Round: 2nd Venue: Giussepe Meazza San Siro Stadium, Milan Rules: 90 minutes, followed if necessary by extra-time (original rules with multiple goals possible in 30 minutes) and then if the scores are still tied a penalty shoot-out * Note - If you think the game will go to extra-time please choose that option (at the bottom end of the poll) and then you can say what you would choose for the score at full-time in normal time/90 minutes in the thread, as well as give details of how you'd see extra-time going Line-ups: (diagrams in following posts) Manchester United 07-08 - Edwin van der Sar; Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra; Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, Ryan Giggs; Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney. Red Star Belgrade 90-91 - Stevan Stojanovic; Dusko Radinovic, Miodrag Belodedici, Ilija Najdoski, Slobadan Marovic; Vladimir Jugovic; Robert Prosinecki, Sinisa Mihajlovic; Dragisa Binic, Dejan Savicevic; Darko Pancev. Voting deadline - 11th May 2015 (1 week from now) Main thread: http://forums.bigsoccer.com/threads/1989-2014-fantasy-world-club-cup.2012816/page-22 Feel free to discuss the match and how you think it would play out, and then after you vote for a scoreline feel free to provide reasoning. If considering substitutions, please check the players were at the club in the relevant season and then you are free to consider 3 substitutions selected from the whole squad for each team, in the scenario you envisage
I've gone with 3-2 to Red Star Belgrade on this one myself - I think on a neutral ground they can just about edge it: I'd expect a few goals anyway; United might threaten (not without style/skill) at times to steamroller Red Star if they got in a groove like vs Roma in the CL (real game, not in this tournament). So the Yugoslav team might have to stick in there at those times and be careful not to let the game get away from them, especially if United get a lead which could happen at some stage even in my chosen scenario. I think Giggs would carry the ball from midfield well but he'd probably also play a few clever passes for running forwards...and those forwards certainly have the potential to run a defence ragged and find the net a few times (Scholes and Carrick providing passes is also a bonus of course). Belodedici might hope to marshall a defence that can play assuredly rather than frantically stemming United attacks. But I think Red Star can defend assuredly in general and they certainly have the players to have plenty of the ball themselves and prove that they can cut through the United midfield and defence. I'd expect them to play their normal game in the main, and not adopt a more cautious approach (except a bit if absolutely necessary if they do come under siege at the back; still they'd try and play their way out I should expect) like they decided on for the 1991 European Cup Final. Without underestimating United I'm thinking they'd adopt more of the free-playing approach that got them to that Final in the first place. Not in the same way exactly, or to the same extent (or with the same effect of making United impotent) but I could see them keeping the ball away from United in tandem with progressing up the pitch nicely often as Barcelona managed in the 2009 Champions League Final. Savicevic might enjoy the game, finding space between the lines and I could see Pancev nipping in between Ferdinand and Vidic to good effect (possibly a goal or two) at some stages. Jugovic should anchor the midfield well while also helping make the play, and Prosinecki should be a good but unpredictable (in a good way mostly) link player. I don't see United really stopping Red Star playing throughout the game, except when they are surging forwards themselves. So I'm saying a close, topsy-turvy, game with Red Star getting the winner in the latter part of the second half (not suggesting right on full-time though - if they hadn't done it by then I might even favour United to win).
I'll also go for a Red Star victory, and I actually see them as a sort of dark horse for this competition. But I'd go for a 2-2 draw and penalties instead of an outright win for Red Star, since I think this Manchester United side has enough in it to take the Red Star team all the way. During the penalty shootout, I just don't see Red Star making the mistake that Chelsea did though.