Manchester United’s English striker Wayne Rooney takes part in a training session in Manchester, northwest England, yesterday, ahead of the UEFA Champions League football match against Bayer Leverkusen, today. RIGHT: Paris Saint-Germain’s Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic heads the ball during a training session ,yesterday, at the Camp-des-Loges in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, western Paris, on the eve of the UEFA Champions League match against Olympiakos.
Paris: The latest instalment of the Bundesliga/Premier League rivalry takes place on the banks of the Rhine today when Bayer Leverkusen attempt to block Manchester United’s path through to the last 16 of the Champions League.
Victory for United in the Group A clash would seal a spot in the knockout rounds with a match to spare and leave Leverkusen scrapping with Shakhtar Donetsk for second place.
While the clash of the national teams at Wembley last week showed Germany were a cut above England internationally, Premier League clubs have done better in this season’s duels in Europe.
United beat Leverkusen 4-2 at Old Trafford, Chelsea crushed Schalke home and away, Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund shared a win apiece while Bayern Munich beat Manchester City.
Leverkusen have turned the Bayer Arena into a fortress, winning their last eight Champions League group games there, and will seek to redress the balance for the Bundesliga against a United side not firing on all cylinders despite a marked improvement in results since a poor start to the season.
They are one point behind United in Group A and victory would put them in the driving seat although a draw would actually send both clubs through to the last 16 should Shakhtar suffer a surprise loss at home to Real Sociedad.
That is unlikely to be the game plan of either Leverkusen coach Sami Hyypia or United’s David Moyes.
Leverkusen are unbeaten in 13 home matches while United are enjoying a 10-match unbeaten streak in all competitions, even though their mood was soured by conceding a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw at Cardiff City on Sunday.
Meanwhile,like all good things, Paris St Germain’s long unbeaten streak will eventually come to an end but the French champions do not expect that to happen when Olympiakos visit in today’s Champions League match.
PSG top Group C on 10 points from four games, three ahead of their Greek opponents whom they beat 4-1 in the opening game, and need a draw to reach the knockout stage.
A victory would secure a top spot finish for PSG, who extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 34 games with their 3-0 win at Stade Reims in Ligue 1 over the weekend.
“It was the best possible way to prepare our Champions League match,” coach Laurent Blanc told reporters after his side’s latest demonstration of their collective force. “Yes, some day, PSG will be beaten. The later the better,” he added. “We can’t say that nothing will happen to us. But our players are at their best both individually and collectively. This team have shown its strength.”
Forward Jeremy Menez, who scored the second goal at Reims, said PSG were strong enough to control the outcome of their games.
“Are we beatable? If we loosen our grip, maybe. But if we keep putting all the ingredients, we’re really tough to play against,” he said.
At Reims, the last team in Europe to have beaten PSG in March, former France coach Blanc rested some of the players coming back from international duties. Defender Maxwell, midfielder Blaise Matuidi and forwards Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani were all benched while full back Gregory Van der Wiel sat in the stands. They are all expected to start today in a full-strength PSG team that will count on leading-scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The in-form Swede, who have netted seven in four Champions League games, set up the opener and closed the scoring on Saturday, proving he had moved forward after failing to help his country qualify for the World Cup. Olympiakos, however, are not expected to be an easy prey as Michel’s team bubble with confidence after their superb run of recent form.
Since losing to PSG, the Reds have been unbeaten in Group C and took a firm grip on second place with a 1-0 win over Benfica last time out. AGENCIES
