Midweek Outlook (05/04/2007)

Roma vs Manchester United
Champions League Quarter-Final 1st leg

This match will prove Carrick's worth..

- Gary, 03/04/2007

The stat says it all. A typical Man United slaughter without knowing what have hit Blackburn. They just couldnt cope with the attacks right from the start whistle. Even at 3-1, they still attack. Guess Alex Ferguson must have tell his troops to get as many goals as possible.

The scoreline have hidden the shortcomings that Man United are having right now. Defensive crisis. Gary Neville, Mikael Silvestre and Vidic are out with injuries. Expect Ferguson to deploy Wes Brown and Rio Ferdinand in centre defence with John O'Shea as right back and Heinze as left back for Roma match.

By right, Roma shouldnt be in the Champions League. They were in 5th place last season. But because of the scandal last season, Roma was pushed to 2nd place. By all accounts, Roma coach, Luciano Spalletti is another wonderful tactician. Remember how he took Udinese to 4th place the season before last. Remember how Roma broke Serie A record with the most consecutive wins, though the current record goes to Inter Milan. His tactics of 4-2-3-1 doesnt deploy any center forwards. Look like John O'shea and Heinze will be very busy.

To even things up, im not going to left out the players. Main players to watch out for is Totti (as usual) and Daniele De Rossi. Rossi is the Roy Keane of Roma, controlling the entire midfield. Man United midfield will have to match this guy strength for strength if Man United wants to survive this outing. David Pizarro is suspended and Max Tonetto is injured

This match will prove Carrick's worth as he will be against Totti. So far he have been giving some average performance. As long as he can keep Totti out of the game, half of the battle is done or so i thought.

Roma are unbeaten at home in European competitions while Man United have a record of 2 win, 2 losses in this season campaign. Not a very good sight but Lady Luck is smiling on us at this moment of time. I think Liverpool clash is still fresh on our mind with John O'shea last min goal.

Odds and Analysis: Man United level ball at 1.975. Though i know that whatever matches that i cover, the handicap doesnt seem to favourable to me. But this time, i decided to give a try at my luck for Man United to win the handicap.

Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.