European Cup draw kind to United: Reaction
Defending the trophy
By Chris,
August 28 2008
Manchester United should be relatively pleased with the outcome of the Champions League draw in Monaco. The headline-grabber is another two group-stage clashes with Glasgow Celtic, whilst the Red Devils also face Villarreal and Danish club Aalborg. The defence of the European crown will start at Old Trafford against the Spanish side.
Two seasons ago, United edged a thrilling contest 3-2 at Old Trafford but were beaten in the other game by a single goal at Parkhead. Both games promise to be fantastic and fierce occasions once again.
Meanwhile, United will also face Villarreal and Aalborg in ‘Group E'. 'The Yellow Submarine' of Spain, who boast ex-Red Giuseppe Rossi amongst their ranks, finished 2nd in last season's La Liga and, on paper at least, pose the biggest threat to the Red Devils in this group. Their strong defensive unit is renowned as one of the best backlines in Europe.
Danish Superliga holders Aalborg complete the line-up. They reach the group stage for only the second time in their history and will be expected to prop up the group. They're coached by Englishman Bruce Rioch - formerly manager of Torquay, Millwall and Arsenal amongst countless other clubs.
The draw was not so kind to all the English clubs. The Scousers have a tough draw alongside PSV Eindhoven, Marseille and Atletico Madrid. They deserved nothing easy after their luck-filled win against Standard Liege on Wednesday.
Arsenal also got a difficult draw alongside Porto, Fenerbahce and Dynamo Kiev, but Chelsea will be content with Roma, Bordeaux and Romanian champions Cluj.
Group F is, arguably, the 'Pool of Death'. Top seeds Lyon will battle it out with Bayern Munich, Steaua Bucharest and Fiorentina. Group H is also difficult, with first-time qualifiers Bate Borisov facing daunting trips to Real Madrid, Juventus and Zenit St Petersburg.
The draw, expectedly, was a heavily prolonged process and also included the awards for the top players in last season's Champions League.
Chelsea dominated with Petr Cech picking up the goalkeeper award, penalty extraordinaire John Terry winning top defender and Frank Lampard getting the nod for the competition's #1 midfielder. Edwin van Der Sar, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Paul Scholes were all shortlisted but missed out.
There were no surprises to see 42-goal ace Cristiano Ronaldo pick up forward of the year ahead of team-mate Wayne Rooney, with the Portuguese winger also picking up the prestigious European Club Footballer of the Year accolade. Real Madrid chiefs watched on as Sir Alex Ferguson boasted a cheeky smile. Ronny must now try and do it all again to win back the United faithful.
Congratulations to Ronaldo - and a decent draw for United ahead of Friday's Uefa Super Cup clash with Zenit St.Petersburg.
Group A
Chelsea
Roma
Bordeaux
CFR Cluj
Group B
Inter Milan
Werder Bremen
Panathinaikos
Anorthosis Famagusta
Group C
Barcelona
Sporting Lisbon
Basel
Shakhtar Donetsk
Group D
Liverpool
PSV Eindhoven
Marseille
Atletico Madrid
Group E
Manchester United
Villarreal
Glasgow Celtic
Aalborg
Group F
Lyon
Bayern Munich
Steaua Bucharest
Fiorentina
Group G
Arsenal
Porto
Fenerbahce
Dynamo Kiev
Group H
Real Madrid
Juventus
Zenit St Petersburg
Bate Borisov
The Gooners have a difficult group. One in which they may struggle with espically with the lack of depth they have.
Liverpool as well have been drawn with a hard group. May struggle.
J
x
We scraped a win against Celtic at OT last time and the beat us at Parkhead like they do most teams.
Aalborg should be 6 points but Rioch will have them battling all the way.
I wouldn't be over confident but if we are professional and start to play better than we have been then we should get through but if we keep playing at the level we are just now we will crash out again.
