Marseille v Manchester United – Preview, Prediction, TV Listings, and Betting Odds – Champions League – 23 February 2011
Manchester United travels to Marseille for the first leg in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. The match will take place at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, France on Wednesday, February 23, 2011. Kickoff is scheduled for 19:45 GMT (UK time), 20:45 CET (Central Europe), and 14:45 EST (USA Eastern).
Marseille v Manchester United TV Listings
It will be televised on Fox Soccer Channel (USA), ITV 1 (UK), Sky Sport (Germany), RTE Two (Ireland), Sky Calcio (Italy), TF 1 (France), Sport TV1 (Portugal), Rogers Sportsnet (Canada), and on Al Jazeera Sport (Middle East).
Marseille v Manchester United Preview
Man Utd manager Alex Ferguson
“It’s a time to enjoy and we hope the players enjoy it too. They don’t often let us down, particularly not in the big games.”
“Marseille are a very powerful athletic team with strong defenders. Like us, they have one or two injuries. My experience of this ground is it’ll be a fantastic atmosphere and that will help Marseille.”
“English teams have been very powerful in the last few years in this competition and we all have a great chance to progress again this year. But there are a few hurdles for us all to get over first.”
Man Utd player Patrice Evra
“It’s a dangerous game for us because we are favourites and in a way Marseille have nothing to lose. I’ve watched some of their games this season and you can see they are a good team and they have a great manager in Didier Deschamps, who was my coach at Monaco.
“He is not afraid of any team and I know he will get his players motivated before the game so they play with no fear. They will give 100 per cent but we are Manchester United and we need to show our qualities. It will be a tough game, but if we are professional and do our job we have a great chance of going through.”
“Gaby has been playing well for Marseille and I’m pleased for him because it wasn’t easy at first with him being a former Paris Saint-Germain player – PSG have a big rivalry with Marseille,” explained Evra.
“I think he’ll get a big ovation when he comes back to Old Trafford because he played so well for United. I’m happy to see him doing well, but I don’t want him to win against his old team!”
Marseille manager Didier Deschamps
Didier, what impresses you in Manchester?
“This is a club that has an important story because it has won many titles at national and international levels. It is symbolized by the manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, who has been there for 24 years. What is exceptional in the world of football. It is this winning culture that is found in major clubs. They can lose players, change players, but there are others who arrive and there is always a message transmitted by the elders.Remain at that level over a long period is really a good example to follow.”
However, this Manchester team is not the most talented in recent years?
“The winning culture is a common thread of these great clubs, it’s part of the DNA of the big clubs. I would say that Manchester has always had talent and they still have a lot. This allows them to make a difference. Although many offensive players will be absent Wednesday, Nani, Rooney or Berbatov can make the difference at any time. I heard that Manchester was not a great team game but on arrival, they take fewer goals they score and they win many matches. They only took one goal in six group matches in the Champions League. Maybe that Manchester is less fancy but it’s not always the best team wins. Take, for example OM, it is perhaps not the year when we were champions of Europe we had the best team. The important thing is to be there and win titles.”
Do you think the 0-0 is it a good result?
“It is very important not to take aim on a first home game. It’s better to score and not to take. This gives less advantage to the opponent when it plays the second leg at home. The defensive efficiency will be very good. A 0-0 would not be a bad result in itself because 50% of the work, that does not take aim would be done. But I do not want my players enter the field for a 0-0 draw. We must be able to create problems for them. Faced with great offensive skill players, we must ensure to limit their scope and the ideal would be not to make mistakes because at this level, they are paid.”
Competition Stats
| Marseille | Manchester United | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | Andre-Pierre Gignac 3 | Darren Fletcher 1 |
| Assists | Darren Fletcher 1 | |
| Yellows | Stéphane M’Bia 3 | Nani 1 |
Next Matches
| Marseille | Manchester United | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/23 | Manchester United | 2/23 | @Marseille |
| 3/15 | @Manchester United | 3/15 | Marseille |
Marseille v Manchester United Prediction
Manchester United wins 2-1
Marseille v Manchester United Betting Odds
Marseille win – 13/5
Draw – 23/10
Manchester United win – 11/10
