Old Trafford, Manchester
Tuesday 17th September 2013 – KO 8:45pm live on Super Sports 3
Referee: Damir Skomina
Assistant Referees: Matej Žunič, Bojan Ul
Fourth Official: Primož Arhar
Good Morning, Guys. So I was added to a Manchester United group on WhatsApp yesterday by a guy called "Somcee" and I got to meet fun loving friends, a lady called "Mamalet" and she's quite intelligent, and some other guys with good monikers. Different topics were discussed, and I reveled in the astute intelligence they all applied in making their stance felt.
Manchester United host Bayer Leverkusen tonight to kick off an 18th successive season of Champions League football at Old Trafford. It is their first under a different manager though, with David Moyes
hoping for similar successes as Sir Alex Ferguson in Europe’s greatest
club competition.
The former Everton
manager took the Toffees to the third qualifying round of the
competition in the 2005-06 season but has never played or managed in the
group stage.
His opposite number Sami Hyypia, the former Liverpool
player, is also making his Champions League debut as a coach after
guiding his side to third in the Bundesliga last season, the best most
German teams can hope for because of the dominance of Bayern Munich and
Borussia Dortmund.
Last season, Leverkusen reached the last 32 of the Europa League,
losing to Benfica, while United were knocked out by Real Madrid in the
last 32 of this competition.
Both teams will want to get this season’s European campaign off to
the best possible star. The possible key battles are below, and like every other opinions can be disputed-
1. Nemanja Vidic vs Stefan Kießling
The
Champions League does not hold the fondest of memories for Nemanja
Vidic, who was ruled out for the rest of the season after twisting his
knee against Cluj in the competition in December 2011.
The Serbian has played a part in all four of United’s league games so
far this season and has clearly made an impression on David Moyes.
But he will have to be at his best to stop Stefan Kießling, one of
the most prolific strikers in Germany, who has four goals from five
league games so far this season.
The 29-year-old finished as the top scorer in the Bundesliga last season and is definitely Leverkusen’s main goal threat.
2. Marouane Fellaini vs Sidney Sam
Fellaini could be in for his first Red Devils start this evening after making an appearance from the bench against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The Belgian twice reached the final qualifying round of the Champions
League with Standard Liege, but now he gets to experience the group
stage for the first time.
At eight inches smaller than him stands Sidney Sam, the surprise
package of the Bundesliga this season. In six games (league and cup), he
has six goals, beating his tally for all competitions last season just a
month into the new campaign.
A successful full season could signal a move abroad for the
25-year-old midfielder, who says his dream is to play in the Premier
League.
3. Wayne Rooney vs Emir Spahic
After
getting his first goal of the season through a fantastic free-kick at
the weekend, head-bandaged Rooney seems to have forgotten about a summer
in which he looked certain to leave Old Trafford.
He is likely to play again tonight, partnered by either Danny Welbeck or Robin van Persie.
Blocking his way to another goal will be Emir Spahic, the Bosnia
& Herzegovina captain who was signed from Sevilla this summer. He is already a regular at the BayArena, winning over fans by his natural leadership and commanding presence at the back.
The 33-year-old has plenty of experience behind him, but can he perform on the biggest club stage in Europe?
Predicted line-up: De Gea, Smalling, Evans, Vidic, Evra, Valencia, Carrick, Fellaini, Giggs, Rooney, van Persie
Predicted line-up: Leno, Donati, Toprak, Spahic, Boenisch, Bender, Reinartz, Castro, Sam, Heung-Min, Kießling
Lets hear your comments, guys...Come on, United!!!!!!!!!!!!!
5 comments:
Let's go United. GGMU!
I beg to disagree with United starting 11.I expect something close to this or this degea,valencia Evans Rio Evra carrick fellaini kagawa young rooney RVP.
I chose this line up based on the fact that Moyes would love to keep things tight and experience is also needed in this first game. He cant go all gung ho with this game, and i feel he would be cautious with his approach.
Nice priview but i wil hate it if Giggs starts dis match,also Kagawa shuld play having faced Bayer in d Bundesliga
why not?this is his 1st game in the UCL and he will definitely wan a winning start so i doubt if he'll put out such team tonite.#lapuga
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