Champions League
2008-04-23 - Barcelona vs Manchester United
A Sports Betting Pick by chappers
- Champions League Semi Final - 1st Leg -
Camp Nou
23rd April 2008 KO 19.45PM (live on Sky)
Barcelona (3rd La Liga)
Played 33 with 61 points
Barcelona look like maybe going another season without a trophy and this cannot be good for the Rikjard who for me could mean that he could be out of a job in the summer, unless of course they win the Champions League. With a manager like Mournouo looking for a job in time for next season then the timing could be perfect for the change of management and the Camp Nou.
While Barca are unbeaten in the league for three games all three have been drawn and the last two at the Camp Nou have been goalless draws and this just isn’t good enough for a team who with Real Madrid still to play had a chance of winning the title, but with Madrid now being ten points clear this doesn’t seem possible anymore despite of course there being enough points still to play for. Last weekend in the derby game with Espanyol I wasn’t all that impressed with Barca however the week before when they drew with Gefete it was different with Barca hitting the woodwork on several occasions.
The Champions League has been different this season with Barca doing very well and there are yet to lose. And at the Camp Nou this season in the Champions League they have won every game they have played so they will be hoping that the Champions League form is what they take into this game and not the current league form. Also Messi came on for the second half at the weekend so there is a good chance he may start in this game, which should of course help Barca in the quest for the win.
Manchester United (1st EPL)
Played 35 with 81 points
The league title is within the grasp of Manchester United once more and to be honest despite them only drawing last weekend away at Blackburn they should have won the game. They will go to Stamford Bridge this weekend and they know that three points or even avoiding defeat will more than likely bring the title home. Fergie has said that this is the best set of players he has ever worked with and to be honest I cannot really argue with him as whenever you watch Manchester United they have so many players than can win a game and most of the time they are a joy to watch.
United are unbeaten since they lost to Portsmouth in the FA Cup again in a game that was very one sided and United should have won. In the league they lost at home to Manchester City who did the double over them this season and that was back in the middle of February so that's nine games since they last lost and in that time they have won seven of them, however in the last three games in the league they have drawn twice away at Boro and Blackburn so while the home form is still on track they will need to sort out the away from with two games away from and Old Trafford still to come.
I think for this team to be classed as good as Fergie says then the Champions League must be won again and I think that he would have loved the league to have been wrapped up before the last stages of the Champions League took place. However it hasn’t been and they will have a few really important games coming up in the next couple of weeks. United have been fantastic in the Champions League this season with every game being won other than a 1-1 draw in Rome when they had already qualified for the knockout stages.
I think this team know they could be onto something great and with players like Rooney and Ronaldo in the team they are certainly a team for the big stage and it doesn’t come much bigger than the semi final of a Champions League with a possible final against another English club.
Verdict
Not sure if United would have preferred Barca or one of the other English teams and that stage but in having the Spanish giants for me they have the easiest route to the final. Barca have not been firing at all for the back end of the season and Manchester United must fancy their chances of getting through to the final over two legs but they must make sure they give themselves a chance for the second leg in Manchester.
This is a tough game to call and to be honest I was going to look at the 1.61 on offer for Manchester United to make it through to the final and still might as it gives you interest in both games and even extra time and possible pens which this game could go to.
If however you would prefer to just bet on this game then the double chance for Manchester United @ 1.44 seems decent enough as on current form I just cannot see Barca winning this game and the draw could be the best they can hope for. However Barca are a team that can turn in on and Manchester United will have to be on top form to ensure that Barca don’t win this game.
Pick Manchester United double chance @ 1.44 or maybe consider United to make it to the final @ 1.61.
The Statistics :
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Pick :
Manchester Double Chance
