Manchester United fans are realistic enough to know they were going to have the odd blip after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s perfect start to life at Old Trafford.
After three defeats from their last four games, this quarter-final against Barcelona is a free hit.
If United had drawn Porto, there would have been expectation on United to win but, facing the best player in the world in Lionel Messi, the United fans just want their team to give it a go and cause Barca problems.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer faces a free hit as Manchester United take on Barcelona
I don’t think United will be passive and the fans will forgive defeat as long as they make it close and competitive.
After Solskjaer assesses the injury situation, his big decision is whether to play Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku. Ideally, you’d want to play them both centrally but going with a 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 means you are going to sacrifice possession in midfield. You may make more chances but you’ll see less of the ball, especially against a team such as Barcelona.
I wouldn’t be surprised therefore if it’s a case of Rashford or Lukaku rather than both. We know Lukaku can do a job wide but, when you have someone like Jesse Lingard, with his athleticism, tactical discipline and defensive work-rate, it would be a waste not to use him.
While the Old Trafford tourists will turn up to see Messi and the boo-boys will have Luis Suarez in their sights, I’ll be interested to see what impact Philippe Coutinho has. Coutinho has been linked with a move to United because his transfer from Liverpool hasn’t worked out as well as expected.
My view is United have more pressing priorities than the Brazilian, namely a midfield playmaker to finally replace Michael Carrick and a defensive leader in the mould of Virgil van Dijk – maybe Toby Alderweireld.
Solskjaer has a big decision to make regarding Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku
Considering it was only 14 months ago that Liverpool went to Porto and won 5-0, you have to be honest and say this is a great draw for Jurgen Klopp’s side. Porto can be dangerous but if Liverpool are on their game, the visitors shouldn’t be able to live with the intensity.
Liverpool’s home results in the Champions League group stages were much better than their away form, though they put that right against Bayern Munich in the last knockout round.
I don’t think Liverpool have anything to fear, provided they have the right attitude. Klopp also has a variety of options in midfield which means players can be rotated to rest legs without losing the team impetus.
Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum, James Milner, Fabinho, Adam Lallana, Xherdan Shaqiri and Naby Keita signifies strength in depth in that area, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to return
Jurgen Klopp has a variety of options in midfield which enables him to rotate players
Tottenham’s new stadium was built for occasions like Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City.
The excitement inside White Hart Lane will be palpable but the worst thing for Spurs would be to get completely sucked in by the atmosphere and try to show City who is boss.
This could be a much closer tie than most neutrals expect but Spurs can’t afford to go too gung-ho.
It’s a balancing act for manager Mauricio Pochettino. They will be aware of the current feel-good factor in north London and try to use it to their advantage. But it’s just as important they show the required patience. Then they will have a chance.
If Tottenham’s defensive line is too high, City will exploit it with their pace. If the distance between the Spurs back-line and midfield is too great, City will find the holes with their passing ability.
City went out at the same stage of the Champions League against Liverpool last season. I don’t think it will prey on Pep Guardiola’s mind but it does show you nothing can be taken for granted.
So I can see Tottenham making it a really competitive affair. There is no pressure on them because nobody expects them to win and they can use the momentum from their new home in the right way.
I’m not saying City will be intimidated by having 60,000 Spurs fans on top of them but for the Tottenham players, that backing with the fans so close to the action will give them an extra boost, that extra yard.
Tottenham’s superb new stadium was built for occasions like the clash with Manchester City
I watched Ajax thump Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in the last round and they were brilliant. But I have to say they were given a helping hand by Madrid, who played as if they hadn’t done any preparation at all.
Some of Real’s defending on the night was ridiculous and they got taught a lesson.
The problem for Ajax is that Juventus now realise how good they are, so the chances of the Italian champions being complacent are slim.
If Juve are off their game, Ajax are good enough to take advantage but I don’t think it will happen.
The problem that Ajax face is that Juventus now realise how good they are