UCL ~ Manchester United vs Lille ~ 07 Mar

zocoss SG

UEFA Champions League Wednesday, 07 March 2007

VS

Man Utd v Lille (agg 1-0),
ESPN Ch 23 - 3:45 am - (Live) (Thur morning)

Manchester United: Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Neville, O'Shea, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Silvestre, Heinze, Ronaldo, Park, Scholes, Carrick, Giggs, Richardson, Rooney, Larsson, Saha, Smith.

Lille: Sylva, Chalme, Plestan, Tavlaridis, Tafforeau, Debuchy, Bodmer, Makoun, Obraniak, Michel Bastos, Fauvergue, Cabaye, Odemwingie, Audel, Malicki, Schmitz, Lichtsteiner, Mirallas.

zocoss SG

Rooney faces scan on knee injury

Rooney was withdrawn after 73 minutes of the match at Liverpool Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney will have a scan on Sunday to determine the extent of the knee problem he sustained at Liverpool.

Rooney, injured when he went in for a tackle with Jamie Carragher, appears to be doubtful for Wednesday's crucial Champions League tie with Lille.

"Wayne will go for a scan," manager Sir Alex Ferguson told the club website. "It was a bad tackle - Carragher got him right on the knee. We'll have to see how he is."

Rooney was substituted after 73 minutes of the Premiership match at Anfield and replaced by John O'Shea, who scored the late winner in United's 1-0 victory.

United lead 1-0 after the first leg of their European tie with Lille, Ryan Giggs scoring a late goal with a quickly taken free-kick.

4getmenot SG

We'll finish Lille off in OT like we would and our fans will show them how a football fan should behave no matter what Twisted Evil

zocoss SG

I belief this is not going to be an easy game... With Solskjaer already out until April, may also miss Rooney... and Larsson's 2nd last match for utd... Lille will be going all out... i am afraid if they can't win, they may start to play rough... Neutral

iceFatboy SG

till date, has anyone heard anything from UEFA about the goal cause I thought it was to be decide last friday?

I think SAF may adopt the same strategy as Anfield, soak and attack.

4getmenot SG

dun think thats wise, Anfield played really good fast attacking football last saturday like lille, but Lille unlike Liverpool is faster to thread back during counter atack, they are more or less like Arsenal with a bunch of young players who are eager to show and proof, sitting back like ducks would backfire on us. However i'm more afraid of how Lille would be playing at OT, would they be playing football? or would they be playing gladiators instead??

allentyb SG

LONG LIVE Lille

I hope they kick out Man utd

zocoss SG

UEFA TURN DOWN LILLE'S GIGGS APPEAL

UEFA have rejected Lille's attempts to invalidate Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs' winning goal in their Champions League match. The French side lost 1-0 to a late, quickly-taken free-kick in Lens last week but the club appealed to UEFA, claiming there had been a technical error by the referee in allowing the Wales winger to convert the set-piece without blowing his whistle.

UEFA's control and disciplinary body previously vetoed the claim and that decision has been ratified by the UEFA's appeals body.

"The appeals body supported the original decision that there was no proof of a technical error, and validated the result in Lens, a 1-0 victory to the English club," said a statement on UEFA's official website.

"Lille will have the possibility of making a further appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport within three days of receiving notification of the UEFA appeals body's ruling."

zocoss SG

There is no need to play "soak and attack", this is OT... If can, go out and finish them by the end of the first half. If utd can get 2 goals, it should be game over.

red_amoeba SG

assuming Rooney out - then SAF's only choice will be to partner Larsson with Saha.

When Larsson leaves, he'll push Giggs upfront as striker - like he's done before to partner with Saha.

For Lille, its for sure they'll go all out - they've got nothing to lose. And I don't suggest Man U go defending, they are not the defending type - I think they shld attack - Man U is feared for their fast counterattack, they shld continue doing so.

Midfield - I think Scholes can still play right? so, scholes, giggs, ronaldo & carrick. I think Silvestre / Heninz shld take place of Evra.

Come this Sat, its going to be a tough away game to Middlesbrough man....and without Scholes & Rooney (assuming he's still injured)...

Spica SG

yes...Utd can usually score from those fast "run-down-the-flank" counter attacks. But I feel they are not aggressive enough in their tackles, usually waiting for the opponent to lose the ball and not try to get the ball back.

I noticed this with the Fulham match, and again with Pool on sat. Muz play more agressive (but not rough) with Lille, if not they will butcher us. Mad

jianfish9 SG

Get all the strong guys like O'Shea and go in fight with them. Hope they play Heinze instead of Evra. Evra defense is really quite poor. Also, ought to keep Ronaldo on the bench still 2nd half or something otherwise kena chop by the Lille gangsters.

But Lille are really sore, keep on appealing and appealing. Seriously, would UEFA kick Man Utd out in favour of Lille? UEFA don't like money isit?

iceFatboy SG

horsefly, shooo...

4getmenot SG

ey.. u worry bout your team first lar.. Rolling Eyes

zocoss SG

Rooney all clear to take on Lille

MANCHESTER UNITED were last night given a huge Champions League boost with the news that Wayne Rooney is fit to face Lille. Rooney limped out of Uniteds 1-0 victory over Liverpool on Saturday with a knee injury. The club feared he would miss the second-round, second-leg clash with Lille at Old Trafford tomorrow night. But doctors yesterday gave Rooney the all clear to manager Alex Fergusons relief.

Uniteds most decorated player, Ryan Giggs, insists the fear that each game might be his last spurs him on to continue winning. The Welsh winger played in his 700th competitive game for the Red Devils at Anfield and now has Bobby Charltons club appearance record of 759 in his sights.

Giggs, 33, said: Because you get older and are getting closer to the end, you try to enjoy it a lot more. The aim is to win every game and every competition, because it might be the last FA Cup final you play in, it might be the last FA Cup game you play in. You try and make the most of it, you try and win as much as you can.

Giggs could pass Charltons appearance landmark at some stage next season. But he insisted: That is something which is getting talked about a lot more.

However, its something Ive not really taken any notice of. If I did it would be great, it would be a tremendous achievement. At the moment I just keep looking at the next step, the next game.

Lille midfielders Mathieu Bodmer and Laurent Cabaye have been ruled out of tomorrows match. Playmaker Bodmer has an ankle injury while Cabaye has not recovered from a stomach-muscle tear.

zocoss SG

EVRA MISSES UNITED TRAINING

Patrice Evra appears to be a major doubt for Manchester United's Champions League return with Lille at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

The French full-back, who has been in fine form this season, was a notable absentee as the Red Devils went through their final training session ahead of the Champions League knockout clash.

Evra played in Saturday's Barclays Premiership win at Liverpool but if the former Monaco star is not available, his place will almost certainly go to Gabriel Heinze.

With the exceptions of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Darren Fletcher (both knee) who had already been ruled out, all of Sir Alex Ferguson's first team squad were put through their paces at United's Carrington training HQ on Tuesday morning.

United boast a one-goal advantage from the first leg courtesy of Ryan Giggs' controversial late free-kick, which has already been the subject of two unsuccessful appeals to UEFA by Lille.

The French outfit are still seething at the goal and have not yet ruled out a further appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Manchester United Van der Sar, Kuczszak, Neville, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, O'Shea, Silvestre, Evra, Heinze, Ronaldo, Park, Scholes, Carrick, Giggs, Richardson, Larsson, Saha, Rooney, Smith.

zocoss SG

Ferguson also revealed midfielder Darren Fletcher, who was initially sidelined for a fortnight after picking up an ankle knock in the FA Cup win at Reading last week, would now miss virtually the remainder of the season after the Scot's scan results were worse than initially feared.

"Darren has damaged his ankle ligaments," said Ferguson.

"He had a lot of swelling and we had to wait for it to go down before we could do the scan."

iceFatboy SG

now we not only have to worry about this match, we have to worry about the remaining last few EPL games.

our injuries are piling up.. we need a boost, ALAN SMITH!!!

CKeer SG

Come on United~ Laughing
2-0 vicory~ And to stop Lille childish acts, Rooney and Ronaldo scores with deft chip and venomous volley. Very Happy

Cheers.
C.K

zocoss SG

PREVIEW - Manchester United vs Lille

Sir Alex Ferguson has warned his Manchester United players not to get sucked into a war with Lille at Old Trafford. The French side are still seething over Ryan Giggs' controversial late winner at the Stade Felix-Bollaert a fortnight ago.

Having had two claims against the goal turned down by UEFA, Lille's sense of injustice has only increased, with their camp openly questioning Giggs' integrity over the quickly-taken free-kick the Welshman insists he would convert again if he had the chance.

With the memories of Lille's last visit to Old Trafford - when Giggs sustained a fractured cheekbone following a dubious challenge from Efstathios Tavlaridis - still fresh in the mind, Ferguson has told his players not to let their minds get distracted from the task of protecting their narrow advantage and securing a quarter-final place.

The United boss said: ``Our focus is firmly on qualifying, nothing else. `It is hard to understand why they are still going on about it but there is no reason for us to get involved in grievances or any emotional attachment to the game.

`This is a big event for us. It is important we progress and do better than we have done in the previous few years.''

Ferguson did allow himself a little chortle when it was suggested United should again try the quick free-kick routine which led to Lille almost storming off the field, a move likely to be punished by UEFA at an independent hearing on March 22, which will also encompass the security problems which saw riot police fire tear gas into the visiting section of the ground.

However, the Scot grew much more serious when the specific allegations against Giggs were mentioned. Ferguson rebutted: ``I do not think we should try to defend Ryan Giggs given the career he has had. `His career does that for him. I won't get involved in that.''

It is 11 years since Ajax became the only side in Champions League history to overturn a first-leg deficit inflicted on home soil to advance in a knockout tie - Panathinaikos the hapless victims - so United would not appear to have too much to disturb them.

They may not have been at their best over the past couple of weeks but four successive away wins, culminating in Saturday's potentially pivotal Barclays Premiership victory at Liverpool, has emphasised the staying power of Ferguson's troops.

Yet, in failing on two occasions to beat their French opponents last season, and by losing to both Copenhagen and Celtic already this term, the Red Devils know little is certain in European football these days.

Ferguson continued: ``Europe is a test, it doesn't matter who you play.

``You cannot take anything for granted as it proved last year and against Celtic and Copenhagen, when we were very careless.

``But I trust the players because they are showing great expression in their game.

``We are approaching the game in a good mind and with a strong spirit, so we have a big chance.''

With Louis Saha injured and Patrice Evra doubtful, Henrik Larsson and Gabriel Heinze seem certain to start, while Alan Smith is virtually guaranteed a place on the bench even though he has not made a first-team appearance since the Carling Cup defeat at Southend in November.