Inter V. Manchester United: Best of the Bunch

There are certainly some tasty fixtures in the round of 16 of this year's Champions League. Chief among them is the Manchester United versus Internazionale clash.

The first leg of the two fixtures kicks off tonight at 2:45 pm on ESPN 2. Sir Alex has emphasized the importance of an away goal.

More important for most fans however is going to be the United back line. The injury and suspension ravaged group is hurting.

I can guarantee everyone that Inter front men Adriano and Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not play tonight's match with any sympathy. In fact they'll look to take full advantage of a back line that may have never started with each other.

John O'Shea and Johnny Evans face pre-match fitness tests. From the Manutd.com live blog it sounds as though O'Shea is much more likely to pass the test than the young Evans.

If O'Shea were able to go, that would sure up the center of the defense a bit more than it currently is. I wouldn't be surprised to see Darren Fletcher placed at right back and the young Fabio or Eckersley on the left.

Darren Fletcher however will have to play with the knowledge that thieves broke into his house in a suburb of Manchester during this trip to Milan, threatening his fiancee and her mother.

As a fan, I am sympathetic and I think that Fletcher will have to show supreme mental toughness should he be placed in the starting XI.

Both managers have stressed the importance of scoring in their pre-match press briefings. Jose Mourinho is notorious for grinding out Champions League results, where Sir Alex Ferguson would like to see an open game offensively.

Obviously an away goal would be massive for United. I expect a fairly open match, should Mourinho make good on his promise of looking to win.

Whether Inter or Manchester United will benefit from this type of game remains to be seen.

As a longtime fan, I hope that the game looks nothing like United's last Champions League away fixture when they were forced to grind out a 0-0 result in Barcelona.

That match saw Wayne Rooney playing a supporting role to the right back. Hopefully in this fixture, the promise of open play will yield a few goals and will make for an interesting cup tie.

As we near kick off my nerves seems to be settling. Conventional wisdom from Reds in the largest square near the San Siro indicate a 1-1 draw or 2-1 United win. One can only hope for those results.

I will refuse my opportunity to make a prediction like I normally do. I don't trust Mourinho, and think this could be an edgy tie, with fewer goals than some think.

I'll hit back with a game recap when the match ends.