Champions League
2009-03-11 - Manchester United vs Inter Milan
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Manchester United
The tie of the round is to be decided here at Old Trafford as Manchester United continue on their history making quest in their search for 5 trophies in 1 season.
Manchester United see themselves sitting top of the English Premier League with their 20-5-2 record that gives them a 7 point lead over both Chelsea and Liverpool with an extra game to play. While the League is not completely wrapped up, they are clear favourites to win the title and are also favourites to win the FA Cup after being drawn against Everton in the Semi Final. United are 12-1-0 at Old Trafford this season, scoring 30 goals and conceding 5. United have the best home record in the Premier League.
United have won 18 of their last 21 games in all competitions which has helped them win the World Club Championship and the Carling Cup already. They have won 13 of their last 15 games, drawing the other 2 including a 0-0 draw at the San Siro 2 weeks ago. United have kept clean sheets in 3 of their last 4 games and have won 2 in a row. United have won 8 straight games at Old Trafford in all competitions, and have only conceded 4 goals in that time.
The Red Devils have not had the best Champions League campaign so far but will feel confident going into the business end of the season. So far they have gone 1-2-0 at Old Trafford with their only win coming against Celtic. However they have gone 20 games unbeaten in the Champions League and are also protecting an 18 game unbeaten run at Old Trafford in this competition.
Injuries have cleared up slightly for United coming into this match with Rio Ferdinand and John O'Shea taking part in training. Dimitar Berbatov and Cristiano Ronaldo should return to the side after being rested as well as Ryan Giggs.
Inter Milan
Inter Milan look to buck recent history as they look to progress further than this stage of the competition where they have been knocked out in the last 2 seasons including last season against Liverpool.
Inter's 19-6-2 record means they lead Serie A by 7 points but it is this competition on which they will be judged. They have a 10-2-2 record away from home where they have scored 28 goals and only conceded 10. They have the best away record in Serie A, scoring the most goals and conceding the least amount of goals.
Inter have only lost 1 of their last 11 games in all competitions, that coming in the Italian Cup, but they have been struggling at the moment with only 1 win coming in their last 4 outings. Inter have won 4 of their last 5 games away from home in all competitions, and they have kept clean sheets in 3 of the 5 games.
Their form in the Champions League has not been much better than in previous seasons so far and Inter have only managed a 1-1-1 record so far and they conceded 5 goals in those 3 games. With the likes of Anorthorsis, Werder Bremen and Panathinaikos in their group, this away record shows that they perhaps dont travel as well as they play at home.
Inter have injury concerns with Christian Chivu needing a late fitness test. Walter Samuel will take his place in the side and there may be a call up for Patrick Vieira. Marco Materazzi and Nicolas Burdisso are expected to miss the game.
Head to Head
Manchester United and Inter Milan met in this competition 10 years ago en route to United winning the Champions League. On that occasion, United managed to win at Old Trafford 2-0 while the game in the San Siro ended 1-1.
United have a strong home record, unbeaten in 18 games there, and they also can boast that they have only lost 2 of 15 games at home to Italian sides, winning 13 of those games.
Inter do not have a good history in England, compiling a 3-1-6 record. The media is making a big deal out of the fact that Jose Mourinho has only lost 1 time to Sir Alex Ferguson in their 12 meetings, and he also managed to lead his team to 2 victories over United at Old Trafford.
Prediction
United need to take their chances on this occasion or they could very well regret it as 1 away goal means they will be forced to win the game in 90 minutes. United have many options up front and their pace could be critical to the match.
Inter have struggled to progress further than this stage of the competition over the last 2 seasons, but Mourinho will be confident in his charges. A repeat of the defensive performance in their recent 3-3 draw with Roma could end Inter's challenge for another year.
I feel United are going to score an early goal which will then allow them to ease into the next stage of the competition. I think the early goal would allow United to attack Inter on the counter and I feel the pace of United will then expose the Milan back line. I have a strong feeling that United will win in a surprisingly easy fashion.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Manchester United 3-0 Inter Milan
BEST BETTING TIP :
Manchester United WIN
