Willing, I don't see him going for three strikers at the start, remember Park and Fletcher are big game players and he will want to have some space for them, your line sio mbaya!!!

I think United will down Barca on sato!!!!

@ Willin....I don't think SAF can risk fielding 3 strikers against a team like Barca. They are an attacking side so the priority will be how to stop them from playing their free flowing football. Fletcher should be a must in the starting line up, otherwise naona kichapo tena.

This is the lineup SAF should go with:- Vds,Evra,vida,rio,fabio,valencia,giggs,carrick,Park,rooney,chica. 3 strikers is sucidal, park will be played to nullify barcas midfield trio.

Barca's threat that most people don't see is the attacking fullbacks Alves and Abidal/maxwell... as what happens is that the the midfield of opposition teams gets stretched out wide and pegged back ... (thereby conceding possession).

If rooney can fall back into that pocket that Busquets thrives in, it will break up barca's buildup play. But Man u must REMAIN COMPACT (barca's midfield hardly ever passes the ball more than 10-15 yards between players but is however very mobile)

Dani Alves is the weak line IMHO on the barca side, as he hardly tracks back (especially if your team always has 78% possesion).

The way i know SAF, 5 in midfield with Chica upfront and rooney playing as an attacking midfielder. Puyol may struggle against chica.

On the other side, Man U's weakness is Carrick. he only survives when a team does not have a competent attacking midfielder... if Man u sit deep, Carrick has a knack for losing concentration and gets sucked deep in.

How I hate armchair experts!!

May the best team win.

Now my input...
There is one man SAF has to take care of irrespective of whom he fields and that person is SERGIO BUSCUETS. Ignore him and you are doomed. take care of hi and you have equal chances to win, if not better. Every coach in spain knows that, including the special one. so i assume SAF knows the same.

Read Steve McLaren analysis here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sp...i/football/13288954.stm

i think it will be a very tight and highly technical game. plenty of nerves all around. at some point tempers will fly, especially when barca start acting... feigning injury to get opponent penalised. should a man-u player get yellow carded early on, then focus will be on him... if he so much as touches or farts near a barca player...red card. i feel for man-u to win, they must score first. otherwise this may just be an avalanche should barca score first

Sasa wewe javelin expert. BK, don't you know previews and opinions are very much part of the game?

Si basi uende kwa post ya Julie and menopause or more appropriately the one I've seen on ABK!?

@willing SAF would be crazy to put people like Owen in a game against Barca...@Sac has said it like it is....a compact 4-5-1 with Rooney playing as the attacking midfielder, Valencia and Park/Giggs out on the wings and Fletcher/Anderson and Carrick as holding. Then you have to hope that each Man Utd player gives the performance of their lives and we do something with the 30% possession we're bound to get. Every chance on goal should be converted. You also have to pray Barca do not switch it on the way they did in the first leg of the El Classico.

Behind I'd chance O'Shea over Rafael because Rafael is bound to make a rash challenge on mst likely Villa and O'Shea does not overlap too much. Some luck would also be welcome.

The longer we wait for the match the more I have belief Man Utd will stun the favourites (Yes Pep, Barca are the favourites despite your mind games )

You can't call it a warm up because it was akina Beckham, Butt, Neville Brothers, Bebe, Obertan, Amos etcetera, playing. Ilikuwa testimonial. It was a friendly friendly