Match Day 5: United v. Villarreal Preview

By: Taylor Rockwell | November 25th, 2008

Manchester United v. Villarreal
UEFA Champions League – Match Day 5
2:45 EST, El Madrigal Stadium, Spain

Last four matches in the competition:

Manchester United – 8 Points (First in Group E)

November 5th: Manchester 1 – Celtic 1
October 21st: Manchester 3 – Celtic 0
September 30th: Manchester 3 – AaB 0
September 17th: Manchester 0 – Villarreal 0

Villarreal – 6 Points (Second in Group E)

November 5th: Villarreal 2 – AaB 2
October 21st: Villarreal 6 – AaB 3
September 30th: Villarreal 1 – Celtic 0
September 17th: Manchester 0 – Villarreal 0

Random Thoughts Prior to Kickoff

1 – Fergie left Van der Sar at home, so it will either be Kuszack or Foster between the sticks at kickoff. I would personally prefer to see Foster in the net (as I think he is the more talented of the two). However, my bet would be on the big Polish shot-stopper to get the start tonight.

2 – It will be interesting to see if Fergie gives the kids a run-out tonight. Obviously, a win here locks up first place in the group for us, which, as we have seen in the past, is pretty important. Better to draw the likes of Anorthosis Famagusta or Sporting Lisbon than Inter or Juve. However, with a vital clash at The Eastlands scheduled for this weekend and United desperate to stay within reach of EPL leaders Liverpool and Chelsea, it is certainly possible that Welbeck, Possebon, Rafael, or Manucho could get minutes this evening.

3 – I have no idea what to make of Tevez prior to the start of this game. The Argentinean has looked increasingly frustrated in recent weeks, and was visibly unhappy to be pulled off the pitch on Saturday. Will he get a shot at redemption tonight? With Berba out, is the way set for a Rooney-Tevez partnership against the Yellow Submarine? Or will Fergie stay true to recent form and sit Lil’ Carlitos? No, no, and yes.

4 – What is going on with Villarreal? At times they look quite formidable, with a talented strikeforce and solid backline. Then they ship three goals to Aab on Match Day 3, draw with them two apiece on Match Day 4, draw with Málaga in the Spanish Primera, and then lose embarrassingly to Valladolid 3-0. Should United by optimistic and expectant of an easy victory, or remain cautious and aware of the fact that this is also the team that drew them 0-0 at Old Trafford.

5 – Will Slave play? The winger looked certain to remain in Manchester after he was seen wincing/limping during/after the Villa game. However, the Portuguese playmaker boarded the United plane and was seen in training earlier this week. My instinct says that the future World Player of the Year plays a pivotal role this evening.

6 – If Park steps on the pitch, I will try to shoot him from here. I’ve tried to give him the benefit of the doubt this season, but the Korean midfielder looks outclassed on a pretty consistent basis (and that’s putting it nicely). Against Villa, he struggled with pacing, first touch, positioning, and shooting. He often looked unsettled, and really failed to contribute on both sides of the ball. I can deal with bad performances (shit happens), but when I see the first touch after an easy pass go awry, we need to talk. And by “we” I mean “Fergie and anyone interested in buying Park”.

With all of that said, my projected lineup for tonight looks something like this:

Kuszack

Rafael – Rio – Vidic – Evra

Carrick - Fletcher

Slave - Ando - Nani

Rooney

I’m expecting a conservative United to play for the draw. Then again, with Saturday’s draw to Villa still in their minds, anything is possible. Come on you Reds!