CFR Cluj vs. Manchester United: Date, Time and Preview

Manchester United F.C. will visit Romania for a match against CFR Cluj, where both teams will battle for their second group stage victory. 

CFR is coming off a match against S. C. Braga in which they squeezed out a 2-0 victory. 

Braga dominated most the play. They possessed the ball for 65 percent of the match and had 23 attempts on target, but they still could not put the ball past CFR goalie Mário Felgueiras. 

As for Manchester United, their most recent Champions League match was a 1-0 victory over Galatasaray S.K. Michael Carrick scored the game's lone goal in the first half, which proved to be the game winner. 

The winner of the CFR and Manchester United match will determine which club will be in first place in Group H.

Where: Stadionul Dr. Constantin Rădulescu, Romania

When: Tuesday, October 2, 1:45 p.m. ET.

CFR’s Struggle in Braga Match

CFR was lucky to walk away with a 2-0 victory in their first group stage match.

Luckily, they got off to an early lead with two goals from Rafael Bastos in the first half. Braga then dominated play and put 23 attempts on target to CFR’s four.

If CFR wants to put a competitive effort against Manchester United, not only will they need to play well tactically, but also they will need to commit less fouls. Against Braga, they committed 19 fouls, which accounted for most of Braga’s scoring chances.

In their last three games, CFR has committed over 15 fouls per game. The fouls did not pose too much of a threat but, they will in Tuesday’s matchup.

Manchester United’s offense is too powerful to allow them free attempts on goal.

Manchester United Facing Injuries

Nemanja Vidic is the newest addition to Manchester United’s injured list. His recent knee injury required surgery, which will keep him out of action for about eight weeks.

The captain’s injury leaves a vacancy on defense for Manchester United. Head coach Sir Alex Ferguson now only has Rio Ferdinand and Johnny Evans remaining to play the centre-back position.

Vidic will join Chris Smalling and Phil Jones on the injury list.

Just like Vidic, Jones received surgery on his knee in early September, which will keep him out for about another four weeks.

Smalling has been sidelined for quite a while now, with a broken metatarsal suffered in July.

These three injuries may open up a gap on Manchester United’s defense that CFR will look to exploit.

On offense, Wayne Rooney still may not be at 100 percent.

He suffered a gash in his thigh back in August in a Premier League match versus Fulham F.C.

After missing a month of action though, Rooney returned to play in Manchester United’s Premier League game against Newcastle United F.C.

Whether Rooney is at 100 percent or not, it will not devastate Manchester United’s offense. Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck have proved to be more than capable backups to play alongside Robin Van Persie.

Keys to the Game for CFR

Playing at home for CFR will provide them with a much-needed advantage. They need to prove early on in the game that they can play with Manchester United, because once United’s offense gets rolling, they will not be stopped.

The counter-attack of CFR will be of huge importance too. If they can catch Manchester United on a turnover, they then can exploit a struggling defense.

Tactics and discipline are the name of the game for CFR. That means don’t commit too many fouls, don’t turn the ball over, and posses the ball as much as possible.

If they fail to stick to their game plan, Manchester United will have no problem putting the game away early.

Prediction

3-1 Manchester United.

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