The UEFA Champions League schedule picks up again on Tuesday and one of the top matchups is a Group A game between Manchester United and Shakhtar Donetsk and while Man U is already through to the knockout stage, they have a lead among the group and the match will be at Old Trafford while the other two teams in the group in Real Sociedad and Bayer Leverkusen.
While Manchester United doesn't need the match to advance, they will be without three key players in the lineup in Chris Smalling, Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic out and that could mean trouble on the back line and while the club is safe for the next round, they could use a positive result. United comes into the match struggling on the Premier League table after being defeated 1-0 by Newcastle United and that is the match that saw trouble for Vidic and Evra, while Smalling was out with a hamstring injury. Manager David Moyes said his club is ready to play hard despite the injuries and the secure spot in the next round and he also added that the players are getting prepared for the EPL match against Aston Villa on the road on Sunday in Premier League play.
Moyes said that match in the Premier League will have priority for some players and that he may rest some over others and even though the club is through to the knockout round, there is still plenty on the line on Tuesday. With a number of strong teams already through as well, Manchester can put themselves in a better position by getting at least a point with a draw, as Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid would not be waiting in the next round as long as they finish in the top spot in the Group. The team has a three point lead over Shakhtar, making the match important for Man U.
Check here for the Manchester United and Shakhtar Donetsk live coverage.
United crashed to a second home Premier League defeat in four days when they lost 1-0 to Newcastle United on Saturday while Jose Mourinho's Chelsea suffered a shock 3-2 defeat at struggling Stoke City. Luis Suarez-inspired Liverpool climbed to second in the table with a 4-1 romp over West Ham United at Anfield and Manchester City slipped one place to fourth after being held to a 1-1 draw at Southampton.
Tottenham Hotspur travel to bottom club Sunderland later on Saturday while leaders Arsenal entertain Everton in one of two matches on Sunday. Also on Saturday, Norwich City won 2-0 at West Bromwich Albion while Crystal Palace picked up their second successive victory with a 2-0 home win over Cardiff City. News about Real Madrid: Ronaldo has proven himself in key matches against some of Real's biggest rivals in La Liga and Europe, something Bale has yet to achieve, and Valladolid turned in one of the weakest performances seen at the Bernabeu for some time.
Mired down in 17th in La Liga, their players gifted Bale his opening two goals with some woeful defending and failed to pick him up when he raced into the penalty area to clip home a Marcelo cross for his third late on.
Until Bale performs against Barca and Atletico Madrid in La Liga or the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester United in Europe, some will remain unconvinced he can ever justify his record transfer fee.
(Reuters)
