| REGISTER TO WIN | |
 |
English Premier League leaders Manchester United are in a face-off with Spanish giants Barcelona in a make-or-break second leg contest of the UEFA Champions League semifinal at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
Both teams go into the game on a near equal footing having settled on a 0-0 deadlock in the first leg at the Nou Camp last Wednesday, in which Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty kick.
But playing at home, Manchester United hopes its fans will provide the 12th man on the pitch to beat the Spaniards and guarantee an all-English final in Moscow next month.
Chelsea and Liverpool are involved in another all-English semifinal Wednesday.
But Manchester United must pick up the pieces ahead of Tuesday’s game after losing last Saturday’s crunch game against Chelsea 2-1, which threw open the race for the Premiership. With only two matches remaining, the two teams are level on points (81), with Manchester United ahead only on goal difference.
Star striker Wayne Rooney and defender Nemanja Vidic are facing late fitness tests ahead of Tuesday’s game after they picked injuries in the show at the Stamford Bridge.
Vidic was hit in the face by Chelsea striker Didier Drogba’s knee, while Rooney came off with a hip problem.
Ronaldo rued the missed penalty in the first leg and promised to make amends in the second leg, which Ferguson said will provide a more attacking football from his side.
“Now I’m going to score in Manchester,” Ronaldo told BBC.
Barcelona, too, need to recollect themselves for the game against the English league title holders after their faint hopes of winning the La Liga title were all but ended on Saturday after they crashed to a deserved 2-0 defeat at in-form Deportivo La Coruna.
In that game, though, manager Frank Rijkaard’s rested key first-team players, including lethal Argentine striker Lionel Messi with Tuesday’s game in mind.
The good news for Rijkaard’s team is that they welcome back centre-back Carles Puyol who had been suspended during the first leg at the Nou Camp.
Puyol is likely to replace another suspended teammate Rafael Marquez.
Midfielder Yaya Toure (ankle) is another doubt for the team, with his place likely to be taken up by Edmilson.
On Wednesday, Chelsea is home with archrivals Liverpool in the other semifinal second-leg clash.
Avram Grant’s side enjoy a slender away-goal advantage, headed by Liverpool defender John Arne Riise into his own net in injury time last Tuesday to ensure parity in the game.
That means Chelsea can now make the finals for the first time if they can avoid conceding a goal at their home pitch, where they have proved difficult to beat.
They will be buoyed by Saturday’s defeat of Manchester United, secured by two goals by German international Michael Ballack.
The team will likely get the services of reliable midfielder Frank Lampard who missed Saturday’s game with Manchester United because he was mourning the death of his mother.
Liverpool could also be without defender Fabio Aurelio who was injured in the reverse fixture last week, and whose replacement, Riise, scored the own goal.
This will be the fourth consecutive season for Liverpool and Chelsea to meet in the Champions League.
Join the discussion
Share your observations and experiences about news. Lively, open debate is the goal, but please refrain from personal attacks or comments that are racist, vulgar or otherwise inappropriate. If you see an inappropriate comment, please click the "Report as violation" link to notify a KansasCity.com editor. Thanks for your feedback.