Champions League SF Preview: Bayer Leverkusen v Manchester United
Bayer Leverkusen - Manchester United | News Archive
Will Ruud be celebrating on Tuesday night? (Allsport)
04/29/2002. BACKGROUND
The hotly anticipated return-leg between Bayer Leverkusen and Manchester United promises to be another scrumptious football feast, even though the spectacle may be compromised a smidgen by the fact that the previously high-flying German hosts will not be going into Tuesday's match in the best of spirits.
Bayer crashed to a shock 1-0 defeat away to lowly 1 FC Nurnberg on the weekend, which means that, after nine weeks of leading the league, Klaus Toppmoeller's side no longer hold their destiny in their own hands going into the last round of the season - that privilege now belongs to Borussia Dortmund.
Leverkusen's treble-chasing season has had a scripted quality about it from the off, and the eventual outcome of Tuesday's showdown against Manchester may very well go a long way in deciding whether the climax of a memorable campaign for Bayer will result in a happy Hollywood ending or close with all the bleakness of an Ingmar Bergman film.
Manchester United's dreams of being crowned Premiership champions for a record fourth successive season are faint to say the least and it's safe to say Sir Alex Ferguson has focused all of his attentions on the Champions League. The Scotsman's decision to rest more than half of his first team against Ipswich on Saturday goes a long way to prove that United's first priority is reaching what would be a dream final for Ferguson at Hampden Park.
The prospect of lifting the Champions League trophy in his home town, possibly against Real Madrid, would probably be the highlight of Ferguson's glistening managerial career and would cement his place along with the greatest managers of all time.
FORM GUIDE
Bayer last 6 matches (all competitions): WWTLTL
It's been a worrying while since Bayer last registered a 'W', barring, of course, their psychological win at Old Trafford. Just one point out of the last nine up for grabs is hardly the stuff of champions, and it is now probable that the 2001/02 season won't be the one in which Bayer finally rid themselves of the tag as Germany's perennial runners-up.
United's last 6 matches (all competitions): WWWWDW
Bayer's 2-2 draw at Old Trafford last week is the only game in their last seven that Manchester United have failed to win. The run includes victories home and away to Deportivo, as well as impressive wins away to Leeds and Chelsea in the Premiership. What was effectively United's reserve team also won at Portman Road on Saturday to notch up their seventh successive win on their travels. Will they make it eight though?
TEAM NEWS
Bayer skipper Jens Nowotny was replaced at half-time in the first-leg due to a slight strain in his thigh, but played on the weekend and will definitely feature from the start against Manchester. Michael Ballack - who once again was one of Leverkusen's best players last Wednesday - twisted his ankle early on against Nurnberg but toughed it out to last the whole ninety. His condition has since worsened and will have to sweat on the results of a late fitness test. Should Ballack be declared fit, Toppmoeller will likely field the same 4-5-1 formation, as well as starting line-up, that for the most part performed so famously well in the first leg.
A big concern for Bayer going into this match is the staggering amount of players they have that will be forced to sit out a prospective final if they pick up a yellow card. No less than nine Leverkusen regulars will be sweating bullets at every mistimed tackled, those being: Jens Nowotny, Diego Placente, Michael Ballack, Lucio, Thomas Brdaric, Zoltan Sebescen, Oliver Neuville, Boris Zivkovic and Ze Roberto.
Bayer 4-5-1 (probable): Butt - Placente, Lucio, Nowotny, Zivkovic - Ze Roberto, Basturk, Ballack, Ramelow, Schneider - Berbatov.
Manchester United are of course without David Beckham and Gary Neville after the pair both broke bones in their foot at home to Deportivo and Bayer Leverkusen respectively. However, United are boosted by the availability of both Ronny Johnsen and Laurent Blanc for the trip to Germany. The Norwegian has recovered from a hamstring strain sustained against Deportivo, while the veteran Frenchman has recovered from a twisted knee from the first leg last Wednesday.
Fabian Barthez, Mikael Silvestre, Juan Veron, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer are all expected to return having been rested, for the first half at least, against Ipswich on Saturday.
Quinton Fortune is another absentee through injury, while Nicky Butt and Wes Brown look set to be dropped to the bench despite both players having been in great form as they stood in for United's injured stars.
Roy Keane, who originally looked unlikely to make the final should Manchester United have reached it, returned to the starting line-up against Ipswich and produced a splendid performance showing no signs of any injury.
United 4-4-2 (probable): Barthez - P. Neville, Blanc, Johnsen, Silvestre - Veron, Keane, Scholes, Giggs - Solskjaer, Van Nistelrooy.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Ballack: As touched upon before, the 25-year-old Germany star picked up a knock in the first-half against Nurnberg, which severely limited his influence throughout the rest of the match. Just how much of a negative effect (if any) the slightly injury to his ankle will have on him come Tuesday may very well prove crucial to Bayer's chances again, as the Bayern-bound midfield organizer has proved decisive for Leverkusen on so many occasions this season.
Ze Roberto: The Brazilian wing-magician will be another one of the many to keep your eyes on, as he will be fiercely determined to improve on his sorry showing at Old Trafford last week.
Keane: The Irishman's presence is a bonus and an extremely pleasant one at that. His remarkable recovery from a potentially serious hamstring injury could prove to be the difference between United reaching the final or not. The colossal midfielder also has an added incentive to reach the final, as he missed out in the 1999 final when Manchester United dramatically defeated Bayern Munich.
Van Nistelrooy: The Dutch striker is proving to be worth every penny of the £18.5m Manchester United paid PSV Eindhoven for his services last summer. He is already the Champions League's leading goalscorer for this season and he may not have finished just yet.
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