Manchester Utd vs Barcelona CL SEMIFINAL Leg 1

[D.H.W]

Wed 23,  2:45pm et kickoff
Venue: L'Estadi (Camp Nou) Stadium

vs

Ferguson relishing Barcelona test

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is excited by the prospect of playing Barcelona after his team defeated Roma in the Champions League.

Carlos Tevez scored as United won the second-leg 1-0 to secure a 3-0 victory on aggregate over Roma - and set up a semi-final tie with the Catalan giants.

"I'm looking forward to it," said Ferguson. "I think that we have something special in our team.

"We cannot go to Spain and be negative, we must be positive."

United last met Barcelona in the Champions League in 1998 when their group encounter at the Nou Camp ended in a 3-3 draw.

But United won the Champions League final at the Nou Camp in 1999, with a spectacular 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich.

The first leg of this year's tie will also take place in Spain, on 23 April, with the return leg at Old Trafford on 29 April.

 
Barca defender Carles Puyol will be missing from the first leg after picking up a yellow card in the 1-0 win over Schalke.

United defender Nemanja Vidic missed Wednesday's game against Roma because of a knee injury but Ferguson added: "Hopefully by then we will have him back. If we have a full squad then we will have a very good chance."

Roma were handed a lifeline in their tie with United when referee Tom Henning Ovrebo awarded the Italian team a penalty following a challenge by Wes Brown on Mancini.

However, Daniele de Rossi smashed the spot-kick comfortably over the United crossbar.

Ferguson said of the ruling: "It was a bad decision. Wes Brown got the ball, no doubt.

"We are just pleased to be through. We had to play well but it was a European quarter-final against the team lying second in Italy and you expect them to play a bit.

"Our home record has been very good and is something to be proud of and it will have to remain so because European football is difficult."

United's defeat of Roma was their 11th straight win at home in the Champions League - a new record for the competition.

Roma coach Luciano Spalletti conceded that the best team had won the tie but stated: "We put in a good game and a good performance.

"We had to take one or two risks. It was important to exploit chances when we actually created them but we didn't capitalize on them.

"If we had it would have changed the face of the game."

Gary Neville came on as a late substitute for United - his first appearance since he picked up an ankle injury against Bolton on 17 March 2007.

"I hope for this season I can come in and play a small part because it's frustrating missing run-ins," said the defender, who also believes the tie with Barca is one to be relished.

"We have two unbelievable games of football to look forward to, two football clubs who play the game the right way and they will be unbelievable occasions to be part of," he said.

"Anyone who is a football fan will be tuning in."

Barca's Messi set to face Man Utd

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi is set to win his fitness battle for the Champions League semi-final first leg against Manchester United on 23 April.

Argentine sensation Messi, 20, has been named in the Barca squad for Saturday's La Liga game against Recreativo Huelva.

He tore a muscle in his left thigh in the Champions League last 16 game against Celtic on 4 March and has been recovering from injury in Argentina.

Barca are without Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho for the rest of the season.

The 28-year-old, who has struggled to hold down a regular place this season, pulled a leg muscle in training last week.

Barca forwards Thierry Henry and Bojan Krkic picked up knocks in the European game against Schalke on Wednesday, while midfielder Andres Iniesta has a knee problem.

Portuguese midfielder Deco has missed the last month with a calf injury, but he may still be fit for the first leg.

[rotatopoti3]

Wait nah Barca aint cut dey ass as yet...

[Grande]

United last met Barcelona in the Champions League in 1998 when their group encounter at the Nou Camp ended in a 3-3 draw.

Dwight Yorke was MOM that game with two goals and an assist while Rivaldo was on fire for Barca

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nJoW8NTP3g

highlights worth a look - that game was voted as one of the best CL games ever played

[freakazoid]

i must add barca has never been beaten by manu

[redtrinigirl]

Go Barca!!!!!!! 

[skins]

Few more days for the big one. Go Barca........

[Bourbon]

United last met Barcelona in the Champions League in 1998 when their group encounter at the Nou Camp ended in a 3-3 draw.

Dwight Yorke was MOM that game with two goals and an assist while Rivaldo was on fire for Barca

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nJoW8NTP3g

highlights worth a look - that game was voted as one of the best CL games ever played

Was a real dread game in true. I download it the other day...no commentary...only stadium noise....and it was still engrossing.

[Observer]

United last met Barcelona in the Champions League in 1998 when their group encounter at the Nou Camp ended in a 3-3 draw.

Dwight Yorke was MOM that game with two goals and an assist while Rivaldo was on fire for Barca

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nJoW8NTP3g

highlights worth a look - that game was voted as one of the best CL games ever played

Was a real dread game in true. I download it the other day...no commentary...only stadium noise....and it was still engrossing.

I love dem feeds with only stadium noise. I wish all games was broadcast so. Dat way I eh have to listen to the likes of Tommy Shit

[giggsy11]

United last met Barcelona in the Champions League in 1998 when their group encounter at the Nou Camp ended in a 3-3 draw.

Dwight Yorke was MOM that game with two goals and an assist while Rivaldo was on fire for Barca

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nJoW8NTP3g

highlights worth a look - that game was voted as one of the best CL games ever played

Was a real dread game in true. I download it the other day...no commentary...only stadium noise....and it was still engrossing.

I love dem feeds with only stadium noise. I wish all games was broadcast so. Dat way I eh have to listen to the likes of Tommy Shit

Ah does cringe when the game on ESPN. Ah does mute his arse, no style, no substance.

[giggsy11]

Barcelona's fall from the heights can lift United


How the Barca family fell apart

Duncan Castles
Sunday April 20, 2008
The Observer


There is a strange sub-contest taking place in this season's Champions League. Not to be the best football club in Europe, but the continent's most dysfunctional. Only at Manchester United do the waters run untroubled. Along the M62, owner tears shreds off owner as a forlorn chief executive attempts to remind them of 'the Liverpool way'. Down in London, a mutinous Chelsea support regularly remind their manager Avram Grant that he does not know what he is doing.

And then, there is Barcelona. Two years ago, the most beautiful team on the planet. Champions of Europe, champions of Spain. Blessed with the world's finest footballer. More adventurous, more skilful, more exciting and more successful than anyone else. Remember them? Well, visit a few moments of Barça's recent history and prepare to be shocked.

October: Club president Juan Laporta trumpets the introduction of a new 'discipline rulebook', widely perceived as an attempt to rein in the supposed nightlife excesses of Ronaldinho and Deco. 'Some of our players went beyond the limit last season and we will not allow complacency to damage us again,' says Laporta. His targets are distinctly unimpressed. 'There is no way the club can force us to stay imprisoned in our houses,' says Deco. 'We are young and we have all the right in the world to go out when we choose to. If a guy has to be at work at 9am, he arrives on time, and does a good job, he's not a bad professional is he?'

November: Edmilson talks of the faultlines in the Barcelona squad. 'In the world there are good and bad people,' says the defensive midfielder. 'In our dressing room there are good people, but also others who seem not to want anything to do with us. Within our group of players and coaches, we've formed a family. And many times in a family there are black sheep.' Edmilson is forced to apologise though coach Frank Rijkaard says he is 'not wrong'.

Mid-season: As fans bemoan the team's lack of stamina and glut of injuries, sports daily El Mundo Deportivo posts footage of a Barcelona training session on its website. In contrast to the coach's usual passive touchline pose, Rijkaard is shown joining his players in a keep-ball session. 'The day he worked the most all season,' comments the paper.

April: Xavier Sala Martín, president of Barcelona's economic commission, claims the club has removed ill-disciplined players from the squad, fabricating injuries to cover up their absence. 'These gentlemen, who do not want to work, who are not doing anything, who have not been playing for weeks, have been separated for weeks,' says Martín. 'And we disguised it with injuries.' His words are regarded as an attack on Ronaldinho and Deco, who demands Martín name names. 'He should be fired and I'm thinking about taking legal action,' says Deco. Samuel Eto'o labels the entire board, Laporta apart, 'shit'.

Last week: Ronaldinho's agent announces the forward is satisfied with personal terms on a proposed summer transfer to Milan. He is not expected to make anything except a valedictory farewell appearance for Barcelona before leaving the club. Supporters attend a training session to demand 'less millions, more bollocks' from the squad.

Ahead of the city derby with Espanyol last night, Barça were nine points adrift of league leaders Real Madrid, who have managed to lose nine of 32 games this season. In 'the league no one wants to win', the Catalans have found it all but impossible to succeed away from Camp Nou. Domestically, they have won just one of their last nine matches. Even in Europe, a trio of 1-0 victories over Celtic and Schalke have failed to impress.

Regular observers describe a team that 'walks instead of running'. Where attacking play was once concentrated in the opposition's half of the field, it now begins in their own. Possession is handed over too easily, while the famed invention of their attacking play has withered to predictability. The aggressive pressing of opponents formerly led by Deco has dissipated. 'You can see it in their play,' says a leading coach. 'The players have lost their desire.'

Worryingly, there are those within the camp who would not disagree with that analysis. 'I think what happened is we took our foot off the gas and now we are paying the price for that,' says midfielder Xavi. 'Everyone at the club relaxed, not just the players, but also the coaches and the board of directors.' Both Xavi and Edmilson have argued for a change of system, proposing a switch from their flagship 4-3-3 to a midfield diamond when playing away from home. It is symptomatic of the politics of Barcelona that the move was shouted down by Johan Cruyff, the totemic former player and coach whom Laporta regards as 'a very important reference' in his decision making. Cruyff has laid into Ronaldinho this season at a time when the Brazilian appeared to be recovering his form, and steadfastly opposed both the dismissal of Rijkaard and his replacement with José Mourinho.

Rijkaard's own intentions are a puzzle. Both this season and last he has been expected to leave Barcelona of his own volition only to remain. Once regarded as the balm that held a talented yet fractious team together, his laissez-faire style of leadership is now considered a handicap - the training regime and discipline too lax for a demotivated squad.

Thierry Henry's £16million transfer from Arsenal has been such a failure that Barcelona will allow him to leave after one, injury-ravaged season if a reasonable offer is received. Used primarily as a left winger, the Frenchman, who has settled poorly into the dressing room, has complained of being asked to run too much and of receiving the ball too far from the opponents' goal.

With Lionel Messi seemingly recovered from his latest hamstring pull, Henry is not expected to start against Manchester United in Wednesday's home leg. Yet even the return of their mesmeric Argentine has left the Barça socios unconvinced of their chances. It is not a state of affairs that suits Sir Alex Ferguson - a man interviewed for the Barcelona job some 20 years ago.

'The media seem to think we're favourites because our form is good and more consistent than Barcelona's,' said the United manager. 'Barcelona's players will respond to the occasion, we're aware of that. They have players who can change a game because of their individual brilliance, we're aware of that. You don't take semi-finals against Barcelona for granted, there are a lot of advantages for Barcelona in this game.' Not, though, as many as Barça hold in Europe's self-demolition derby.

[D.H.W]

cant wait for wednesday, is not everyday a match this big comes around

[Small Magician aka Wazza]

i must add barca has never been beaten by manu

first of all we are man utd.. not man u.. 

secondly we've beat Barca twice and lossed once in the Cup winners Cup ...we beat Barca in the final..with your so called unbeatables

In CL.. We've drawn 3 and lost 1..(4-0 in the nou camp...that was during the time where there was a foreigner ban)

[giggsy11]

cant wait for wednesday, is not everyday a match this big comes around

Yeah boy, should be sweet. Ah have more confidence in United's ability to play defence against Barca than I do in Barca to play defence against United. Ah glad dat Chelski v United startin early Saturday morning and we doh have tuh wait until Sunday! Let's hope for a Successful week!

[RedDevils]

Giggs and Scholes need ah rest. Fergie please start Owen and anderson.

 



Glory Glory Man-United.

[Small Magician aka Wazza]

Giggs and Scholes need ah rest. Fergie please start Owen and anderson.

 



Glory Glory Man-United.

i talk to Fergie... de squad is a 4-5-1 in defence...4-3-3 in attack..

VDS

Brown
Vida
Rio
Evra

Ronaldo(expect to see him central and Wazza drop on the LW)
Hargreaves
Carrick
Anderson
Park/Nani..(he was unsure)

Rooney

Bench: TK..Silvestre..Gaz..Scholes..Giggs..Nani/Park...Tevez

[dinho]

i must add barca has never been beaten by manu

first of all we are man utd.. not man u.. 

secondly we've beat Barca twice and lossed once in the Cup winners Cup ...we beat Barca in the final..with your so called unbeatables

In CL.. We've drawn 3 and lost 1..(4-0 in the nou camp...that was during the time where there was a foreigner ban)

We??

You does play for Man U?

You have shares or membership?

Or u just feel to bawl wee like ah french pig..

Ah find allyuh getting ahead of allyuh self.  Yes barca eh clicking in de league and in some turmoil but doh figure dey eh go turn it on come wednesday.. This fixture go make or break their season and i rest assured they saving it all up to unleash it in champions league.

Also i would be kinda worried about allyuh side. Seems to me like allyuh side running out of a lil steam.

Vidic look kinda iffy against blackburn, Wes Brown cyah handle Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dont show up for big games.. On top of that man u have the chelsea game to study on saturday and have to recover from that for the all important 2nd leg. So I wouldn't keep talking as if it were a done deal if i were u guys.

Cant wait.

[Small Magician aka Wazza]

i must add barca has never been beaten by manu

first of all we are man utd.. not man u.. 

secondly we've beat Barca twice and lossed once in the Cup winners Cup ...we beat Barca in the final..with your so called unbeatables

In CL.. We've drawn 3 and lost 1..(4-0 in the nou camp...that was during the time where there was a foreigner ban)

We??

You does play for Man U?

You have shares or membership?

Or u just feel to bawl wee like ah french pig..

Ah find allyuh getting ahead of allyuh self.  Yes barca eh clicking in de league and in some turmoil but doh figure dey eh go turn it on come wednesday.. This fixture go make or break their season and i rest assured they saving it all up to unleash it in champions league.

Also i would be kinda worried about allyuh side. Seems to me like allyuh side running out of a lil steam.

Vidic look kinda iffy against blackburn, Wes Brown cyah handle Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dont show up for big games.. On top of that man u have the chelsea game to study on saturday and have to recover from that for the all important 2nd leg. So I wouldn't keep talking as if it were a done deal if i were u guys.

Cant wait.

Yes we.. Players.. Fans..the Manager..his staff and the Club's Staff are all a family at Man Utd... something i'm proud to be a part of.. And yes i am a member..i have been to old trafford and i havent missed a Utd games for over 2 seasons.. so yes..we

and also no 1 here has stated we are going to win... we know Barca is the hardest team to play and no1 has underestimated Barca... It will be a great game and may the best team go through..

I declare War

[D.H.W]

who running out of steam not us. after wednesday i go hear alyuh this aint no shit german team alyuh playing wednesday, is Manchester Utd FC alyuh playin, if i was alyuh haters i would HUSH until after d game wednesday 

[giggsy11]

i must add barca has never been beaten by manu

first of all we are man utd.. not man u.. 

secondly we've beat Barca twice and lossed once in the Cup winners Cup ...we beat Barca in the final..with your so called unbeatables

In CL.. We've drawn 3 and lost 1..(4-0 in the nou camp...that was during the time where there was a foreigner ban)

Mags yuh spittin in the wind when yuh say not tuh refer to United as Man U. But I understand why yuh took offense.

This is why it is Man United and not Man U

Man U is not a term United fans refer to themselves as. The term is only used by other supporters as a complete and utter insult to the club. The "u" is meant to be "you" by the rival fans.

An early example of its usage is this chant by West Brom fans: "Duncan Edwards is manure, rotting in his grave, man you are manure- rotting in your grave". The origin of "Man u" is a song to insult the dead Duncan Edwards.

Liverpool and Leeds fans copied this with their own man you /u versions to insult all of the lads who died at munich.

"Man U Man U went on a plane Man U Man U never came back again"

and..

"Man U Never Intended Coming Home" (if you combine the first letter of each word you get the word "munich").

[RedDevils]

Giggs and Scholes need ah rest. Fergie please start Owen and anderson.

 



Glory Glory Man-United.

i talk to Fergie... de squad is a 4-5-1 in defence...4-3-3 in attack..

VDS

Brown
Vida
Rio
Evra

Ronaldo(expect to see him central and Wazza drop on the LW)
Hargreaves
Carrick
Anderson
Park/Nani..(he was unsure)

Rooney

Bench: TK..Silvestre..Gaz..Scholes..Giggs..Nani/Park...Tevez

he should go with Park.....bring on Nani and Tevez in d 2nd to run circles round them

[freakazoid]

In an interview broadcast today on the Spanish radio station RAC 1, Samuel Eto’o declared that if things continued the same and Barça didn’t win anything next season, he will look for a move abroad. Eto’o stated that he had reached the top in Spain at Barça but he wanted to win titles and if that if he left Barça it would be to move to a club in another country.

 

[dinho]

Yes we.. Players.. Fans..the Manager..his staff and the Club's Staff are all a family at Man Utd... something i'm proud to be a part of.. And yes i am a member..i have been to old trafford and i havent missed a Utd games for over 2 seasons.. so yes..we

and also no 1 here has stated we are going to win... we know Barca is the hardest team to play and no1 has underestimated Barca... It will be a great game and may the best team go through..

I declare War

umm.. you may be a fan but you ain't no family of 'Man U'.

Maybe if you had spend for a season ticket or club membership then you could lay some claim to that.. And no not that free online membership that gets you weekly spam mail and zero preference for tickets on match day.

Right now you're just another dude who bought a ticket and a jersey and your status lies in a grey area somewhere between an outside child and an ugly duckling.

[giggsy11]

In an interview broadcast today on the Spanish radio station RAC 1, Samuel Eto’o declared that if things continued the same and Barça didn’t win anything next season, he will look for a move abroad. Eto’o stated that he had reached the top in Spain at Barça but he wanted to win titles and if that if he left Barça it would be to move to a club in another country.

 

Dread yuh team fallin apart. Next year yuh might jus routin for Messi, Henry and the yute man Bojan. I actually like Barca, dise my team in Spain but dey need tuh bring in some players with improved character, to much undermining of the manager. Deco need tuh go and the negative energy dat bringing down the team. Ah hope dey straighten it out.

[Small Magician aka Wazza]

Yes we.. Players.. Fans..the Manager..his staff and the Club's Staff are all a family at Man Utd... something i'm proud to be a part of.. And yes i am a member..i have been to old trafford and i havent missed a Utd games for over 2 seasons.. so yes..we

and also no 1 here has stated we are going to win... we know Barca is the hardest team to play and no1 has underestimated Barca... It will be a great game and may the best team go through..

I declare War

umm.. you may be a fan but you ain't no family of 'Man U'.

Maybe if you had spend for a season ticket or club membership then you could lay some claim to that.. And no not that free online membership that gets you weekly spam mail and zero preference for tickets on match day.

Right now you're just another dude who bought a ticket and a jersey and your status lies in a grey area somewhere between an outside child and an ugly duckling.

I am a one united member for 3 seasons now...
you have to pay 30 pounds and you get benefits such as applying for tickets..buying tickets through viagogo(a ticket exchange website)...monthly newsletter..discounts on tickets and magazine..and you get a welcome pack every season full of memorabilia...

is a real cool offer and is a safe bet to get tiks.. thats how i got my tiks earlier this year..

[ttcom]

Barca all the way

[weary1969]

Dat go b a big game and I go b in a class dat cyah b rite steups I will have 2 organize meh taxt updates 2 know when Barca score.

[freakazoid]

Tévez: “Like the final brought forward”

Sandra Sarmiento

Manchester United’s Argentinean forward has stated that the semi-final against Barça is “an opportunity to make his mark”, and that he feels confident that his team will make it to the final.

He’s Ferguson’s second highest scorer, and he’ll arrive at Nou Camp with his morale high after getting the equalizer against Blackburn Rovers in last Saturday’s Premiership match.
Manchester United now has just a three-point lead over Chelsea. In a statement to Barça TV and www.fcbarcelona.cat, the Argentinean Carlos Tévez said that the semi-final against Barça was “an opportunity to make his mark. It’s a game in another dimension”. Tévez added that the duel between the Blaugranes and the English side was “like the final has been brought forward”.

Confidence in the results

With only three league games left, Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United is league leader with a three-point advantage over Chelsea. They face each other next Saturday at Stamford Bridge. The Red Devils are bringing an incredible season to a close. They are unbeaten in the Champions League and in the English league they have only notched up four defeats. They haven’t lost in their last nine league games, and they arrive at Nou Camp full of confidence. Tévez stated that getting a good result was “just down to us”. “If we continue playing in the same way, with the same passion, we’ve got a chance. Obviously it’s all down to us”.

The keys to the semi-final

tevezesquena.jpgCarlos Tévez started out in English football in 2006, helping save West Ham United from relegation. Halfway through 2007 he went to Manchester United on loan for two seasons. Known as “the Apache” in Argentina, Tévez has become one of the key players in Sir Alex Ferguson’s game plan, having so far scored 13 league goals and 4 in the Champions League. Tévez has been following the Spanish league and Barça’s results: “They’re coming to the game with a lot of pressure on them. If we get to play in our style, we can make it very difficult for Barça. There are 180 match minutes ahead. Two games to play and we have to be smart. We have to come out focussed and play well in all areas”.

Reunion with Messi

Carlos Tévez celebrated his 24th birthday last February 5th. Having started out in Boca Juniors, he played for Corinthians in Brazil before coming to Europe. He’s not from the same generation as Messi, but they have coincided on various occasions playing for Argentina. Tévez laid a challenge for Messi and Barça: “Let him play. If we beat them with Messi, there’ll be no excuse”. Yet the Manchester United player is full of praise for his compatriot: “He’s from another planet. He’s got amazing acceleration. He’s a marvellous player

[Toppa]

ManUUUUUUUU goan get a Messi lesson.

Messi: I'm Ready For United

http://goal.com/en/articolo.aspx?contenutoid=666982

[Small Magician aka Wazza]

ManUUUUUUUU goan get a Messi lesson.

Messi: I'm Ready For United

http://goal.com/en/articolo.aspx?contenutoid=666982

umm why are you even commenting in this thread?...

Stop being a Troll

[Toppa]

ManUUUUUUUU goan get a Messi lesson.

Messi: I'm Ready For United

http://goal.com/en/articolo.aspx?contenutoid=666982

umm why are you even commenting in this thread?...

Stop being a Troll

Buh wha de arse is dis? Boy move eh.