Manchester United will look to continue building momentum when it takes on Olympiacos in the first leg of the Champions league round of 16. The team is currently on a three-game unbeaten run and recently signed Wayne Rooney to a lengthy contract. The team certainly feels great and will feel much better if it manages a favorable result on Tuesday.
Here is how the English side stacks up against its Greek rivals.
Manchester United
While the Premier League seems a bit out of reach at this point, Captain Nemanja Vidic is optimistic about the team's chances in this tournament.
"I believe we can do something special in the Champions League," Vidic said, according to ESPN. "I really do. If we play solid like we did [against Palace], keep our shape, I think we will be a hard team to beat. We always have people who can score goals and that is the way you play in the Champions League -- be hard to beat, but be able to score."
Granted, winning the tournament may be the only way that the Red Devils can guarantee an appearance in the UCL in 2014-15; the team's chances of a top four finish in England is looking less and less likely every week as the top sides continue to produce solid results week in and week out.
United has looked good in the UCL; at least better than in any other competition this season. The team won four and only drew two of six matches; two of the wins were a pair of blowouts against Bayer Leverkusen. The other results against Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Sociedad were less stunning though one must imagine that a team that includes the likes of Wayne Rooney (a happy Wayne Rooney) and Robin Van Persie should give any team a tremendous amount of trouble in the defensive end.
Olympiacos
The Greek side managed to finish second in an "easy" group that included Benfica, Paris Saint-German and Anderlecht. Olympiacos actually finished with 10 points in the group and edged out Benfica in head-to-head points. The team lost 4-1 against PSG in its opener before defeating Anderlecht 3-0 in its second game. A 1-1 draw with Benfica was followed by a 1-0 win at home against the Portuguese contingent. The team lost 2-1 against PSG in its second-to-last game but rebounded with a 3-1 win over Anderlecht in the finale of the group stage.
Manchester United will win if...
David Moyes' side manages to remain disciplined in the midfield and Rooney and Van Persie take over the game. They are the most dangerous players on the pitch and should not be troubled by a rather weak Greek defense.
Olympiacos wins if...
The side takes advantage of a fragile Manchester United side. This game is wide open. The Greek side might be the underdog but they cannot be worse than Fulham or Stoke City; the former managed a 2-2 draw with United while the latter actually beat the Red Devils. Olympiacos can win this game with discipline and intensity. Overwhelm Manchester and anything is possible.
Prediction: Manchester United wins 3-1.
The match kicks off at 2:45 p.m. EST and can be streamed online on Fox Soccer 2 Go. It can also be viewed on Fox Deportes; ESPN Deportes radio is also streaming the match. Live score updates can be found at ESPNFC.com.
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