Last Season placed English football club Manchester United FC in a do or die face off with Portugese SL Benfica. This season the duel is back on but according to Sir Alex Ferguson, this time they have only themselves to blame.
Successive defeats at FC København and Celtic FC have left United needing a point to progress from Group F against Portuguese visitors who tested their nemesis 12 months ago prompting the manager to complain about his club's taste for "doing it the hard way".
Bet on Manchester United v. Benfica Lissabon at Bodog.com
Sir Alex Ferguson hopes his players find the ruthless touch they were missing in their loss to Celtic on Matchday 5. Ferguson demands his players to take control and once in control of the game to take chances. Such control must also go hand in hand with finishing off, which has been the absent factor in Manchester’s latest games.
“The team is playing with such penetration and speed you are confident they will make chances." Said Alex Ferguson
On the previous version of this rivalry, Benfica came from behind to beat United 2-1 in Lisbon on December 7th last year, denying them a place in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage for the first time since 1994/95.
Bet on Manchester United v. Benfica Lissabon at Bodog.com
"Our pride was terribly hurt," recalled Sir Alex, who believes that setback acted as a spur to his players, who in 55 games since have won 38 and lost just eight. "Sometimes out of bad comes good. I think we are playing better, there is no question about that. Our form has been excellent."
Saturday's 2-1 victory at Middlesbrough FC put them six points clear at the Premiership summit and, according to Benfica coach Fernando Santos, United is "a different team this year, much stronger and challenging at the top of their league".
For Benfica, two points behind Celtic and United, only one result will do. "This is a one-off game, a final," said Santos. "We're going to try to achieve what we set out to do at the start, reach the knockout stage."
Benfica's record in England does not speak well, with eight defeats in ten matches. They did winn 2-0 at Liverpool FC on their most recent visit in March.
Coach Santos hopes his squad can play better then on the local tournament and win, "It is possible to beat United but it'll have to be a great Benfica performance. We have to be organised, compact, defend well and play well and that means making opportunities to score and scoring them. If we get chances we have to take them."
Portuguese teams have eliminated United in two of their previous three European campaigns but, predicting an open game, Sir Alex promised his players would show no caution. "Going for draws is not on the agenda of Man Utd and we will be going for the win."
Probable teams
United: Edwin van der Sar; Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidi?, Gabriel Heinze; Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, Ryan Giggs; Wayne Rooney, Louis Saha.
Benfica: Quim; Nélson, Luisão, Ricardo Rocha, Léo; Petit, Konstantinos Katsouranis, Nuno Assis, Simão; Nuno Gomes, Fabrizio Miccoli.
United is -285 at Bodog.com. I don’t like the value on it and think that although United could probably win this, Benfica’s need for a win is a better bet at +690. There can be no draw on this game, one has to win, United to settle a score and move on Benfica to move on and upset their arch-rival.
