Manchester United will be looking to defend it Champions League title against Barcelona who are looking for the second title in four years.
These three battles will be instrumental in who comes out on top in Rome on Wednesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi
These are the tow most exciting players in this match and arguably the top two players in the world. This matchup is the unofficial decider of who is truly the best footballer in the world right now.
Messi, the 21 year old from Agrentina, has been on fire scoring eight goals in Champion League play which leads the competition. Messi has also added five assists but has never scored against English competition. Messis is arguably the best play maker in the world and his skills will be put to the test. He will be marked by Patrice Evra who is one of the premier left backs in the game as he tries to rebound from his sub par effort against Chelsea.
Ronaldo, the 24 year old from Portugal, is the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year. Ronaldo has scored four goals in this years competition compared to the eight he scored last year. Ronaldo similar to Messi has never scored against Spanish competition in six games. He will be marked by Gerard Pique, the young defender who used to play for Man U, will have to keep Ronaldo in check and not fall for his feints. Ronaldo has not been his best on the big stage so he will have to prove his star billing.
Man U Attack vs. Barcelona Defense
The Man U attack is one of the best and consists of Wayne Rooney, Ronaldo, Dimitri Berbatov, and Carlos Tevez. The four combine to give United a balnced scoring attack. Berbatov and Tevez will start on the bench but will come in late in the game. Berbatov has scored four goals in the competition tying him with both Ronaldo and Rooney despite not starting most of the games.
The Barcelona backline is far from 100% and will need to play well if Barcelona wants to win. They are missing three of their regular starters and the only regular starter playing is Gerald Pique who will want to make his former team regret letting him go. Eric Abidal and Daniel Alves, both starters will miss the game due to suspension and Rafael Marquez will miss the game due to an injury. Carles Puyol will step into the starting lineup for Barcelona but hasn’t had one of his better seasons.
Man U certainly has the advantage but they need to take advantage of it and not take it for granted. They need to attack and put pressure on the backline of Barcelona and force them to make difficult decisions.
Sir Alex Ferguson vs. Pep Guardiola
The two managers are at two different end of the coaching spectrums. Fergunson is the old widely veteran in his 35th managing while Guardiola is the new kid on the block in only his first as coach. Ferguson, 67, is old enough to be the 38 year olds Guardiola’s father. Certainly Ferguson has the edge in experience but in a one game winner take all format experience tends to be overrated.
Ferguson is seeking his third career Champions League title which will tie him with the great Liverpool manager Bob Paisley for the most all time. If Guardiola wins he will become the third youngest coach all time to win and the youngest in 49 years.
Both coaches have had very successful seasons outside of the Champions League winning their respective league titles. Guardiola especially after turning around Barcelona in only one year after they were a mess.
Both coaches like to play an up tempo style of play which should be very exciting to see on the pitch with the likes of Ronaldo and Messi playing. Barcelona though, does not shoot that frequently and instead will wait for the perfect opportunity which can great at times but also like in the match against Chelsea it can backfire. United is not like that at all and I’m sure you’ll see Ronaldo fire a few shots from 30 yards and beyond.
