Terrace Talk

UEFA sure has a way of wetting your appetite and then pulling your fix away from you the moment your football addiction has hit. A fairly easy group stage for United, left me on the edge of my seat and dreaming of past successes, legends of old and new, and what could be around the corner. Speaking of legends, Ryan Giggs will look to celebrate his 100th appearance in the Champions League with a goal, which should be quite fitting so close to the 50th anniversary of Munich. The knock-out rounds have begun, so let’s look at hopefully the first of many opponents United will face.

The side set to face Olympique Lyonnais on Wednesday is vastly different from the one that ripped Arsenal to pieces on the weekend. It is more potent, more experienced and well rested. In Sir Alex Ferguson’s artillery, his biggest weapon comes in the form of Cristiano Ronaldo, who was absent with slight flu-like symptoms. He should be available by match time. On the opposite wing is Ryan Giggs who was forced to watch from the sidelines on Saturday as his deputy in the making, Nani, tore apart one French team. Now Ryan Giggs will be looking to learn from the pupil when United face another French team tomorrow.

In addition to the two wingers, United will be bringing back Carlos Tevez to the starting line-up with Louis Saha on the bench. After ten days without a Red Devil shirt on, I’d imagine he would be itching to show Europe’s best his full range of skills in his first European campaign. Paul Scholes, who played 20 minutes against Arsenal, will most likely start in a midfield pairing with Michael Carrick that mimics last years demolition of Roma. The one player missing from that midfield is Darren Fletcher, whose skills are not best suited for the counter-attacking style of play Sir Alex has in mind.

Lyon rested their own young talent ahead of the match, with Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa fresh to face United. While Lyon may have lost to a mediocre Lens team, they will be a different beast. They have a particularly busy frontline that keeps opposing defenses on their toes and scores plenty of goals. Full of pace and ambition, Vidic, Rio, Brown and Evra will be tested. Lyon’s defense also has a major challenge awaiting it. United will look to open the flanks and take advantage of our width, to add to the work United’s two bulldogs in the middle will be doing.

Lyon had a number of scares in the group stages, losing to both Barcelona and Rangers. Showing their grit, they traveled to Ibrox and pulled out a famous victory to advance. United should not underestimate the French team’s desire to win. There are not many teams that can go into Ibrox and score thrice to move ahead in the Champions League.

United had an easier time, navigating past Dynamo Kiev, Roma and Sporting Lisbon. All respectable sides, but none as strong as the current challenge. United will have to play particularly aggressive football to take an advantage back to Old Trafford. Hopefully, this time around it won’t require a late free kick from Ryan Giggs to seal it.