The Centre Circle

Already 2-1 up on aggregate and with top players returning, Bayern Munich are a real threat to Sir Alex Ferguson and his team as the Munich side travel to Old Trafford for the Champions League 2nd leg. Despite going behind after just one minute to a Wayne Rooney goal last week in the Allianz Arena, Bayern dominated most of the rest of the game, and it was no surprise that the Germans turned the game around in dramatic style with goals from Ribery and Ivica Olic in stoppage time.

Whereas the Red Devils will be more than likely missing Wayne Rooney who has been so instrumental in the best that United have offered this season, the Bavarians will welcome back the often infuriating but sometimes brilliant Arjen Robben and their central midfield general Bastian Schweinsteiger who was suspended for the first leg.

Defending is not usually in the vocabulary of Louis Van Gaal and his team, and I think they will attack to try to grab an early away goal, especially as United looked very ineffective at the weekend against Chelsea. They are also very dangerous on the counter-attack away from home, proved by their stunning 4-1 win in Turin against Juventus in qualifying for the knock-out stages of this season’s Champions League. It is in wide areas that the Germans can hurt United, as they have true quality on both flanks. I think Robben and Ribery will severely test whoever Ferguson picks at fullback, be it Neville, Evra or the Da Silva twins. With either Olic or Miroslav Klose at centre forward, the Germans possess a genuine international proven goalscorer who will trouble Ferdinand and Vidic. They enter this game in good spirits having won at the weekend 2-1 away against Schalke 04, their nearest rivals for the Bundesliga.

United in contrast will need to radically improve after an insipid display on Saturday. Many people, including myself were unimpressed with Berbatov as Rooney’s replacement in the Chelsea defeat, and the team did not seem have the legs or energy to respond once they went behind. Maybe the aging legs of Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville are “catching up” with them. Michael Carrick will most probably return to provide a steadying influence in midfield and Nani and Valencia will need to have effective games if United will have success in opening up the German defence.

I see a very tricky night ahead for Manchester United, this one could go to the wire, continue right into extra time and even to penalty kicks. If so, and if I was a United fan (which I’m not), I’d be worried. We all know that the Germans never lose in penalty shoot out.