in their last five competitive fixtures, the French giants will be confident of restricting Manchester United’s attack on Wednesday night. Following
their failure to reach the knock-out stages of the UEFA Champions League last season, Marseille will now be hoping that they can earn a quarterfinal berth for the first time in the last 17 years.
Manchester United
It is destined to be another tense away European night for the Red Devils as they travel to France for the second time in the last four years of UEFA Champions League football. Unlike some of the other clubs, Manchester United has a very good record against
French sides.
In the 2007-2008 UEFA Champions League season, Manchester United defeated Lyon at Stade de Gerland by two goals to one. Thus, Sir Alex Ferguson’s men are well accustomed to the taste of French champagne.
Fresh from their progression to the quarterfinals of the F.A Cup, English Premier League’s leaders have won four out of their last five competitive fixtures. Manchester United’s only defeat of the season in the Premier League came against Wolverhampton Wanderers
in early February but now as the focus shifts towards the UEFA Champions League, United will be once again arming themselves to embark on an European onslaught.
Team News
The home side, Olympique Marseille, have several injury issues for Wednesday’s fixture. The French side’s attacking line-up is plagued with fitness problems at the moment. Loic Remy is struggling with an ankle injury but the French striker might recover
in time to face Manchester United. However, Andre-Pierre Gignac and Brandao are sidelined for at least two more weeks.
Nonetheless, Marseille can take heart from the fact that http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Mathieu-Valbuena-c24690 is fit for the encounter against United but it is up to Didier Deschamps to make a final decision on his playmaker’s physical condition.
Expected Olympique Marseille line up: Steve Mandana, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Fabrice-Abriel-c13207
Manchester United is not without injury concerns of its own. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Owen-Hargreaves-c28918 and Johnny Evans are all sidelined due to their respective fitness issues.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Nemanja-Vidic-c27550. Park Ji Sung is also injured for the former European Cup winners and so is Anderson
with a long term knee injury.
Expected Manchester United line up: Van Der Sar, John O’Shea, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Wayne-Rooney-c36736
Key Players
Marseille will be banking on the former Porto talisman, Lucho http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Gonzalez-c15099, to run with the midfield area for them. The Argentinean midfielder has played against Manchester United during his time with Porto thus he is expected to put in a good shift in absence
of other prominent names such as Gignac and Valbuena.
Manchester United’s man to watch out for will be Wayne Rooney. The English target man returned to goal scoring form in United’s last league fixture against rivals Manchester City with an acrobatic overhead kick. With Sir Alex Ferguson likely to play a five
man midfield in support of the former Everton man, one can expect Rooney to shine in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/France-c2899 for the Red Devils.
Prediction
Manchester United’s away form in the English Premier League has been patchy to say the least but the English giants are a different story all together when it comes to the UEFA Champions League. They are the favourites to get an away goal inspired win in
France against Marseille.
Prediction: 0-1 to Manchester United.
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