Manchester United was expected to run away with Group H, but that has not yet happened.
Two wins are certainly steps in the right direction, but both were one goal victories and neither was secure. Their 1-0 win against Galatasaray showed Man U looking tentative offensively. While they certainly corrected that with a 2-1 win over CFR Cluj, it has not been the dominance this team should be having. The good news is that they have looked good in the Premier League with a dominant 3-0 win over Newcastle and a 4-2 winner over Stoke City. The Robin Van Persie investment has paid off as the striker has 6 goals in the Premier League and 2 in the UCL. Questions of Wayne Rooney's departure are stalled thanks to his chemistry with Van Persie as he was the catalyst on both Van Persie tallies against CCFR Cluj. Javier Hernandez continues to be a concern as he has just one goal for Man U in five matches. David de Gea played on Saturday so Anders Lindegaard should be manning the net Tuesday if Sir Alex Ferguson continues his rotation.
Their opponents are Braga who after suffering a shocking loss at home to CFR Cluj courtesy of their former players managed to turn things around against struggling Galatasaray on the road. In that 2-0 win, Ruben Micael and Alan both tallied and gave them a vital 3 points in the standings. Any result hear whether it be a tie or win is huge for Braga who plays 2 of the final three games at home. They know this is their toughest test in the group and will likely resort to a defensive style to shut down Van Persie and Rooney. They have not been a great defensive club in the Portuguese league where they have given up 10 goals in 6 games. Offense is another story where the third place team has 15 goals for, but they will likely need to fend off Man U if they hope to get a point out of this match.
Prediction: Man U wins it 3-1.
Start time: 2:45 p.m. EDT