FCBARCELONA.CAT

10.04.2008 12:12

An impeccable season

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Alex Ferguson’s side now face Barça after beating Roma in the quarter finals, and also top of the Premiership table. With their lively, attacking football, United are having a terrific season.

The English side have won eight and drawn just two en route to the final four, the same record as the only other unbeaten side in the tournament, FC Barcelona. The Red Devils are looking to reach the final for the first time since 98/99, when they famously defeated Bayern Munich here at the Camp Nou. Meanwhile, in their domestic league, they are top of the table with just five games to go.

Great Champions League

Their form in Europe this season has been stunning, scoring eighteen goals and conceding just five. In the group stages they qualified after failing to win just one game in a group they shared with Roma, Sporting Lisbon and Dynamo Kiev. Their only minor setback was a 1-1 draw on their visit to the Italian capital.

In the knockout stages, they first met Olympique Lyon, and were perhaps fortunate to manage to come away from the away leg in France with a 1-1 draw. Back home, they saw off Lyon with a 1-0 win thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo goal.

Roma beaten again

They then met Roma for the second time in the same competition in the quarter finals. Much of the work was already done when Ronaldo and Rooney were on target to give the Red Devils a 2-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico, and back at Old Trafford, United made it 3-0 on aggregate with a Carlos Tévez goal, after De Rossi had missed a penalty for the Serie A side.

Premiership leaders

In their domestic championship, United are three points clear of Chelsea and six ahead of Arsenal with five games to go. However, they still have to meet both their immediate pursuers, so the title is anything but decided.

They have been on amazing form all year, and in 33 games, they have lost just four and drawn five to get a total of 77 points. The only side to have won at Old Trafford in the league this season has been local rivals Manchester City, who have managed a historic double over their neighbours. United have scored the most goals in the tournament, 70, and also conceded the fewest, just 17.

Two failures

But the two English cups have brought less fortune to the red side of Manchester. In the FA Cup they fielded a full strength side against Portsmouth in the quarter finals, but were still beaten 1-0, while their Carling Cup campaign was surprisingly cut short by modest Coventry City (0-2).