Venue : Riverside Stadium, Middlesborough
Injury List
Manchester United : Gary Neville, Owen Hargreaves, Rio Ferdinand
Middlesborough : Chris Riggott, Emanuel Pogatetz
Sir Alex Ferguson says he will make as much as 8 changes to the squad that won Arsenal in midweek to rest some key players for the big one next Tuesday. “I have got a squad, and I intend to use it,” says Sir Alex. “The midfield will change and the players up front will also probably change. I’ll bring some freshness into the team in some important areas. That will be my predicted formation.
Form Guide: After a brief blip in March, Sir Alex’s men have won the last four league games and head to the Riverside on a high after a scintillating performance against Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday. Middlesbrough, on the other hand, have won just one of their last eight matches in all competitions and currently reside in the relegation zone. Gareth Southgate’s men are desperate for points and will take heart in the fact United have won just three times from the last eight visits to the Riverside. (Source : Manutd.com)
Middlesborough have a good record against the "Big Four" sides at home in recent years and are one of only two clubs to have beaten Liverpool in the league this season. They are unbeaten at the Riverside since the turn of the year, though five of those seven games have been draws, so perhaps this match-up is not the foregone conclusion it first appears. The Riverside stadium is also not a playground for Manchester United, lets just hope United can get a win there.
My point of view is, it will be a hard hard game as Middlesborough will fight for their lives to get out of the relegation zone and there is not much games left. It will be even harder for Manchester United as Sir Alex Ferguson will be fielding a much weakened side to rest some of the key players to prepare for the second leg clash against Arsenal. This will also be a chance for the "arrogant" Liverpool to close the gap, but lets hope this does not happen. Victory would give Sir Alex Ferguson's leaders a six-point cushion over second-placed Liverpool, with both teams having four games left to play.
Referee: Mark Halsey
Prediction : 0-2 win to United or maybe a draw
Previous result against Middlesborough this season:
1. Manchester United 1-0 Middlesborough (Barclays Premier League)
Dimitar Berbatov rescued the Red Devils from a draw by scoring from a volley into the back of the net. Cristiano Ronaldo argued with Emanuel Pogatetz during the half time interval in the tunnel while both teams were heading into the dressing room. A penalty should be awarded to Manchester United before the break from a foul by Pogatetz for choking Cristiano Ronaldo down to the ground to clear the ball away. However, refree Martin Atikson (the refree who hates United) did not gave the penalty to Manchester United. Park also missed an open goal to extend the lead. Apart from attacks, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic played well to keep the clean sheet.
2. Manchester United 3-1 Middlesborough (Carling Cup)
Manchester United eliminated Middlesborough out of the Carling Cup. Sir Alex Ferguson fielded a mixture of youngsters and some senior players for this one. Rodrigo Possebon suffered an injury by a hard tackle from Emanuel Pogatetz during this fixture. Goals from Ryan Giggs, Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo secured a spot for the next round in the Carling Cup.
Previous encounters against Middlesborough at the Riverside Stadium :
1. Middlesborough 2-2 Manchester United (Season 07/08, Premier League)
2. Middlesborough 2-2 Manchester United (Season 06/07, FA Cup)
3. Middlesborough 1-2 Manchester United (Season 06/07, Premier League)
4. Middlesborough 4-1 Manchester United (Season 05/06, Premier League)
5. Middlesborough 0-2 Manchester United (Season 04/05, Premier League)
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