The match on Tuesday between Real Madrid and Manchester United is notable for many reasons, one of which is the fact that they are two of the best teams in the world, but it is also significant for broadcaster Gus Johnson and Fox Sports as well.
Johnson is one of the most well-known broadcasters in America, mostly for calling NCAA games with amazing enthusiasm, but he now will be introduced to a worldwide audience as he is being groomed to lead the soccer coverage for Fox Sports as they air the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
The match is expected to be a good one as Real Madrid prepares for the last-16 match against Manchester United in the Champions League on Tuesday in Spain. Real Madrid is behind Barcelona by 16 points in the Spanish league and the club is hoping to advance to win the European championship for the 10th time.
The team will rely heavily on Cristiano Ronaldo, who is playing against his former team for the first time since departing for a record price of $124 million. He is on a hot streak lately and scored a hat trick in a game over the weekend in the Spanish league against Sevilla to give him 13 total.
Madrid has been playing well in Champions play, winning eight of the last nine home games. Manchester United is playing well also but must overcome a 2011 loss when the team made it to the Champions League final and lost t to Barcelona 3-1.
Both sides will be dealing with injuries, with Manchester United missing midfielder Paul Scholes with a knee issue as well as recoveries for Phil Jones and Jonny Evans sustained last weekend in a 2-0 win over Everton in the English Premier League .
The move with Johnson is significant as Fox hopes to build their soccer audience in America and they hope he is the man who can bring people in. He started prep work on calling soccer games months ago and he called his first game on the radio for the San Jose Earthquakes in the MLS.
He will also be the point man for the Women's World Cup in 2015, but before all that he will call his first match for Fox Soccer on Wednesday as Real Madrid faces Manchester United at Madrid's Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in a Champions League Round of 16 match.
Fox is planning to make Johnson a stalwart for their coverage of soccer and they felt that with the preparations he made, the Real Madrid-Manchester United match was the perfect place to start. Johnson has a big following in America and even has a sound board dedicated to his past exploits which can be heard HERE. Fox is hoping that his enthusiasm and sports knowledge will translate with audiences around the globe.
HERE are the probable starting lineups for each squad:
--Real Madrid Starters: Diego Lopez; Arbeloa, Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo; Alonso, Khedira; Di Maria, Ozil, Ronaldo; Benzema.
--Manchester United Starters: De Gea; Rafael, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Welbeck, Welbeck, Carrick, Cleverley, Valencia; Rooney; Van Persie.
