Monday, April 21, 2008

UEFA Champions League Semifinal Preview, Manchester United v Barcelona

The only two teams that have not suffered a defeat in this years Champions League competition are set to face off Wednesday night at the Camp Nou in Barcelona. This semifinal will allow both Manchester United and Barcelona to show off their stylish attacking brands of soccer.
Match Preview
The media is touting Manchester as the favorite, especially due to Barcelona's lackluster La Liga performances (earning only 4 victories in their last 13 games). However, Barcelona's ace up the sleeve has to be the return of phenom Leo Messi from injury. Manchester looks as imposing as ever and must feel ready for this challenge. United host so many attacking threats; despite dropping points to Blackburn this weekend, they are playing confident and consistent soccer. I expect both teams to attack in what will prove to be an exciting match filled with goals.
Key Match Ups
Its hard to isolate the most important match up when almost every player on each team is a superstar. With that in mind, the two most obvious threats for their respective teams are Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi. Ronaldo is on track to be the World Player of the Year and Messi is one of the most dangerous players on the planet when he is fit. Whichever team can manage the impact of those players will have a gigantic advantage.

SOTB Prediction: Manchester United 2 - Barcelona 2

1 comment:

jitters said...

I'm really looking forward to this one!