FC Basel v Manchester United, 19.45 KO, Live on RTE 2

Blatter

Team news;

Basel caretaker manager Heiko Vogel will wait as long as possible before making a decision on midfielder Benjamin Huggel, who hopes to shake off a calf problem in time to play. Another midfielder, Valentin Stocker, came off the bench at the weekend against Luzern to make his first appearances since April after recovering from knee ligament damage.
Dimitar Berbatov has been ruled out of Manchester United's make-or-break Champions League trip to Sankt Jakob-Park leaving Sir Alex Ferguson to contend with a striker shortage. After Javier Hernandez suffered an ankle injury at Aston Villa on Saturday that is set to rule him out for a month, Ferguson expressed the hope Berbatov would have recovered from his own ankle problem to make the flight to Switzerland. But the Bulgarian was again absent, meaning Ferguson can only count on Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck, who has made just one substitute appearance since suffering a muscular problem on England duty last month, in addition to Federico Macheda and Mame Biram Diouf, who have made minimal contributions so far this season.

Possible United lineup;

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de Gea

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Smalling

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Ferdinand

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Vidic

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Evra
Nani

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Jones

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Fletcher

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Giggs

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Rooney

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Welbeck

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killwill

I am actually going to go with a 4-5-1 formation and a 1-3 win for Utd.

Nalz

1-0 United (Rooney) and Inter in the next round.

sReq | uTeK

2-0 Rooney and giggs, apoel in the next round.

BRING IT ON

DanTheMan91

I think Rooney will do the business tonight, backed him to score 2 or more.

Auvers

surprise surprise UTD on RTE 2 again

leonidas83

Id say 2-1 to Basle, with them dominating the match from start to finish despite going behind to a poxy deflected shot in the first few minutes

Professey Chin

Auvers wrote: »

surprise surprise UTD on RTE 2 again

Club with largest supporters base in tv preference shocker

Paul Tergat

The Great Chinholio wrote: »

Club with largest supporters base in tv preference shocker

How people can't get this into their heads is beyond me.

Blatter

Paul Tergat wrote: »

How people can't get this into their heads is beyond me.

They understand it alright, they just like to act as if there's a persecution complex against other clubs.

3hn2givr7mx1sc

Not as if this match is a dead rubber either. United could go out of the CL.

Paul Tergat

Blatter wrote: »

They understand it alright, they just like to act as if there's a persecution complex against other clubs.

I think maybe you are giving people too much credit. Maybe some just actually cannot understand it :eek:

gustavo

Paul Tergat wrote: »

I think maybe you are giving people too much credit. Maybe some just actually cannot understand it :eek:

Disappointing for the neutral however

killwill

gustavo wrote: »

Disappointing for the neutral however

A neutral should have no preference so it would not disappoint.
For the neutral you get to watch a European giant with the possibility of exiting early from the CL.
Plus it will be 2 attacking teams and I predict plenty of goals.

Paul Tergat

gustavo wrote: »

Disappointing for the neutral however

There are far less neutrals than those cheering for Utd + the vast majority of non Utd ABU's and want to cheer against us.

Paul Tergat

killwill wrote: »

Plus it will be 2 attacking teams and I predict plenty of goals.

Not sure about this. We seem to have gone into our shell a bit and we will be playing 5 in the middle and keeping it tight imo

Raskolnikov

United have struggled badly in the Champions League, so it would not surprise me if they scrape through with a draw.

killwill

Paul Tergat wrote: »

Not sure about this. We seem to have gone into our shell a bit and we will be playing 5 in the middle and keeping it tight imo

I think a big performance is due and where better to put it in than on a CL night.
I am sticking with my 1-3 prediction.

Blatter

Originally posted by Stewart Gardner

Has been raining heavily in Basel for a few hours. Could be a pretty heavy pitch tonight

Hopefully it clears up a bit, anything can happen on a heavy pitch.

VW 1

Blatter wrote: »

Hopefully it clears up a bit, anything can happen on a heavy pitch.

thanks be to god the twins arent playing, heavy ground can play havoc with hamstrings

Nalz

Raskolnikov wrote: »

United have struggled badly in the Champions League

STRUGGLED, YA MUSTA BE JOKIN?!?

dfx-

Raskolnikov wrote: »

United have struggled badly in the Champions League, so it would not surprise me if they scrape through with a draw.

0-3. I'd love nothing better than United to go out, but nope can't see it. Two early goals, one a Basel gift and a third with 32 minutes left.

Paul Tergat

Very nervy about this one

fox007

Have to say I'm looking forward to this, we need a big result here tonight we have been unlucky in the past few weeks.Rooney to be at his best tonight 0-2 come on utd

Jax Teller

Would anyone think Giggs is nailed onto start ?

Paul Tergat

Coletrickle88 wrote: »

Would anyone think Giggs is nailed onto start ?

Not nailed on but very high chance. I think we can expect 5 in midfield and in that instance Giggsy has to play

Blatter

Confirmed team; DeGea Smalling Vidic Ferdinand Evra Park Jones Giggs Nani Rooney Young

Subs: Lindegaard, Fletcher, Valencia, Gibson, Evans, Welbeck, Macheda.

Jax Teller

Wonder will it be Park in the middle with Giggs and Jones with Nani and Young on wings . That's the way I'd go .


More than likely it will be Park on wing with Young in behind Rooney.

Paul Tergat

Coletrickle88 wrote: »

Wonder will it be Park in the middle with Giggs and Jones with Nani and Young on wings . That's the way I'd go .


More than likely it will be Park on wing with Young in behind Rooney.

Gives us options I guess which is good. Can see us going with Park in the middle as its a bit more solid and compact and then at the same time gives us the ability to make the pitch big with natural wingers

OctavarIan

Jones in midfield, this will be a good test for him.

Blatter

Coletrickle88 wrote: »

Wonder will it be Park in the middle with Giggs and Jones with Nani and Young on wings . That's the way I'd go .


More than likely it will be Park on wing with Young in behind Rooney.

I think it will be the first scenario you posted.

Giggs beside Jones in the centre with Park just ahead, Nani and Young on the wings with Rooney up top.

Le King

This is going to be a borefest IMO

ShooterSF

Does lend itself to some fluidity with Park able to cover either (hell it's Park, Both!) wings if Nani or Young drift in... Looking forward to it. Hope Giggs has one of his better nights. He can be a bit sloppy with his passing in the centre.

Blatter

Le King wrote: »

This is going to be a borefest IMO

Basel are the ones that need to win, so hopefully they pour forward and leave themselves open to the counter attack right from the word go.

The smart thing to do from their point of view would be to match us up and keep it tight for 70 mins and then go for the goal. If they attempt that we could be in for a borefest alright.

Pro. F

Park going in the AMC I wonder? Might be doing that to shut down their build up play. Probably more likely that he's on the wing.

killwill

Blatter wrote: »

I think it will be the first scenario you posted.

Giggs beside Jones in the centre with Park just ahead, Nani and Young on the wings with Rooney up top.

I hope it is that team. I am looking forward to this, roll on half 7 and I get out of work!!!

TheTownie

Park is either there as part of a three man midfield or on the wing. Regardless he is there to give more legs.

MisterAnarchy

Le King wrote: »

This is going to be a borefest IMO

Thats par for the course like most of United's away matches in the CL over the last few years .

It would seem United are playing a midfield with no recognised central midfielder .:(

niallo27

Hopefully Basel can make it a bit exciting, being a while since there was a decent end of group game.

mike65

Whats up with Darren Fletcher? Which of Jones or Park getting the nod ahead of him?

eagle eye

killwill wrote: »

A neutral should have no preference so it would not disappoint.

I'm a neutral and tonight I've got to decide between City/Bayern and Real/Ajax. Those are the two best games tonight.

Its very understandable that United are on terrestial tv tonight though. They have a reasonable chance of qualification and don't need other results to go their way to qualify if the win themselves.

Mars Bar

C'mon United!

Quandary

Worried about this game now. Basel will be well up for it too.

ShaneU

How do I watch this on the sky website, I clicked watch live and it brought me to the man city match

edit: I went to the event centre, the other 7 matches are on there, wtf!

Will I Amnt

ShaneU wrote: »

How do I watch this on the sky website, I clicked watch live and it brought me to the man city match

Itv have it so won't be on sky

Blatter

Ah, the good old white kit.

NUTZZ

ShaneU wrote: »

How do I watch this on the sky website, I clicked watch live and it brought me to the man city match

Sky Sports don't have the United game tonight!

TheTownie

ShaneU wrote: »

How do I watch this on the sky website, I clicked watch live and it brought me to the man city match

Its on rte player too if you can't get it going on sky.

ShaneU

Ah ffs, thanks anyway.

RasTa

Any sopcast links for those outside ROI?

Nemanja91

Shaquiri looks like Ivor from the republic of telly.