Matt Oldfield
What: Champions League – Group C
Who: Manchester United vs. Basel
When: Tuesday 27th September, 2011, at 19:45 UK time
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester, England
The Fight on Several Fronts
With the season really starting to heat up, the first signs of strain are emerging in the Manchester United camp. Injuries to key players Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez and Tom Cleverley have certainly checked the phenomenal progress made in the opening few weeks. A 3-0 League Cup win at Leeds United on Tuesday showed the depth of talent in Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad, but a disappointing 1-1 away draw against a robust Stoke City side on Saturday was evidence of just how important Rooney is to this Manchester United team. There were positives to be taken, however; goalkeeper David de Gea is finding form and Phil Jones continues his development into a world-class defender.
Having earned an important draw in their opening Champions League fixture away at Benfica, the Red Devils will be looking for a comprehensive home victory to really kick-start their campaign. As Ferguson stressed, points are what count: "If you get to 10 points, you know you’re into the next stage but we’d like to win the group anyway. If we win our next three games, we can utilise the squad”.
Changes will certainly be made however. With Rooney and Hernandez likely to miss this match, Michael Owen is expected to be given a chance to continue his recent good form up front, with either Dimitar Berbatov or the returning Danny Welbeck partnering him. Michael Carrick, Ji-Sung Park and Ryan Giggs are also expected to feature, bringing some much-needed experience to a young United side.
European Underdogs
After a decidedly shaky first half of the season, the defending Swiss champions seem to be finally finding their feet and have won five of their last six matches in all competitions, scoring 19 goals in the process. Thorsten Fink’s side do however remain in fourth place in their domestic league, eight points behind leaders FC Luzern.
With this in mind, the Champions League is all the more important for Basel and Fink rotated his team against FC Thun at the weekend to ensure they head to England in the best possible shape.
A kind group draw and a victory in their opening game against Romanian side Otelul Galati gives Basel a decent chance of progressing to the second stage. Benfica will be their biggest challenge, but Fink’s side will be looking to avoid defeat at Old Trafford first and foremost.
Recent form
Manchester United:
Manchester United 3-1 Chelsea (18/09; Premier League)
Leeds United 0-3 Manchester United (20/09; Carling Cup)
Stoke 1-1 Manchester United
(24/09; Premier League)
Basel:
FC Eschenbach 0-4 Basel
(17/09; Swiss Cup)
Basel 6-0 Lausanne-Sport (21/09; Swiss Super League)
FC Thun 1-1 Basel (24/09; Swiss Super League)
Key absences
Manchester United: Nemanja Vidic; Rafael; Wayne Rooney; Tom Cleverley; Javier Hernandez; Chris Smalling
Basel: Xherdan Shaqiri (suspended); Benjamin Huggel (suspended); Gilles Yapi; Valentin Stocker; Genseric Kusunga
Players to watch
Manchester United – Nani: With Rooney expected to miss this Champions League clash, the onus will be on the Portuguese international to provide Manchester United’s creative spark. Nani has been in explosive form so far this season, scoring three and setting up three in the Premier League, and he will be looking to carry this confidence into this clash. Width has been a key feature of United’s great start to the season, and Nani has been at the heart of it, thriving on the new competition for places caused by the arrival of Ashley Young. Nani says he is one of the best players in the world, and this is the type of game where he must prove it.
Basel – Alexander Frei and Fabian Frei: At opposite ends of the age scale, these two Swiss internationals represent Basel’s main attacking threat. Alexander Frei is Switzerland’s all-time top-scorer with 42 goals and the current top scorer in the Swiss Super League, while Fabian is a young midfielder with a good eye for goal. Having returned from a two-season loan spell at St Gallen, Fabian Frei has found the net four times this season, including one in Basel’s Champions League opener.
Match Prediction
Basel are a team with plenty of European experience and should not be underestimated, particularly on the counter-attack. However, Manchester United’s home form is impressive and Ferguson’s players will be looking to bounce back strongly after Saturday’s disappointment. United will have plenty of possession and should have the attacking nous to convert their chances. Manchester United 2-0 Basel.
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