Champions League
2013-03-05 - Manchester United vs Real Madrid
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: European Champions League
Tuesday 5 March 2013 - Kick Off 7:45pm
This game is live on TV
Manchester United
You could hear the sense of anticipation and excitement in Sir Alex Ferguson's voice as he addressed the media ahead of this game. After earning a 1-1 draw in the Spanish capital, a lot of the fans believed Manchester United had the edge in the tie, but recent Real Madrid performances had made them anxious too. Sir Alex Ferguson admitted this tie is still in the balance as he expects Real Madrid to score at Old Trafford and he will just hope United can outscore them.
A 4-0 home win over Norwich City has set Manchester United up perfectly for this Champions League tie, especially as they opened up a 15 point lead in the Premier League with that trophy being the priority at the start of the season. However, Barcelona's 2-0 loss in Milan looks to have possibly opened up the Champions League for the winner of this tie. Manchester United haven't been dominant at Old Trafford in the last couple of Champions League seasons, going 3-2-1 here against less stellar names than Real Madrid.
Manchester United are unbeaten in their last 18 games in all competitions following the win over Norwich and they continue making a real effort to win all three competitions in which they are competing. At Old Trafford, United have been even more dominant with 10 straight wins and 15 wins from their last 16 games in all competitions. The only exception was the 0-1 loss to Cluj in a dead rubber Champions League game.
Phil Jones has been ruled out this morning, but Manchester United have an otherwise full squad to choose from. Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted he is still unsure as to which two of Jonny Evans, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic should be picked at centre half.
Real Madrid
Jose Mourinho said the 'whole world will stop to watch this game' as he tries to build the anticipation to new levels on what is still the tie of the Second Round. This arguably the biggest match for the Special One in his time at Real Madrid as the League is gone and he was employed to bring back the Champions League for the first time since 2002. Mourinho is expected to move on in the Summer, so this is the last chance he will get to cement his name in Real Madrid history.
Real Madrid couldn't have warmed up for this game in better spirits than beating Barcelona twice in a row in the space of five days. The first of those wins demonstrated the counter attacking ability of this side that can be so dangerous as they booked their place in the Copa Del Rey Final with a 1-3 win at the Nou Camp. Real Madrid are 1-1-1 in the Champions League away from home this season, but they were previously 7-4-1 on their travels in this competition under Mourinho.
The side are unbeaten in their last 6 games in all competitions and have won 4 in a row since the 1-1 draw with Manchester United at the Santiago Bernebeu. Real Madrid have lost 1 of their last 6 away games in all competitions, winning 2 in a row since that surprise defeat to Granada.
Iker Casillas travelled with the Real Madrid party to Manchester, but he was ruled out this afternoon. Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria, Xabi Alonso, Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil are all to be restored to the side after being given rests against Barcelona.
Head to Head
Any Manchester United fans ready to book their flights to some European venue in April for the Quarter Finals should just be a little wary about this game.
Real Madrid and Manchester United have met 4 times in the European Cup and Real Madrid have won every tie when they played the home leg first.
That includes a 2-3 win at Old Trafford after a goalless draw at the Santiago Bernebeu in the 2000 Champions League.
Manchester United have won 2 of their 4 competitive home games against Real Madrid with the Spanish team winning just the once following the draw in Madrid.
Prediction
Even though the first leg finished 1-1, there were plenty of chances for more goals in that game and I am with Sir Alex Ferguson in that I think there will be a few goals in this one.
The first goal is crucial- if Real Madrid get it, I think they could run rampant at Old Trafford, especially with their devastating counter-attack.
However, goals could be in a bit of bother if United go 1-0 up as I can imagine them trying to soak up the Real Madrid pressure and perhaps look to counter themselves, but not committing the men forward that the away side might.
The last two times Manchester United and Real Madrid have met at Old Trafford have produced magic moments and plenty of goals. I wouldn't be surprised if we see at least 4 in this one and I have a feeling United will be on the wrong end of that scoreline.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Manchester United 2-3 Real Madrid
