Manchester United v Chelsea Preview

Tomorrow is a massive match which doesnt come around very often for players. It is ofcourse the Champion's League Final which is being played in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. This is the second time the Luzhniki Stadium will have hosted a major European final. The Moscow venue was chosen for the Uefa Cup final in 1999 when Parma beat Olympique Marseille 3-0.

Manchester United
Squad: Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Heaton; Brown, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic, Neville, O'Shea, Pique, Silvestre, Anderson, Fletcher, Hargreaves, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs, Nani, Park, Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez, Saha, Welbeck.
Injuries: Vidic was the only United player to not train but Sir Alex Ferguson said: "Nemanja is on a different training programme to the rest of the squad, but he will definitely play."
Probable Starting XI: Van der Sar - Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra - Ronaldo, Park/Anderson, Scholes, Carrick, Giggs - Rooney.
Previously In Champion's League Final: Five Manchester United players have already played in a final- Ryan Giggs (1999), Gary Neville (1999), Paul Scholes has won the competition but he was suspended for the final and he received a medal, and Wes Brown was on the bench and he also received a medal, Edwin Van Der Sar (1995 and 1996) Owen Hargreaves (2001) and Patrice Evra (2004).
Form: WWWLD
Wigan 0-2 Manchester United
Manchester United 4-1 West Ham
Manchester United 1-0 Barcelona
Chelsea 2-1 Manchester United
Barcelona 0-0 Manchester United
Sir Alex Ferguson: “I’ve got no concerns,”
“UEFA have done their best. I’m delighted they relayed it. You have to remind yourself that Old Trafford in December and January isn’t the best. I think it will be fine.”
“Tactics will come into a good part of it,”
“Chelsea are a physically stronger team than most in the Premier League, but we don’t need to match that. We have to pay attention to it, of course, but it’s important we play our own game. My players have the nerve and courage to win."I’ve got my team in my mind, and I think it is the right one. I deliberated on a couple of positions but I have made up my mind now. Games can sometimes be won by your subs, we’re in a good position in that sense."
Rio Ferdinand: "If we win on Wednesday,"
"only then in my eyes will I be considered a real Manchester United player."
"In my eyes, anyway, to be considered a real United player, you need to be part of a winning Champions League team."That is my view. This club has got great traditions, great history and a great winning mentality."They have won League championships and enjoyed great European nights. Those sides are revered and remembered by everyone."So to be part of a winning Champions League team would put us up there among those kind of guys. That is where you aim to be."
Tevez: "We are a better side than Chelsea and that is a psychological problem for them," Tevez told The Sun.
"They may say that the Premier League is another story but we are convinced it will have an impact on what happens.
"We are favourites and everyone knows it. We are not worried by Chelsea.
"We are concentrated and focused. But for them it is different, this is more than a final for them.
"Their whole season rests on this game and I am convinced they could have some problems.
"They need to win to avoid a season without a trophy so the pressure on them will be huge. We have no extra pressure."
"Chelsea beat us in London and showed how good they can be. It left a bad taste and now is time to avenge that defeat."
Giggs: "Maybe people on the outside looked at us and said this could be the end of an era but I never thought so,"
"Sometimes a disappointment like that can help you and that might have been the case with Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.
"I certainly felt that way about Leeds winning the championship.
"There was an added pressure but I also remember going away that summer thinking 'I don't want to feel like this again'.
"Fans were coming up to me saying 'are we ever going to win the league'? It was horrible. But you need that determination to succeed. It is just a question of where it comes from."
"I think I was right to stay at United," he said.
"When I first came through Serie A was the place to be. All the best players went there. Now, the majority of the great players are playing in England.
"Cristiano Ronaldo has been the best player in the world for the last two years. Before that it was Thierry Henry.
"The best two keepers are both playing tomorrow in Edwin van der Sar and Petr Cech. The list goes on.
"Ronaldinho and Kaka have both said they see themselves playing in the Premier League. You would not have had that 15 years ago.
"There is no doubt in my mind England has the best league in the world. It has proved that by having three teams in the semi-finals of the last two Champions Leagues and it will go on proving that."


Chelsea
Squad: Cech, Hilario, Cudicini, Belletti, Ferreira, Alex, Ben-Haim, Terry, Carvalho, A Cole, Bridge, Makelele, Essien, Lampard, Ballack, Kalou, Wright-Phillips, J Cole, Malouda, Drogba, Shevchenko, Anelka, Mikel.
Injuries: During Chelsea's training today, Ashley Cole was injured by Makelele live on SkySportsNews and many other TV stations. Cole is could now be a doubt for tomorrows match.
Probable Starting XI: Cech - Essien, Carvalho, Terry, Cole - Ballack, Makelele, Lampard - Cole, Drogba, Kalou
Previously In Champion's League Final: There are eight Chelsea players who have played in a Champion's League Final- Nicolas Anelka (2000), Claude Makelele (2002), Paulo Ferreira (2004), Ricardo Carvalho (2004), Andriy Shevchenko (2003 and 2005), Belletti (2006), Ashley Cole (2006) and Michael Ballack (2002).
Form: DWWWD
Chelsea 1-1 Bolton
Newcastle 0-2 Chelsea
Chelsea 3-2 Liverpool
Chelsea 2-1 Manchester United
Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
Avram Grant: "I know 80% of my team," said Grant. "But I like to keep watching them in training to see how they are doing."
Cech: "It was clear before the last game that if Manchester United kept their nerve they would win the title.
"We knew this would happen, but of course we were disappointed because we were pushing them all the way. It is always disappointing when you are so close to winning a title and you finish second.
"It can be an extra motivation for us because we do not want to see them celebrating again."
"I think it is great to know that we are playing against a team we are capable of beating.
"We have done it many times in the past and we are positive we can do it again."

2 Responses so far.

  1. Anonymous says:

    Seems to me Man Utd are a bit too over confident. I'll watch with interest unless Man U are winning by 2 then I'll just channel hop :)

  2. Shuggo says:

    I think they are confident but they have to be confident, if you turn up to a Champion's League Final with the mentality that you are going to loose then your bound to loose.
    I am currently not confident, i think it is definetly 50/50 and i cant wait to watch the match

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