THERE ARE probably a few Scots who will be hoping that Barcelona beat Manchester United on Wednesday in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final, if only to prevent the inevitable preening by the English press which would undoubtedly accompany the advent of an all-England final.
Regardless of the fact that such a match in Moscow next month would be played by two sides in which English players would almost certainly be outnumbered by foreigners, the media south of the border would make great play of their domination of the co
ntinent's premier tournament.
And they will have a right to crow – it is already certain that an English side will make the final for the fourth year running, and should United join Liverpool or Chelsea in the Luzhniki Stadium on May 21, it will be only the third time that one country has provided both finalists, after Real Madrid-Valencia in 2000 and AC Milan-Juventus in 2003.
The signs are there that United will beat the Catalonian giants, not least because while their away record in Europe has been rocky – the quarter-final first leg victory over Roma was only their fifth away win in five years – the Red Devils have made Old Trafford a difficult place to win in the Champions League, AC Milan being the only team to beat them at home in Europe in the last five seasons.
No-one at Old Trafford was happy with last week's performance in the Nou Camp. Poor passing was abundant, and United simply did not create enough chances.
But Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra led a superb defensive effort and while United rode their luck, it held out to give them an outstanding chance of reaching the final.
The problem for Sir Alex Ferguson is how much he commits to attack at Old Trafford. With tens of thousands of fans roaring them on, even the seasoned campaigners who proliferate in the United squad will find it difficult to resist an all-out charge.
Champions League top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo – surely a shoo-in for European Footballer of the Year – and Wayne Rooney will also want to make amends for their unusually lacklustre showing in Barcelona.
Their rush for goals could drag the midfield forward and leave space at the back for Lionel Messi and Deco to exploit, and United might just find themselves exposed on the counter-attack.
Having failed to wrap up the title yesterday, United and Michael Carrick, for one, wants his side to do so in style, but he is not unaware of the need for caution.
"We had a game plan in Barcelona and tactically we got it spot on," said the England midfielder. "We were very solid and as a team were happy with a clean sheet. But hopefully we will carry more of an attacking threat at Old Trafford because this time the result will depend on which team does the most when they have the ball.
"If we win, we are through and that is what we will be aiming for and I imagine both teams will be going for the same thing.
"Barcelona have some very talented players who can change the game in any given second. We are certainly aware of their quality, but we have plenty of quality ourselves.
"It has been a few years since Manchester United were last in a European final, so we have a great incentive to get through and I am optimistic we will do exactly that."
It is also 50 years since the Munich air disaster. Everyone at Old Trafford knows that making the final and winning that great silver jug would be the most remarkable tribute United could pay to their lost legends.
The full article contains 631 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
