Allen Hamilton
What: UEFA Champions League
Who: Valencia vs Manchester United
When: Wednesday 29th August, 2010, at 19:45 UK Time
Where: Estadio Mestalla, Valencia, Spain
Coping Without Villa and Silva
It had long been mooted that Valencia would have to part with some of their prized assets to cope with an unsustainable level of debt, yet last summer Los Che kept hold of their two brightest stars; it was merely postponing the inevitable however, and this summer both David Villa and David Silva departed for Barcelona and Manchester City respectively.
Valencia did move to replace the irreplacable, bringing in the prolific Roberto Soldado from Getafe, Mehmet Topal from Turkish giants Galatasaray and the impressive La Liga performer Aritz Aduriz from Mallorca. And the story so far? Valencia sit on top of La Liga, looking for all the world fine without their two crown jewels. It is the new signings who had led the way, Soldado and Aduriz finding the back of the net with ease. Bursaspor were simply crushed in Los Che’s opening Champions League matchda. A trip to Turkey could have been tricky, but a 4-0 win made it seem more like child’s play.
About More than Just Wayne Rooney
It is a good thing Manchester United are about more than just Wayne Rooney, because the striker is having a terrible time at the moment. Dogged by allegations over his private life and the use of prostitutes, Rooney appears to be enduring domestic troubles that would test even the strongest of heart. Former England manager Kevin Keegan has said, watching Rooney against Bolton Wanderers at the weekend, that "his confidence is shot". It is hard not to agree with Keegan; this is not the Rooney of old.
Given that, it is perhaps something of a relief to the United faithful that Rooney will not travel to Valencia, missing out because of an ankle injury. Sir Alex Ferguson though does have elsewhere to turn. Bulgarian forward Dimitar Berbatov looks ready to take the team on his shoulders, while Michael Owen will be relishing the chance to claim a first team spot. With United inconsistent at present, and only able to manage a draw at home to Rangers in their first group game, a good performance in Spain is all the more important.
Recent form
Valencia:
Hercules 1-2 Valencia (19/09; La Liga)
Valencia 1-1 Atletico Madrid (22/09; La Liga)
Sporting Gijon 0-2 Valencia (25/09; La Liga)
Manchester United:
Manchester United 3-2 Liverpool (19/09; Premier League)
Scunthorpe 2-5 Manchester United (22/09; League Cup)
Bolton Wanderers 2-2 Manchester United (26/09; Premier League)
Key absences
Valencia: Vicente; Ever Banega
Manchester United: Ryan Giggs; Antonio Valencia; Michael Carrick (doubt); Owen Hargreaves; Wayne Rooney
Players to watch
Valencia – Roberto Soldadoz: Brought in as David Villa’s replacement, Roberto Soldado has a big job on his hands. Luckily for Los Che, he has shown a willingness to get stuck in with relish. The former Real Madrid youth teamer, who never quite managed to claim a regular spot at the Bernabeu, has a second chance with a big club at the Mestalla. Manchester United should watch out.
Manchester United – Dimitar Berbatov: The Bulgarian forward has finally begun to live up to the ability Sir Alex Ferguson knew he had. And with the dip in form of Wayne Rooney, it couldn’t have come at a better time. Arguably always more suited to Europe because of the technical nature of the continental game, Berbatov will be relied upon to breach the Valencia backline.
Match prediction
Valencia may come in to this game as La Liga leaders, but they have yet to play either Barcelona or Real Madrid. Nevertheless, the 4-0 victory away at Bursaspor should serve as a warning to Manchester United. The Red Devils themselves are not in the finest fettle, yet have more than enough quality to make victory in Spain a realistic prospect. However, a draw, with both sides scoring, looks a likely outcome.
