United Hope to Break Stubborn French Defence
- By Jaymes Monte on March 14, 2011 17:02 GMT
Manchester United host Marseille in the Champions League round of 16 this Tuesday evening, with the tie hanging in the balance after a goalless first leg between the sides.
United will be without defender Rio Ferdinand and midfielder Darren Fletcher. Nemanja Vidic should be fit despite missing training and Nani could return after it was previously feared that he would be out for at least a month following the injury sustained against Liverpool.
Marseille have both Mathieu Valbuena and Andre-Pierre Gignac available after the pair missed the first leg fixture.
Neither team could find a breakthrough when they met at the Stade Velodrome a fortnight ago in what was an uninspiring and drab fixture. In fact goals have been difficult to come by in Champions League games involving both of these teams this season.
Marseille have kept an impressive five consecutive clean sheets in this year’s competition meaning they have now played 512 minutes of Champions League football without conceding.
United have also been uncharacteristically shy in front of goal in European football this season. In their three Champions League home games this season they have scored just twice and have scored just seven in all six games in the competition.
The home side are quoted at betting odds of 1/2 to get the win that would see them progress to the quarter finals. Marseille are 6/1 for the win that would see them through and it is 3/1 that the game ends in a draw. Only a 0-0 draw would see the game go into extra time, any score draw would be enough to send the French champions through.
The night’s other Champions League fixture is a repeat of last season’s final and sees Bayern Munich host Inter Milan with the Germans looking to protect a 2-1 advantage from the first leg.
Odds of 10/11 are quoted on a home win, 5/2 on the draw that would suffice for Bayern and 3/1 for an Inter victory.
The holders will need to overcome a harrowing statistic that says only one team in Champions League knockout history has gone through after losing the home first leg.
