Manchester United vs. Real Madrid Preview.

Is a shame that such great teams happened to meet at this stage of the champion’s league. Having said that, this game means a lot more than just moving on to the next stage.

For Real Madrid, La liga is probably out of reach at this time and if they cannot overcome Manchester United they will be left with la Copa del Rey as their only consolation for the season. For Manchester United the sun is a little brighter as they are well on their way to winning the EPL and have a good chance of advancing in the champion’s as they are home.

Looking at this game on paper, Real Madrid is looking in top form after beating Barcelona twice in the last couple of weeks, their counter attack is their most dangerous weapon and Manchester United will be forced to defend very well in order to slow down Real Madrid’s attack. So what’s the key for these teams to win? For Real Madrid they will rely on a healthy dose of counter attacks. Cristiano Ronaldo is extremely dangerous especially on the left side and Real Madrid will find ways to spread Manchester’s United Defense by running their centre Forward (maybe Higuain) from side to side.  If Manchester United tries to help their back four, their Midfield will be spread thin and that’s where Ozil will create all kinds of havoc. For Manchester United, one of the keys is their set pieces on offense. Manchester United has scored 19 goals on set pieces, an incredible number that will be keep Real Madrid on their toes.

So who will win? As most already know, the first game was 1-1 and playing at home you would normally give the edge to the home team, except Real Madrid is at the top of their game and seems like Manchester United just doesn’t have enough defense to stop Cristiano Ronaldo and his friends. I see a 2-1 win for Real Madrid.