Manchester United vs Blackburn: Preview

After the effective, if not inspiring, performance of the second string in the Carling Cup earlier in the week, normal service resumes this weekend as United face Blackburn in the Premier League.

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Rovers enjoyed a relatively safe passage into the quarter finals of that competition that none of the big guns tend to take very seriously the League Cup themselves on Tuesday night although Saturday should prove a much tougher hurdle for Sam Allardyce and his swine flu-hit charges to negotiate.

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With Ferguson guaranteed to reshuffle the pack following the victory over Barnsley, expect atleast eight or nine changes from the team that started at Oakwell. Edwin van der Sar will certainly replace Ben Foster in goal and you would expect that John O’Shea and Patrice Evra will slot back in to the two full-back positions.

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Having served his one-match suspension in the Carling Cup, Nemanja Vidic could return to the side although a calf problem renders him a doubt. The much maligned Rio Ferdinand is also struggling with a calf injury so don’t be surprised to see either Jonny Evans or Wes Brown featuring from the start.

In midfield Owen Hargreaves, Park Ji-Sung and Darren Fletcher remain on the sidelines while Ryan Giggs is reportedly struggling with a knee injury. That could see both Nani and Antonio Valencia starting on either flank with Anderson and Michael Carrick forming a central midfield partnership. Gabriel Obertan gave a good account of himself against Mark Robins’ Tykes on Tuesday although a place on the bench looks like the most he can hope for at this very early stage of his United career.

Up top, one would anticipate that Ferguson will opt for the familiar partnership of Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney although Michael Owen will also be in with a shout having took his goal superbly well the other night and generally looked sharp in the limited cameo role he played against Liverpool.

Speaking to the media, Ferguson explained that he is anticipating a difficult encounter with Blackburn, praising the role of Allardyce in picking up the pieces when Mark Hughes departed Ewood Park back in June 2008.

"I saw them recently against Burnley and they played really well in that game," he said.

"They have always been difficult to beat at Blackburn and I think Sam has built a different team from Mark Hughes' Blackburn.

"Quite a few decent players have left like David Bentley and Stephen Warnock and Sam has had to pick up the thread of what was left and replacing players of that quality was not easy."

Blackburn are likely to be without Christopher Samba and Jason Roberts who are both suffering from the effects of swine flu and Ferguson moved to insist that United have so far been unaffected by the pandemic.

"It's an interesting thing. Flu does happen. Whatever you call it, you had Asian flu a couple of years ago with players missing games," he added.

"Fortunately so far we have been okay."

Sir Alex may have called for caution ahead of Saturday’s meeting at Old Trafford although anything but a resounding three points would surely fan the flames of the critics even further.

While Sunderland recently caused something of a stir when they deservedly left the Theatre of Dreams with a point, Rovers have only won once in the Premier League at the home of the champions, back in September 2005.

You would hope that the lads will be ready to prove a point following events at Anfield last weekend and with Blackburn’s dismal recent away record in England’s top flight (nine away defeats on the trot), United should be looking to dominate this one from the off.

Prediction: 2-0 United

The RedCafe.net Podcast Episode 12

Coming up on episode twelve of the RedCafe.net podcast, Steve, Dan and Dov attempt to work out exactly what went wrong against Liverpool, while praising the performance of the youngsters in the Carling Cup.

The lads will also be discussing whether it’s time for Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic to move aside and Dov attempts to explain just how Jamie Carragher didn’t get sent off on Sunday.

As well as the rest of the regular features, Dov will be looking at Alex Stepney’s fantastic United career in his legend’s profile and the pod will preview the visit of Blackburn to Old Trafford this coming Saturday.

You can subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes.

Do make sure you keep an eye out for regular Twitter updates and get yourself signed up to the RedCafe.net Podcast Facebook group too!

Thanks very much for all your support and enjoy the show!

Barnsley vs Manchester United: Preview

You’re only as good as your last game and following eleven without defeat, Sunday proved something of a wake-up call. United certainly need to up the ante and fortunately they won’t have to wait very long to attempt to put things right. A little over 50 hours to be precise as a trip to Barnsley in the Carling Cup will hopefully lift spirits, if ever so slightly, following the depressing result at Anfield.

It’s been eleven years since we last visited Oakwell where Andy Cole and Teddy Sheringham were on target in a 2-0 win. You may or may not be aware that the current Barnsley manager, Mark Robins, once scored a winning goal against Nottingham Forest for United back in 1990 that is widely believed to have saved Sir Alex Ferguson’s bacon at Old Trafford. He certainly hasn’t looked back since.

You would expect that Ferguson is bound to make a plethora of changes for the tie although he should stop short of picking an entirely different eleven to Sunday. Ben Foster or Tomasz Kuszczak will replace Edwin van der Sar in goal and the back four should definitely see starts for both Wes Brown and Jonny Evans. Gary Neville or Rafael could feature at right-back while Fabio may replace Patrice Evra on the left-hand-side of defence despite his red card in the third round against Wolves.

Following Gabriel Obertan’s return from injury, it has been confirmed that he will make his first appearance for the first team. Darron Gibson should definitely vacate a central midfield slot and Darren Fletcher could come in alongside him having missed out in recent weeks through injury.

Magnus Eikrem will be desperate to show what he is all about following a string of polished performances for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s second string although one would suspect he will only make the bench. With Obertan expected to start on the right, Nani or Zoran Tosic will most likely be selected on the left.

With Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen and Dimitar Berbatov all involved against Liverpool, Federico Macheda and Danny Welbeck could be given the chance to impress up top. After a lively debut in the previous round, expect Josh King to appear later on in the game as an impact sub too.

Speaking prior to the match on Tuesday evening, Ferguson has challenged the Reds to prove their credentials by recovering from the defeat to Liverpool.

“Part of the challenge is to get over disappointments,” he said.

“Last season we lost at home 4-1 to Liverpool which was a travesty but we went on to win the league.”

While Sir Alex may be directing his comments more specifically at those who are to be involved against Blackburn this coming weekend, a result against Barnsley will be the first step in the right direction before the vitally important visit of Sam Allardyce’s side. The critics have already surfaced once again despite 10 wins from our previous 12 although anything but a victory against Barnsley and the knives will be sharpened even further.

So what exactly stands in the way of United and a safe passage to the quarter-finals of a competition that has served us so well in recent times? Well Barnsley are struggling in the Championship where they currently sit in 20th place, four points above the relegation spots. Having put together a decent run at the beginning of October, the south Yorkshire club have lost their last two on the spin.

Despite their relatively poor league standing, the Tykes put on an impressive show to knock Burnley out in the last round of the Carling Cup and watch out for Daniel Bogdanovic, the Maltese striker who has scored four goals in eight for Barnsley so far this season.

Prediction: 3-0 United

The RedCafe.net Podcast Episode 11

Coming up on episode eleven of the RedCafe.net podcast, Steve, Dan and Dov discuss the latest results against CSKA Moscow and Bolton and what it may take to force Antonio Valencia to smile.

The lads also chat about the absence of Rooney and just how effective a long-term Berbatov/Owen attacking partnership could be.

As well as the rest of the regular features, the pod will be welcoming Goal.com UK’s Liverpool correspondent Neil Jones on the show to get his take on the huge game coming up this weekend at Anfield.

You can subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes.

Do make sure you keep an eye out for regular Twitter updates and get yourself signed up to the RedCafe.net Podcast Facebook group too!

Thanks very much for all your support and enjoy the show!

Liverpool vs Manchester United: Preview

Could there really be a better time to beat Liverpool? If there is, I’d like to know the scenario. The struggles of our bitter rivals have certainly been well documented over the past few days as they endure their worst sequence of results for some 22 years.

Victory for United at Anfield on Sunday would signify Liverpool’s fifth straight defeat and would open up the gap between the two sides to 10 points in the Premier League. Furthermore, despite the recent vote of confidence, a negative result for the Merseysiders could quite plausibly call a halt to Rafael Benitez’s reign at the club.

Talk about significance. Some may say the less said about it the better as Liverpool, and Benitez in particular, have something of an uncanny knack of escaping even the stickiest of situations.
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Sir Alex couldn’t have played it any better in midweek as a potentially tricky trip to Moscow was made decidedly easy as that disciplined 4-5-1 system we have become accustomed to seeing for away fixtures in Europe once again prevailed. Giggs, Rooney and Fletcher were even afforded the evening off and everything, more or less, went according to plan.

The big team news from a United perspective is centred around Wayne Rooney. We were led to believe he would be fighting fit for Anfield on Sunday although Ferguson has now revealed that he is facing an uphill struggle to make it.

Edwin van der Sar will undoubtedly continue in goal with a back four of John O’Shea, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra in front of him. Darren Fletcher remains a doubt so the midfield could shape up with Antonio Valencia and Nani on either flank and Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick forming a partnership in the middle.

Beach balls may be banned from entering Anfield on Sunday but Michael Owen certainly isn’t and, depending on Rooney’s fitness, he could be set for a key role against his former employers. Dimitar Berbatov should definitely start and an Owen goal? Well you couldn’t even begin to script it, could you?

In his Friday press conference, Ferguson discussed his belief that form goes out of the window in games like these.

"Manchester United and Liverpool games, as I have said many times, are without question massive games. That will never change," the United boss said.

"We are going in in decent form, there is good confidence in our play, but it is a derby game and anything can happen in derby games.

"Going to Anfield at any time is a hard game."

Despite the history between Ferguson and Benitez, the Scot was quick to point out that he would rather focus on United rather than the predicament currently being faced by his opposite number.

"I'm not interested in Liverpool," the 67-year-old added.

"I'm only concerned about what we do on Sunday."

Benitez, meanwhile, has hinted that victory against United could "change everything" in terms of his precarious situation at Liverpool.

"I am really relaxed in terms on my position because I know how we are working on the pitch every day" the former Valencia manager said.

"I'm sure that once we win the first game, everything will change.

"This game against United could be the right opportunity for us because it's a massive game against our rivals and the fans will be behind the team from the first minute until the last. We can change everything."

So this is it. A huge game for us and surely a defining game for Liverpool and Benitez’s tenure. It would be foolish to completely write off Carragher and co although the severity of a backlash will surely hinge on the wellbeing of Gerrard and Torres.

Having stretched our unbeaten run to 11 games on the spin following victory in Moscow in midweek, confidence should be sky-high within the United camp. A win on Sunday will surely send Liverpool’s title aspirations up in smoke, indeed if their hopes haven’t disintegrated already.

Prediction: 1-1

CSKA Moscow vs Manchester United: Preview

It’s been quite a week! From beach balls to touchline brawls and slack marking to summit embarking. Now Moscow and the artificial pitch awaits for Ferguson and his charges where three more points would go even further to sealing United’s progression into the next phase of the Champions League.
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It’s worth noting that trips to the Luzhniki Stadium haven’t been too unkind in recent years either, although CSKA certainly won’t be a proverbial walk in the park or synthetic grass as you may like to put it.

Following his absence from Saturday’s victory over Bolton, Wayne Rooney continues to miss out with the calf injury he picked up whilst playing for England. That does, however, give another chance for Michael Owen to prove his worth and continue to develop a partnership with Dimitar Berbatov.

Ryan Giggs did get through 90 minutes against the Trotters on the weekend, although he has not travelled with the squad to Moscow. You would assume that he probably wouldn’t have been given the nod even if he was fully fit and with Liverpool in mind, it makes sense to allow the Welshman the evening off to rest up.

That could quite realistically present Nani with a terrific opportunity. Having scored an impressive goal for his country last week, the former Sporting Lisbon man should be chomping at the bit to show what he’s about and the ideal scenario may be to afford him the chance to go and express himself in Russia. It may be last chance saloon for the 22-year-old this season and it’s these sort of chances that he has to firmly clutch with both hands.

Patrice Evra is another to have stayed in Manchester so one would expect John O’Shea to switch to left-back with Wes Brown operating on the right hand side of the defence. Rio Ferdinand survived a further barrage of criticism following a steady showing on Saturday so he should continue alongside Jonny Evans with Nemanja Vidic possibly being rested for the trip to Anfield. Edwin van der Sar should continue in goal.

United will also be without Darren Fletcher and Park Ji-Sung through injury so that should see a definite start for Paul Scholes with one of Anderson or Michael Carrick alongside him. With Nani undoubtedly occupying one flank, Antonio Valencia, fresh from his first competitive goal for the club, should start on the other.

In the build-up to the encounter, Ferguson admitted that he wasn’t concerned about playing on an artificial pitch, hinting that he would be happy with a draw in Moscow.

“CSKA are a young side who know what they are doing and have one win behind them already,” the Scot said, as quoted by the Daily Mail.

“Also, their home advantage means more than usual because they play on an artificial plastic surface. I don’t have a problem with that, though, because we can cope and I am looking to our back-to-back games against CSKA to take us to 10 points and a place in the knockout stages.”

CSKA certainly shouldn’t be underestimated although despite Sir Alex’s best efforts to play down the need for a resounding result, and even with something of a depleted squad, three points should most definitely be in reach for the Reds.

The Moscow outfit are a little off the pace in the Russian Premier League, seven points behind leaders Rubin Kazan in fourth spot having played 25 games of the season (which kicked off in March). They did, however, beat Besiktas in the last round of Champions League fixtures and keep your eye out for goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, a player who has been linked with a switch to Old Trafford in recent times.

Prediction: 1-0 United

Squad in full: Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Foster; Neville, Rafael, O’Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Brown, J Evans, C Evans, Fabio; Valencia, Scholes, Carrick, Anderson, Nani; Owen, Berbatov, Macheda, Welbeck.

Manchester United vs Bolton: Preview

International week is finally over and at last we can look forward to the return of the Premier League. The international break probably couldn’t have come at a better time in fairness as most of the lads were afforded the opportunity to escape from the club environment following the pedestrian performance against Sunderland.

Bolton at the Reebok is never easy. Bolton at Old Trafford, on the other hand, should be fairly straightforward. Although following the events of a couple of Saturday’s ago and the fact that Wayne Rooney is out, the Trotters at home becomes a far tougher hurdle to negotiate.

Anyone who watched England’s victory over Belarus in midweek will have noticed Ben Foster nudged his way back into international contention. While he still looks as nervous as ever when the ball’s in the air, a world class save from point blank range certainly went some way in helping him book a spot on the plane destined for South Africa.

Unfortunately for Foster, it looks like sporadic appearances in the Carling Cup await him for the rest of this season at United. Edwin van der Sar’s long awaited return is finally upon us as the Dutchman successfully completed ninety minutes for the reserves last Tuesday and his first team return now looks rather ominous.

John O’Shea should resume at right-back following a string of impressive displays with Patrice Evra bombing up and down the left. While I don’t want to be drawn into the Rio Ferdinand debate too much, my argument is that form is temporary, class is permanent. Rio is certainly lacking confidence at the moment and you’d be foolish to ignore that point but the only way to build his confidence back up will be to give him games. I would be surprised, nay shocked, if Rio didn’t line up alongside Vidic on Saturday.

In midfield, both Nani and Valencia scored for their respective nations over the past week and will be battling it out for a starting berth on the right. Following a prolonged period of rest one would suspect Ryan Giggs will get the nod but it becomes something of a guessing game for the central midfield pairing. Given that Scholes should be afforded plenty of room to assert his authority, expect him to start alongside Fletcher.

Upfront it would appear that Michael Owen has managed to shake off his recent groin problem so he should start and depending on whether Berbatov returns from Bulgaria in time, Ryan Giggs may be moved into a more advanced position. Coincidentally, one more league goal for the Welshman and that’s his 100th in the Premier League.

From a statistical perspective Ferguson should be full of confidence heading into the game having triumphed over Bolton in eight of the last nine Premier League meetings.

As for the pre-match comment, Ferguson has hailed Ben Foster as England’s best option in the goalkeeping department.

“I still feel he [Foster] is the best English goalkeeper around,” the United boss said.

“He has been outstanding in a lot of things. The save he made on Wednesday [for England against Belarus] was typical of his performance level with us, too. They are a demonstration of the guy’s ability.

“But he still has not had a lot of game time and experience. His injuries have curtailed the progress he was making.

“He is only going to get better, though, and there is no question he will be a fantastic goalkeeper.”

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Bolton boss Gary Megson, meanwhile, has insisted that he won’t go to Old Trafford with the same mentality as the Sunderland side that claimed a point a fortnight ago.

“Sunderland got a good result there two weeks ago, but it doesn’t mean to say everybody going there is going to get a good result,” he said.

“It’s not a blueprint, the way Sunderland played – the game just went that way for them.
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“To play exactly the same way Sunderland do, or like any other team, you have got to have exactly the same players – so we have just got to go there and look at what is best for ourselves, not at what other football clubs have done in the past.”

After last weekend I’m sure most United fans, myself included, would just be happy with three points and a decent performance whatever the final result on Saturday. It will certainly prove a big test with regards to our ability to cope without Rooney and what a golden chance this could be for one Michael Owen.

Prediction: 2-0 United

The RedCafe.net Podcast Episode 10

On a special episode of the RedCafe.net Podcast, the lads are joined by Andy Mitten, founder and editor of the United We Stand Fanzine, and football writer for FourFourTwo magazine and the Independent.

Andy will be talking about the launch of his two new books 'When Football Was Football: Manchester United' and 'Glory Glory!'. He’ll also be sharing some fascinating stories on United and the wider world of football: Ruud van Nistelrooy and the honest truth, mortgage advice for Roy Keane and Gabriel Heinze the rude boy!

You can subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes.

Do make sure you keep an eye out for regular Twitter updates and get yourself signed up to the RedCafe.net Podcast Facebook group too!

Thanks very much for all your support and enjoy the show!

The RedCafe.net Podcast Episode 9

On episode nine of the RedCafe.net podcast, Steve, Dan and Dov reflect on the results against Sunderland and Wolfsburg ahead of this week’s international break.

The lads also debate whether Ben Foster has had one chance too many to hang onto the goalkeeping jersey and whether Nani and Valencia will start to deliver.

As well as the rest of the regular features, Dov will be bringing you a special Legends profile and there’s news of the reserves getting back to winning ways in somewhat emphatic style.

You can subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes.

Do make sure you keep an eye out for regular Twitter updates and get yourself signed up to the RedCafe.net Podcast Facebook group too!

Thanks very much for all your support and enjoy the show!

Manchester United vs Sunderland: Preview

A former United stalwart returns to Old Trafford this weekend (along with a few other familiar faces), bringing along with him a Sunderland team that have endured something of a yoyo start to the season. Yes Steve Bruce skippered the Reds to three Premier League titles once upon a time but he will be desperately hoping to outwit his former mentor in the opposing dugout come Saturday.

To get the ball rolling, the Black Cats haven’t won at the Theatre of Dreams in some 41 years. With eight wins on the bounce for the Reds heading into the game, anything but victory would surely be deemed a disappointing result.

Following the hard fought triumph over an aesthetically pleasing Wolfsburg on Wednesday, three points at home in the Premier League is certainly a must in order to keep things ticking over. Sunderland, on the other hand, were 5-2 winners against Wolves in their last outing, a deceptively flattering scoreline as I’m sure those who witnessed the encounter will testify.

The main bits of team news from a United perspective refers to opposite ends of the pitch. After putting in a steady shift without covering himself in glory against the German champions, Tomasz Kuszczak will have to settle for a place on the bench as Ben Foster resumes as Edwin van der Sar’s Premier League deputy. Michael Owen's latest injury, meanwhile, will keep him out of action for the forthcoming round of international fixtures next weekend.

At the back you would envisage little change with Ferdinand and Vidic at centre-back and Patrice Evra and John O’Shea on either side of them.

Ryan Giggs’ cameo on Wednesday evening brought about his 150th career goal for United and the landmarks are coming around thick and fast as a strike against Sunderland will see him notch up his 100th Premier League goal. Your guess is as good as mine as to who Fergie may decide to play on Saturday (you've probably a better chance of predicting the lottery results in fairness) but given the current rotation policy and that we should be afforded plenty of space, expect Scholes and Fletcher to possibly start with Nani and Valencia on the flanks as Park remains doubtful with a virus.

That leaves Rooney and Berbatov to head up the attack, a partnership that is showing signs of flourishing and should come to life against the frailties of a Sunderland defence that is hardly up there with the best in the league.

The big decision Steve Bruce will have to make is whether to sit back and soak up pressure or attack United from the off and hope for the best. Whatever tact the one-time United captain decides to go with, Darren Bent will undoubtedly start having scored eight in his last nine Premier League starts.

Speaking to the media, Ferguson explained that he is hardly relishing the task of picking his team with so many players fighting fit and on top of their games at the moment.

"We've a strong squad. The problem with having everyone fit is picking the right team," he is quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

"Our two central midfielders - Michael Carrick and Anderson - were fantastic against Wolfsburg, and I thought Darren Fletcher and Paul Scholes were outstanding at Stoke. It is giving me a real headache."

The United boss went on to praise the managerial work of his former player and that he expects Sunderland to achieve big things with Bruce at the helm.

"He's had experience of the other side, from down there scrapping at Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, Huddersfield, Birmingham, and the job he did at Wigan in his second spell there last time was fantastic, almost getting them into a European place,” Ferguson added.

"Now he's had the chance to spend some money and he's looking good. Steve's galvanised the club already, and you can see something great happening there. Hopefully not against us on Saturday."

On the other side of the fence, Bruce paid tribute to Ryan Giggs, a player he labels one of the greatest to have graced the Premier League.

"He started in 1993 and where are we now, 2009? Jesus. And to play at the level he has been doing, he has to be the greatest ever player to have played in the Premier League” he is quoted as saying by the Telegraph.

"Not just because of his longevity but because he is playing for Manchester United and still getting man of the match awards.

"For me he is their best player, at his age as well."

Saturday’s match will be the 13th time that Bruce has gone head-to-head with Sir Alex with the Scot possessing a record of ten wins and two draws to date. The former Birmingham City manager may fancy his chances more than ever before considering the form of Darren Bent but the likes of Vidic and Ferdinand haven’t been in opposition before now.

Anything but a comprehensive result will clearly be frowned upon and bar an absolutely unbelievable Sunderland performance a woefully poor United showing, a comfortable victory should prove the final outcome and put further pressure on Chelsea needing to gain a positive result against Liverpool the day after.

Prediction: 2-0

The RedCafe.net Podcast Episode 8

On episode eight of the RedCafe.net podcast, Steve, Dan and Dov look back at a memorable day for John O’Shea at the Britannia Stadium.

As well as the regular features of the week, we have the return of the ‘Legends’ profile and we check up on our boys who are on loan at other clubs in ‘Loan Watch’.

We also look forward to the Champions League match against Wolfsburg and Saturday’s match against Sunderland. Can Steve Bruce overcome his mentor?

You can subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes.

Do make sure you keep an eye out for regular Twitter updates and get yourself signed up to the RedCafe.net Podcast Facebook group too!

Thanks very much for all your support and enjoy the show!