Manchester United has already sealed first place in Group H and may not have major investment in their Wednesday night showdown with CFR Cluj-Napoca.
Sir Alex Ferguson's squad played three premier league matches last week and Ferguson may look to rest his squad after the tremendous toll they took last week. In their last UCL match, Ferguson rested his top players and wound up losing. Those are the spoils and advantages that come with clinching your group after four matches. Man U won its first match with Galatasaray 1-0, then defeated CFR Cluj-Napoca 2-1, and then took down Braga in two straight matches by a combined score of 6-3. They lost their last match with Galatasaray 1-0.
Cluj-Napoca has everything at stake. They must win and hope for a Galatasaray draw or loss to clinch a spot in the next round of the UEFA Champions League. They opened the tournament versus Braga in a 2-0 win. They then had their worst run of the tournament in which they lost to Man U 3-1, drew 1-1 with Galatasaray, and then lost to the Turkish side 3-1. They got back on track with a 3-1 win over Braga.
Prediction: If Ferguson sits his big stars, CFR Cluj could have a nice day and a solid 2-1 win. If not, then this might wind up being a Man U drubbing of CFR Cluj. I predict the former.
Start Time: 2:45 PM EST
TV Info: Fox Soccer PLus