United - Portsmouth Feb 26 [R]

[Father Ted]

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February 26 @ 17:15GMT, 12:15EST 9:15PST

Getting back to the routine business of the Premiership. No doubt we will be angry and take it out on Portsmouth, who we owe a beating anyway. Expect Ruud to start, and maybe Shrek and Keane to take a rest. No injury worries except the long term injuries to Ole, Fletcher and Kleberson. Silvestre back after suspension.

Prediction: 4-0 to United.

[Motterman]

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We must get a big result here...

[0413117]

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February 26 @ 17:15GMT, 12:15EST 9:15PST

Getting back to the routine business of the Premiership. No doubt we will be angry and take it out on Portsmouth, who we owe a beating anyway. Expect Ruud to start, and maybe Shrek and Keane to take a rest. No injury worries except the long term injuries to Ole, Fletcher and Kleberson. Silvestre back after suspension.

Prediction: 4-0 to United.


I reckon a no worries 2-0, We've gotta win and i don't think pompey will cause us to many troubles.

[Motterman]

Ruud to start:

"Ruud will be in from the start tomorrow, no doubt about that," United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said on Friday.

"It is always difficult coming on off the bench, especially after a long time out with injury and in a match like that. But Ruud did really well."

Ferguson is expected to keep faith with goalkeeper Roy Carroll (http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/fo/profiles/10000000000000000000011107.html), despite the late blunder that gifted Milan victory, and the Scot is confident that the midweek setback will not prevent his side from keeping up the pressure on Premiership leaders Chelsea (http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/fo/chelsea/).

"There has been great momentum in our game and even against Milan we didn't do too badly," he said.

"If we'd taken our chances then we'd have won the match. I trust my players to respond against Portsmouth (http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/fo/portsmouth/) and I know they won't let us down in Italy (http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/fo/italy/) either. It's a big task over there but they had a big task coming over here and winning. We now must do the same to them in Milan."

[johno]

I'd settle for 2 nil in match where Ronaldo shows why he should not have been subbed out against Milan... He's our form player right now... I also agree with resting Rooney in this game, perhaps also Keane - although I would rather he never rest against Minnows because its in these games we need him to really galvanize the guys and make sure they play to potential... in this respect, if Keane is rested its a real test for Rio... Part of a captains job that Keane does so well is make sure we don't take any opposition lightly and if Rio can keep the boys in line after playing Milan in midweek then he might almost be ready for the job of captaincy.

my starting lineup...

-----------------Ruud
--------Saha
------------------------------Ronaldo
Fortune-----O'Shea
-------------------Keane
Heinze---Brown-----Rio---Gary

[Motterman]

Fergie uncorks one:

"This is a big opportunity for us," said the Red Devils chief.


"All my players are aware of the situation. The chance of reducing the gap to six points this weekend is a major incentive.



"Every time you mention your opponents, it tends to be put down to psychological warfare, mind games and all that nonsense.



"I prefer to look at the facts. Everyone would agree, probably even Chelsea (http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/fo/chelsea/) themselves, that they are not playing as well as they were five or six weeks ago.



"They have lost two important matches over the last few days, they have lost one important player (Arjen Robben (http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/fo/profiles/17217.html)) to injury, and, if they lose a league game, they don't have any real form to fall back on.

"What we have to do is win our own games and then hope Chelsea (http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/fo/chelsea/) lose the one that would let us back in it."

We'll see how "cool" Mourinho is after that, won't we? :D

[johno]

He already accused SAF of influencing the ref at halftime once... it seems every time he gets a result that he does not like he blames it on someone else, or perhaps on cheating... nice to know that he is infallible when others don't cheat... ;)

[Achtung]

These guys always manage to give us trouble, the southern versions of Boro, if you will. 2-0 sounds fair, but maybe another one where both come in the second half or something. Hope I'm wrong though. It'll depend on how SAF rallies the troops after this week.

[jammybastard]

*AHEM*

Live(?) on FSC, 12 Eastern in the USA.

[sitati_kituyi]

This has got to be a big win. Saha to start with Ruud, should be at least 3 goals. Let Rooney and Keano rest, Saha and O'Shea in their places. Silvestre, not Brown. Howard, if there's any justice in the world. I consider Carroll the better 'keeper, but for Howard to be axed for mistakes and Carroll to get away with them isn't really fair.

I'm thinking 3-0.

[johno]

why Silvestre? did you see the pass he played to Kaka?

[Achtung]

This has got to be a big win. Saha to start with Ruud, should be at least 3 goals. Let Rooney and Keano rest

I agree. Rooney seems like he had a frustrating game, and might need some time to cool off. Plus he's just been the point man for so long now. If Ruud and Saha are ready to go, let's see them together. They've looked good on the few occasions we've seen that.

[johno]

I agree. Rooney seems like he had a frustrating game, and might need some time to cool off. Plus he's just been the point man for so long now. If Ruud and Saha are ready to go, let's see them together. They've looked good on the few occasions we've seen that.

Yup... this raises a big question... if Ruud and Saha strike up a good partnership (for this game) and we win big... do we leave Rooney out of the lineup or use him as a winger, or do we try to insert him as the second striker to partner Ruud?

[Motterman]

We play the players who need playing time to get match fit in the next two weeks and use the in-form players to fill out the bench. It will take care of itself, just watch...

[aussieunited]

Game is on FOX SPORTS in Australia at 3:15am (Brisbane Time)

Except a good result against a portsmouth side really struggling.

---------Carroll---------

G.Neville----Rio---Wes----Heinze

Ronaldo----Fortune---Scholes----Giggs

------Ruud----Saha-------

[Nicodemus145]

excuse my ignorance, but in light of Achtung's comments about portsmouth being a tough one for us, why would he sit rooney AND keane? Wouldnt' he wait for a lesser opponent? we got crystal palace the week after this before playing in the FA Cup and CL again.

[hawk_claw]

if anyone needs to get a web stream...and has CoolStreaming....its on ESPN i beleive

[aussieunited]

excuse my ignorance, but in light of Achtung's comments about portsmouth being a tough one for us, why would he sit rooney AND keane? Wouldnt' he wait for a lesser opponent? we got crystal palace the week after this before playing in the FA Cup and CL again.


Granted even with Portsmouth playing poorly at the moment they will still come to OT and play for a draw with every man behind the ball, but the game is still at home and we should expect to win even if we rest a few players. The Crystal Palace game however is a tough game and a less than hospitable place to go when they are scrapping for every point to avoid the dreaded drop

[sitati_kituyi]

why Silvestre? did you see the pass he played to Kaka?
He'd just come on, man. Mikael is usually very dependable next to Rio.

[sitati_kituyi]

excuse my ignorance, but in light of Achtung's comments about portsmouth being a tough one for us, why would he sit rooney AND keane? Wouldnt' he wait for a lesser opponent? we got crystal palace the week after this before playing in the FA Cup and CL again.
I'd say Pompey at the moment should be an easy win for United. Granted, they'll play for a draw, but with the ball they really can't do much and will just keep losing it to us. Milan held us out brilliantly because they defend superbly and then rarely loose the ball in defence or midfield. With the large chunk of posession we're likely to get today, surely enough chances will fall our way.