BAYERN VS UNITED LATEST CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PREVIEW

What a match this is going to be! Another draw of the famous 1999 Champions League final where Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer etched their names into United lore in that famous injury-time spell. It’s a different cast of characters, but the tension is just as high today as United’s old guard of Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville lead out the next generation of United superstars.

William Hill has listed Manchester United as the 11/8 favourites to win today’s fixture with Bayern trading at 21/10 and the draw listed at an identical price. Advantage: United if you’re looking to go in the same direction as the bookmakers. I think with Arjen Robben missing from this fixture, United will be able to control the midfield a bit more and that will also allow Patrice Evra to push up a bit. That’s a big asset for the Red Devils.
Personally, I think we’re in for a very crafty display from Sir Alex Ferguson. It looks like all Bayern seem to have planned for is how to cope with the marauding presence of Wayne Rooney. This represents a clear opportunity for United and, though I may be completely wrong, would not be surprised to see Fergie deploy two strikers in lieu of the 4-5-1 that they tend to favour in the Champions League. Berbatov had a solid outing on the weekend and looks in good form. Partnering him up front with Rooney and sacrificing either Scholesy or Carrick in the middle may be the preferred formation. This would certainly throw a monkey-wrench in Louis Van Gaal’s plans and I can see the defence being shuffled, which would either open up space for Rooney or Berbatov himself if Bayern stuck to their original plan.
Park Ji-Sung will likely line up for this one as Fergie tends to favour him in fixtures like this. Darren Fletcher is a certainty to start. I can see the in-form Nani getting the nod ahead of Giggs, who may be preferred for a 25 minute cameo.
It’s important to remember that Bayern Munich really shouldn’t even have gotten this far. They were gifted a win over Fiorentina thanks to some extremely dodgy refereeing decisions and a wicked strike from the Dutch winger.
There are rumours that both Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery are not fit enough for the starting line-up. Bastian Schweinsteiger is out through suspension and, with their strikers not exactly playing at their most prolific, Bayern Munich will have to dig deep if they are going to get the result here. Squad players need to step up and the defence needs to remain resolute.  
I’m predicting a United win here and, should he start, I like Berbatov to score in this one. I think he could be the surprise package here as I’m not sure Bayern Munich have cooked up a plan to deal with him. If it’s Rooney lining up alone, then I think that Park becomes a very prominent part of the match and could likely find the goal.
We’re in for a real cracker here, and United look to be in the drivers seat.