Wounded United try to hold off Milan in first leg

By Tim Keeble Apr 23, 2007, 18:26 GMT

Philadelphia, PA - Manchester United enters the first leg of its Champions League semifinal with AC Milan at Old Trafford on Tuesday missing a number of key defenders and forcing manager Sir Alex Ferguson to rely on an unfamiliar back line to stop the Milan attack.

With Rio Ferdinand (groin), Gary Neville (ankle), Nemanja Vidic (collar bone) and Mikael Silvestre (shoulder) all out with injuries, Ferguson will likely pair Wes Brown and Gabriel Heinze in the center with John O'Shea and midfielder Darren Fletcher manning the outside. Patrice Evra may be available to Ferguson in a bench role, but the United boss is not worried about his starting back line.

'We'll have important players available for the game, so the one problem I have is perhaps having an adequate bench,' Ferguson told the club's website. 'But we're happy with the squad available. You do miss players like Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and Louis Saha in big matches, but the spirit of the team is good.'

With such an inexperienced group playing in front of him, United keeper Edwin van der Sar will be called upon to put forth a big effort if United is keep Milan's attack under wraps.

'Since Edwin has joined us, he has brought with him personality and experience,' Ferguson said. 'Particularly when we were changing the team, that was very important to us. He's proved that again this season, where his form has been outstanding. He has been in the Champions League and been in this position before. For the ones in the dressing room who haven't, that is important to them. I think he is one of the best in the world.'

United's defense will need to be in top form if they want to deny Milan any precious away goals. Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti will have a full team at his disposal with the return to the lineup of striker Alberto Gilardino, who was suspended. The Red Devils will also have their hands full with Brazilian midfielder Kaka, who has scored seven goals in the Champions League this season, tops in the competition.

Away goals will be a big part of United's focus on Tuesday, but if they do concede one or two, they certainly have the firepower to make them up. An in- form Wayne Rooney is difficult for any defense to handle, and with Cristiano Ronaldo's trickery, United is a threat to explode in any match, as evidenced by their 7-1 win over Roma at Old Trafford in the second leg of their quarterfinal matchup.

The week's other semifinal pairing is an all-England affair, with familiar foes Liverpool and Chelsea meeting up at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday in the opening leg.

Liverpool bounced Chelsea from the competition two years ago at the same spot, and after knocking the Blues out of last season's FA Cup in the semifinal round, some might think that Liverpool has Chelsea's number when it comes to cup competitions.

The Champions League is the only hardware missing from Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho's trophy case at Chelsea, although he does have one from his days at FC Porto.

This matchup is expected to be a tight one once again, with little goals but plenty of drama. Two years ago, it was a controversial goal by Liverpool's Luis Garcia that provided the lone tally over two legs, and this year doesn't figure to be much different, especially on Wednesday.

The two teams are very familiar with one another, and a cautious contest is likely to break out at Stamford Bridge. Expect Chelsea to play a defensive style in hopes of preventing an away goal, while Liverpool is likely to press forward a little more, but at the same time, be careful not to get caught by a Chelsea counter attack.

You will more than likely see a tactical battle in the first leg, and everything decided at Anfield in the second.

© 2007 The Sports Network