Man U out to put woes behind
10 Dec 2013 5:52 AM IST
Manchester United will once again look to the Champions League for distraction from their domestic woes when they host Shakhtar Donetsk in their concluding group-phase game on Tuesday.
Consecutive home defeats by Everton and Newcastle United have left the defending champions 13 points behind leaders Arsenal in the Premier League and they are seven points below the Champions League places.
Manager David Moyes has had to face a barrage of questions about his ability to turn the situation around, but in European competition he has found solace.
United are unbeaten in the Champions League this season and secured a place in the knockout rounds with a superb 5-0 victory away to Bayer Leverkusen in their last outing.They can secure top spot in Group A, and with it an advantageous draw for the last 16, if they avoid defeat against Shakhtar, and Moyes has called on his players to finish the job.
‘It’s important we give ourselves every chance of progressing even further in the Champions League by finishing top,’ he said.
‘It won’t make it easier, but it will give us a little bit of an advantage by having the second game at home (in the last 16). ‘We will do everything we can to be top and, as well as that, we’re unbeaten in the group and want to stay unbeaten if we can make that happen.’
Moyes made seven changes for Saturday’s l-0 loss to Newcastle -- some enforced -- and with a place in the round of 16 already secure, he suggested that he could shuffle his pack again.
Asked if he might rotate his squad for the visit of the Ukrainian champions, he replied: ‘We have qualified, so it gives me a chance to have a look at that.’ Real Sociedad host Bayer Leverkusen in Group A’s other match.
Byern host Man City
Coach Manuel Pellegrini admits Manchester City face an uphill task to break Bayern Munich’s record winning streak in the Champions League in Tuesday’s battle for top spot in Group D.
Bayern are on record runs in both the Bundesliga and Champions League and their 3-1 win at CSKA Moscow a fortnight ago was their tenth straight victory in Europe, breaking Barcelona’s previous record.
Bayern have turned the Allianz Arena into something of a fortress of late, winning all 18 home matches in all competitions since their last defeat in Munich last March at the hands of Arsenal.
Both City and Bayern sides are through to the knock-out stages and all that remains to be settled is who will finish top of the group.
‘We have qualified for the next round and this is very good,’ said Pellegrini.
‘It would be better to be first in the group, but we have already played against a very strong Bayern Munich team. ‘They played better than us (in Manchester) and it will be very difficult to beat them 3-0 at their ground.
Juventus eye passage
Galatasaray and Juventus meet in Istanbul with Group B’s second qualifying place on the line; while only a win will allow the home team to overtake their opponents, a draw would be enough for Juve.
The Turks’ formidable home reputation took a huge knock when they were thrashed 6-1 by Real Madrid.
Juventus have won their last seven league games without conceding a goal and would be in the last 16 already had they not conceded a late goal at home to Galatasaray and drawn 2-2.
‘We made qualification more difficult for ourselves and it’s only right that now we have to resolve the situation,’ said Juventus coach Antonio Conte. Juve are five points clear in Serie A.
Consecutive home defeats by Everton and Newcastle United have left the defending champions 13 points behind leaders Arsenal in the Premier League and they are seven points below the Champions League places.
Manager David Moyes has had to face a barrage of questions about his ability to turn the situation around, but in European competition he has found solace.
United are unbeaten in the Champions League this season and secured a place in the knockout rounds with a superb 5-0 victory away to Bayer Leverkusen in their last outing.They can secure top spot in Group A, and with it an advantageous draw for the last 16, if they avoid defeat against Shakhtar, and Moyes has called on his players to finish the job.
‘It’s important we give ourselves every chance of progressing even further in the Champions League by finishing top,’ he said.
‘It won’t make it easier, but it will give us a little bit of an advantage by having the second game at home (in the last 16). ‘We will do everything we can to be top and, as well as that, we’re unbeaten in the group and want to stay unbeaten if we can make that happen.’
Moyes made seven changes for Saturday’s l-0 loss to Newcastle -- some enforced -- and with a place in the round of 16 already secure, he suggested that he could shuffle his pack again.
Asked if he might rotate his squad for the visit of the Ukrainian champions, he replied: ‘We have qualified, so it gives me a chance to have a look at that.’ Real Sociedad host Bayer Leverkusen in Group A’s other match.
Byern host Man City
Coach Manuel Pellegrini admits Manchester City face an uphill task to break Bayern Munich’s record winning streak in the Champions League in Tuesday’s battle for top spot in Group D.
Bayern are on record runs in both the Bundesliga and Champions League and their 3-1 win at CSKA Moscow a fortnight ago was their tenth straight victory in Europe, breaking Barcelona’s previous record.
Bayern have turned the Allianz Arena into something of a fortress of late, winning all 18 home matches in all competitions since their last defeat in Munich last March at the hands of Arsenal.
Both City and Bayern sides are through to the knock-out stages and all that remains to be settled is who will finish top of the group.
‘We have qualified for the next round and this is very good,’ said Pellegrini.
‘It would be better to be first in the group, but we have already played against a very strong Bayern Munich team. ‘They played better than us (in Manchester) and it will be very difficult to beat them 3-0 at their ground.
Juventus eye passage
Galatasaray and Juventus meet in Istanbul with Group B’s second qualifying place on the line; while only a win will allow the home team to overtake their opponents, a draw would be enough for Juve.
The Turks’ formidable home reputation took a huge knock when they were thrashed 6-1 by Real Madrid.
Juventus have won their last seven league games without conceding a goal and would be in the last 16 already had they not conceded a late goal at home to Galatasaray and drawn 2-2.
‘We made qualification more difficult for ourselves and it’s only right that now we have to resolve the situation,’ said Juventus coach Antonio Conte. Juve are five points clear in Serie A.
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