Celtic v UNITED - 21st Nov, 19.45

[Busby Boy]

So a United win will mean qualification, a draw could do that too. Fergie has said he is willing to gamble with his team selection versus Celtic with the Chelsea clash in mind.

For that reason I think we'll line up like this:

Van Der Sar

O'Shea - Brown - Vidic - Evra

Fletcher - Scholes - Carrick - Richardson

Rooney - Saha

Subs: Kusczsak, Ferdinand, Heinzé, Neville, Ronaldo, Giggs, Smith.

I still think that XI can win this game so I'm saying 2-0 UNITED. Qualification sealed.

[Carlito's Way]

Please can we have Evra at left wing and Heinze LB or even a crocked Park over that waste of space Richardson?

[Sky Sports 1]

mufcadz said:

So a United win will mean qualification, a draw could do that too. Fergie has said he is willing to gamble with his team selection versus Celtic with the Chelsea clash in mind.

For that reason I think we'll line up like this:

Van Der Sar

O'Shea - Brown - Vidic - Evra

Fletcher - Scholes - Carrick - Richardson

Rooney - Saha

Subs: Kusczsak, Ferdinand, Heinzé, Neville, Ronaldo, Giggs, Smith.

I still think that XI can win this game so I'm saying 2-0 UNITED. Qualification sealed.

Heinze will probably start as Fergie said, i just hope that if O'Shea and Fletcher are both to start in order to rest others, O'Shea starts at right back and not in midfield

I also think Ronaldo would start at left mid with Richardson sub if things go Uniteds way.. After seeing Celtic play the way they did at Old Trafford i'm not confident of winning or drawing this at all if too many changes are made.

[A-t-S]

I'd say :

VDS
O'Shea - Brown - Rio - Heinze
Fletcher - Carrick - Scholes - Ronaldo
Rooney - Saha

He doesn't have too many options.. and i'm thinking he would rest the older players for this one with Chelski in mind.. which is why i'm doubtful over scholes and even VDS in the team... If the result is going our way, then i expect that idiot kieran to come on , and smith too...
let's just hope we get the 3 points and qualify .. and then take on chelski at O.T..

[mufc2911]

as long as richardson doesnt play and oshea doesnt get a midfield role i'll be happy. somehow i dont think we can just afford to rest so many key players. with that loss to copenhagen we lost our easiest chance of qualification. celtic will give it their all as its a british battle and everyone loves those, and benfica certainly would not like to be eliminated at the hands of united. so i think we should put a strong side out (read: NO RICHARDSON), maybe evra on the wing as marrymeheinze said and oshea at RB so that neville's irritating calf can have a bit of a rest before chelski. ronaldo and giggs on the bench to come on and liven things up if they're not going our way.rio and vida have a solid partnership so i'd like to see them play together. dun wanna jinx anything with predictions but i really hope we win this one.

[Red Yank]

Strachan eyes Champions League win over United

From Soccernet.com

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan admits Manchester United have better players than he does - but he will not countenance any thoughts of defeat ahead of their Champions League clash next Tuesday.


The Hoops are second in Group F behind Sir Alex Ferguson's men, two points ahead of Benfica and Copenhagen, with games against the Red Devils at home and the Danish side away still to come.

The Old Trafford meeting earlier in the section ended in a 3-2 win for the home side who are favourites to complete the double against the Hoops at Celtic Park next week.

Strachan, looking forward to the visit of Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Bank of Scotland Premier League, was honest when comparing the two sides.

However, the Hoops boss is in no mood to accept the result is a foregone conclusion.

He said: 'I won't be put out if anybody says United have got better players than Celtic.

'I accept that and I'm the Celtic manager. All of the managers in the Premiership would probably have to accept that fact.

'What I won't accept is that we can't beat them at Celtic Park on Tuesday. There has to be a feeling that we can win the game.

'You might scare yourself if you looked at too many videos of United in action. There has to be respect for what they've got at their disposal. But we have got to stand up to them.'

Celtic defender Gary Caldwell will not dwell on his recent Lisbon nightmare as he contemplates facing up to the Old Trafford side on Tuesday night.

The Scotland defender was at fault for two goals in the Hoops' 3-0 defeat by Benfica at the Stadium of Light which has left the qualification hopes of the Parkhead men in doubt.

But Caldwell said: 'You can carry things around in your head for too long. You've got to let go and remember that better players than me have made costly errors.

'Tuesday night isn't about atonement for me, it's about mentality and having the strength of mind to grow as a person and as a player.'

Caldwell joked: 'I made my first mistake look good compared to the second mistake. But the game gives you good times and bad times and it's how you handle the latter that's important.

'I came back from Portugal and Hearts really tested me in our next SPL game, but we survived that examination and extended our lead in the championship.

'What I'd like now is our first clean sheet in the league since October 1, when we beat Falkirk away from home.'

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After the display we saw from the Hoops at OT playing them in Celtic Park is going to be very difficult. This is a massive match for them and with the fervent home crowd behind them we'll have our work cut out for us. Fergie gambling with the starting 11 will probably mean we won't be seeing some of our starters, which I can understand, but I can't say I'm keen on seeing Richardson on the wing. I hope if Richardson does start that he brings is "A" game....he hasn't inspired much confidence either on the ball or in good team attitude.

[missunited]

We can't afford to rest many players because it is going to be a tough match. Risking not getting three points because we are resting players would be silly. I can imagine Giggs, Neville, Scholes and possibly Evra being rested. Except from that the team should be kept as against Sheffield United. I think VDS might get a rest too.

I reckon the team will be,

Kuszczak
O'shea, Rio, Vidic, Heinze
Ronaldo, Fletcher, Carrick, Richardson
Rooney Saha

that said, I don't want fletch in the middle, but think he might be none the less.

[missunited]

Source: [Soccernet.com]

Fergie to pick full-strength side at Parkhead

Sir Alex Ferguson has vowed to unleash his full battalion on Celtic in three weeks time when Manchester United head to Glasgow looking to finally confirm their place in the Champions League knockout phase.

The Red Devils wasted their first opportunity to seal a last-16 berth in the Parken Stadion when they went down to a 1-0 defeat against Group F Minnows FC Copenhagen.

Aston Villa flop Marcus Allback bundled home the winner 17 minutes from time and the result means United must get a point from their trip to Celtic to go through.

However, Ferguson is determined to get all three.

'We want to finish this group really strongly,' said the United boss.

'The situation is more open now but we know if we win at Celtic we will win the group and that is what we will attempt to do.'

Ferguson took a calculated risk in leaving out Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra and Paul Scholes from his starting line-up against the Danish champions.

However, the move backfired as, Wayne Rooney apart, the visitors were well below the standard of recent weeks and saw their seven-game winning streak brought to an abrupt end.

'I am satisfied with the effort but disappointed we failed to deal with the corner when they scored,' said Ferguson.

'We knew they would play a lot of long balls into our area and I felt we defended very well apart from that one instance and it cost us the game.'

If the defeat was not bad enough for United, reminiscent of a far more costly loss against Lille last season, Ferguson must also do without veteran striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for the foreseeable future after he limped off with a hamstring injury in the final minute when United had already used their three allotted substitutes

However, while upset at the absence of the Norwegian, Ferguson was thankful the damage was not more serious.

'It's unfortunate for Ole,' he said.

'It is a hamstring and he will be out for a few weeks. But I am actually quite happy.

'Given his previous history of knee problems, I was a bit concerned when he came off but, fortunately, it is only a hamstring.

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If this has been posted already, then my apologies. But hell yeah, we need to win this one!!

raisnhell

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home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=429787&CPID=8&clid=1&lid=&title=Fergie+set+for+Hoops+gamble

Sir Alex Ferguson admits he will have one eye on Manchester United's summit meeting with Chelsea when he picks his side to face Celtic in the UEFA Champions League.

United face an important week in their embryonic season, and Ferguson, though mindful of the threat to his team at Parkhead on Tuesday, admits he could gamble with his team selection.

The Scot concedes his chopping and changing of the team backfired in defeat to FC Copenhagen earlier in United's European campaign.

But that will not prevent Ferguson from shuffling his pack once more as he prepares his squad for the top of the table clash with Chelsea the following Sunday.

"I have obviously got to think about the Chelsea game when I pick my team to face Celtic and there will be one or two changes to the side," said Ferguson.

"Players like Gabriel Heinze will come into contention, but we want to come back from Glasgow with qualification guaranteed.

"We took a bit of a risk in Copenhagen and it went wrong for us.

"We want to get a result to make sure we qualify, but the Chelsea game will have a bearing on the team I pick.

"I think it is good that we have a hugely important game at Celtic ahead of playing Chelsea. It will be good preparation for the Chelsea game because there will be a real intensity about the occasion in Glasgow.

"Celtic have fantastic support and we have got to cope with that because it gives them a definite lift.

"But we've got players who have seen these types of occasions and I am sure they will cope with it this time as well."

fletchabey

[Busby Boy]

Apologies for opening this without realising the "Fergie to pick full-strength team at Parkhead" thread was the match thread.

Soz.

[Henke]

cant wait for this game after missing the one at OT for being in NYC
many on the board coming up for it?

[Busby Boy]

I tried to get some tickets for it, but they were too much for my liking so thought feck it..and I didn't fancy the travel. Rather spend my money on going to OT throughout the season.

Dalbhoy reappears when this game comes around, Lol.

[Henke]

i no m8
ive been in america for ages and been out to portugal as well
Just remembered about the forum y-day when i was talkin to my m8s abt the Utd game

[Busby Boy]

Oh right, hope you enjoyed yourself. Welcome back and enjoy the ass whooping you'll recieve on Tuesday!

[redom]

I'd like to see the strongest team again because I just don't think the players who would step in are good enough, of course we don't want any injuries before Chelsea but we also don't want a repeat of Copenhagen, we should go out and try and assure qualification which would give us a big boost going into the Chelsea game, the players aren't going to be tired for the Chelsea game because they'll have 4 good days to recover and adrenaline alone should take them through that game anyway so I hope Fergie doesn't make many changes, Heinze for Evra I can deal with and maybe O'Shea in for Nev if his calf needs a rest but no changes to midfield or attack please.

[7even]

They’re professional athletes who’re paid thousands a week. Sod all that rested rubbish. Field the strongest side.

We wouldn’t be in this predicament if we hadn’t of messed up against FC Copenhagen. And I hate not having the quality to fill in for the players we’d normally play. Sigh. Alex has said the side he picks against Celtic will have a reflection on the side he picks against Chelsea. So who knows? The atmosphere is going to be electric. I’m not looking forward to it. It would be alright if the Chelsea game wasn’t so soon. Damn it. With the way Celtic played against us at home, you can be certain they’ll keep coming at us at their ground. Defiantly won’t be easy. I should be confident in our player’s abilities, but with the lack of quality we have as back up, I’m not.

No predictions from me I’m afraid. I’ll leave it to you guys. I’ll be happy with a 1 nil win. ;D!

[Edit] Should be alright though, hopefully Rooney's (if he plays) current form can carry us through.