Man U, Real Madrid battle in Ronaldo’s Old Trafford return

MANILA, Philippines — Manchester United will welcome Real Madrid to Old Trafford Wednesday morning in Manila, tucking an away goal advantage from the first leg of their final 16 match up at the Bernabeu. Jose Mourinho and his boys however have other plans in mind — to turn the Theatre of Dreams into a nightmare for the Red Devils.

After a 1-1 result at the Spanish capital with Danny Welbeck and Cristiano Ronaldo getting their names written on the scoresheet, the Reds just need at least a goal-less draw to proceed into the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Can David De Gea duplicate his magnificent game against Real Madrid in the first leg for United or will the headlines be different this time around?

FORM

The world will stop once again when Real Madrid and Man Utd take center stage in this do-or-die fixture. And why not, as both clubs will be stepping into the grounds at Old Trafford with outstanding forms to show.

The Red Devils are currently on an astounding 18 matches unbeaten run in all competitions. They have come out on top on each of their last three games with Norwich City and Queens Park Rangers being their most recent victims, both won with clean sheets.

It is a different story for Los Blancos, on the other hand, in front of their goal. With captain and number one keeper Iker Casillas still nursing a hand injury, Real Madrid only has one clean sheet to show in their last eight games. But still, they are riding hot on a four-match winning run, including back-to-back victories against Barcelona, in Copa del Rey and La Liga, in a span of a week — which will lift their spirits on high entering the second leg against the Reds.

 

MATCHUPS:

Wayne Rooney vs Cristiano Ronaldo

Great matches such as this one tend to all boil down to their great players and in this case, it’s gonna be up to Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. While both teams are a galaxy of world superstars, it cannot be denied that the final result could hinge on these two players.

Rooney, with main striker Robin van Persie failing to find the net recently, will have to take over if they want to extend the score beyond Real’s reach. But rumor has it that Sir Alex Ferguson might opt to sit the England striker to put up a more defensive-oriented midfield in hopes of locking down Los Blancos’ playmaking and limit their scoring chances.

Meanwhile, on the Spanish side, Ronaldo will want to put the ball in the net once more to get Real Madrid back into the final stages of the Champions League. In their last outing with United, he scored a classic header to restore parity in Santiago Bernabeu and to make their trip to England a less daunting one.

 

Jose Mourinho vs Alex Ferguson

Head-to-head, this statistic has been a lopsided one.

Jose Mourinho seems to do well when calling the shots with Sir Alex Ferguson on the other side. The Portuguese holds a 13-2 advantage against the Reds coach and he will only want to extend it further. But one thing haunts him: he has never won a European match in ManU’s home turf.

KEY PLAYERS

Phil Jones’ recent injury in their FA cup win versus Reading will be huge. Jones actually had a good showing in the first leg and United will be bent to find a replacement that could match his recent form in Rio Ferdinand or Jonny Evans.

Shinji Kagawa recently became the first Asian to score a hat trick in the Premier League in their win against Norwich City last weekend. If he can continue to put up this kind of performance (and maybe scoring some goals) in the big European stage, then the Manchester United faithful will be less concerned about van Persie and his spell of goal-less games.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, will be playing without Casillas. Whether Diego Lopez can keep the sheet clean and make the job easier for his team is still a mystery. Remember, Real has only one clean sheet in their last 8 games and this is not the time for them to concede another one.

Angel Di Maria is a bright spot in the offense of Los Blancos. He is a one-man demolition squad in the flanks and against the fullbacks — and at Old Trafford, he plans to do the same. Of course, whoever of Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain Mourinho will put in front will definitely be a scoring threat.

PREDICTION

While the odds have been in favour of the Spanish side before the first leg began, it will be a slightly better scenario for the Reds now, especially with their away goal courtesy of Welbeck.

Theoretically, all they have to do is to defend the goal and prevent their visitors to score. We can all expect  Ronaldo and Real Madrid to pounce on every scoring opportunity while the Reds defend mightily from the midfield down. It will be too close to call until we know who will score first.

The key will be the Devils’ resilience in avoiding giving up set pieces on tasty spots. The Los Blancos, at the same time, should also be wary of ManU’s wingers hitting on the breaks. Needless to say, this clash will surely live up to its billing and be sure to be there to witness it. – Rappler.com