[YOUTUBE]BDax48YTDl0[/YOUTUBE]
The big daddy of all sporting events is only hours away.
This one is tough to call. United should be favourites due to the home advantage and the fact some of our top defenders are out (Clichy and Gallas) but this one could easily go either way and will probably be epic.
If ma boy Gibbs can fill in for Clichy and deal with Ronaldo well then who knows.
I am so incredibly hyped for this one and am gunning for a 2-1 victory to the Arsenal.
To show my faith and belief I am plonking down all my credits on this one (ooooh)
The big daddy of all sporting events is only hours away.
This one is tough to call. United should be favourites due to the home advantage and the fact some of our top defenders are out (Clichy and Gallas) but this one could easily go either way and will probably be epic.
If ma boy Gibbs can fill in for Clichy and deal with Ronaldo well then who knows.
I am so incredibly hyped for this one and am gunning for a 2-1 victory to the Arsenal.
To show my faith and belief I am plonking down all my credits on this one (ooooh)
Manchester United-Arsenal: Key Personal Battles
The Gunners travel to Old Trafford for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final clash with United, and Goal.com has highlighted some crucial head-to-heads...
Such is Arsenal's injury mini-crisis that a recent breakthrough star, 19-year-old Kieran Gibbs, is likely to be faced by Manchester United's Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo on Wednesday evening.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Kieran Gibbs
Although Gibbs has acquitted himself well since stepping into the boots of the injured Gael Clichy at left-back, this is the ultimate mismatch on paper. To make matters worse, the Portuguese powerhouse has looked hungry in the Champions League knock-out rounds, turning in a fine performance in the first leg at Inter, although another starlet, Davide Santon, did okay, before scoring with a crucial, and stunning, strike in the second leg against Porto.
Gibbs has to be fearless – he will be given his age and ability – and ultra-concentrated at the same time. Still, it's up to the Gunners to keep tabs on Ronaldo as a team; he'll drift around anyway, without doubt. To leave him one-on-one with a rookie would be ridiculous, but it will happen at least fleetingly, so Arsene Wenger has to set out a flexible defensive stall.
Wayne Rooney vs. Kolo Toure
In the very heart of their defense, however, the visitors cannot afford to be flexible. In fact, Kolo Toure must be a colossus in an away back-line which could have the famous five – Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Carlos Tevez and Ryan Giggs – to deal with at various points during the game.
Squad depletion means that the Ivorian will likely line up beside a half-fit Johan Djourou, on whom he'll need to focus almost as much as he will the opposition. One gets the feeling that Rooney, on the form he's enjoying, will be allowed to link-up and use all his weapons in Europe, and not just his hustle in wide areas. Thus, Toure must lead by example and nullify the threat of the Red Devils' most complete attacker, lest the England man run riot.
Patrice Evra vs. Theo Walcott
Okay, skipper Cesc Fabregas scored a double at the weekend to down Middlesbrough, and his runs have been ultra-positive of late. However, he claims to be more comfortable in a deep role, and will have to prove it by mucking in at Old Trafford. In terms of the midfield, there's also Samir Nasri, who scored a brace of his own in the sides' previous meeting this season: a 2-1 win for the hosts at the Emirates.
For this game, though, Theo Walcott can't be ignored, for he's most likely to compensate for Andrey Arshavin's ineligibility, due to his occasional explosiveness.
Facing the mercurial winger will be left-back Patrice Evra, who is probably the most out-of-sorts player in the United set-up at present. He struggled against Porto, and against Spurs' Aaron Lennon at the weekend, so now is the time to raise his game significantly.
Nemanja Vidic vs. Emmanuel Adebayor
This clash probably looks better on paper, in all honesty, as the Togolese forward is again struggling for fitness. Still, he wasn't long back in the thick of things when he made a mockery of Villarreal over two legs, and will need special attention.
Vidic has steadied himself after a series of wobbles, and his return to form has just about kept the Manc machine on track for another Premier League title. He'll have to use both his strength and his positional awareness against an intelligent group of opponents, whilst taking responsibility for 'Ade', assuming he's in a condition to start.
For his part, Adebayor will look to pull Vidic out of position, and hold up long enough in the final third to receive support from the Gunners' speedsters.
Sir Alex Ferguson vs. Arsene Wenger
There'll be so many wiles transmitted from the two gaffers' craniums on Wednesday that broadcast equipment may begin to malfunction. For these two, this could be part one of the definitive Ferguson - Wenger classic.
Both managers have shown lately that they still have the raw management skills that brought them their elder statesman status in the first place. One can only imagine what 'Fergie' said to his troops at the weekend to turn a 2-0 deficit into an eventual 5-2 thrashing of Tottenham Hotspur, while 'The Professor' has turned an at-times threadbare squad into a winning machine.
They may have once been bitter rivals, but these men have grown to appreciate each other over the years, and are relishing this showdown, judging by their respective pre-match chatter.
In terms of this season's dugout wars, much of Ferguson vs. Rafa Benitez has been indirect combat, while Jose Mourinho's Inter weren't ready for the test. For Wenger, though, this could be a case of 'now or never'.
