Barcelona vs. Manchester United: Don't Expect a Free-Flowing Game

(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

I've read many predictions where people have said that it would be a thrilling Champions League final, with a huge scoreline due to both teams having great attacking talents.

I do recall reading the exact same things last year during the semi-final, when United met Barca. It ended with only one goal separating both teams after 180 minutes of football.

No, it won't be a free-flowing game. United will stifle Barca's attack and look to break, and I expect many fouls to be commited by United's midfield trio. I do think that it will be a United win after 90 minutes of football, though, and here's why.

Lineups

I fancy United to line up with a 4-5-1 again, as they have done all season in the Champions League. It's a great counterattacking formation which tore Arsenal apart 3-1.

United: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Park, Carrick, Anderson, Giggs, Rooney, Ronaldo

Barcelona shouldn't change from their 4-3-3 formation, which is very similar to the 4-5-1 if you think about it; just that the two wingers push up further to become attackers.

Barcelona: Valdes, Puyol, Pique, Caceres, Keita, Toure, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Eto'o, Henry

Injuries and Suspensions

Darren Fletcher is suspended for United and Owen Hargreaves is still injured. Other than that, Alex Ferguson has a full squad to choose from.

For Barca, Alves and Abidal are both suspended. Milito and Marquez are also out injured, and the four could actually make an entire first team defence. Iniesta and Henry are doubts, but I think they will play in the end.

I feel that United's loss is greater than Barcelona's, as Fletcher and Hargreaves are the players that United need in matches like this. The energy they bring to the game is tremendous and they will be crucial in stifling Barcelona's attacking talents.

Barcelona's losses through injuries and suspensions won't impact the game much, as I see them defending from the front and keeping a lot of the ball. After all, Abidal and Alves aren't very good defenders anyway.

However, it will be where United look to profit as both centre-backs are inexperienced and rather slow.

Defence

I have predicted Pique and Caceres to start in the middle, and Puyol out on the right and Keita on the left.

On paper, it's an even weaker defence than the normal Barcelona defence. However, it won't matter much, as they won't be doing much defending.

Their weaknesses would be that Pique and Caceres are both slow and inexperienced. Also, Puyol isn't much of a right back, and Keita is more suited to being in midfield.

In a nutshell, the Barca defence aren't a compact unit and haven't had many games together, so United will look to put pressure on the defence by bypassing the midfield and getting the ball out quickly to the likes of Rooney, Ronaldo and Park, who can then take on the defenders 1-on-1.

For United, Vidic and Ferdinand will start in central defence, O'Shea out on the right, and Evra on the left.

Vidic and Ferdinand need no further praise. Vidic has been outstanding and Ferdinand is one of the best readers of the game.

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