The Hindu : Sport / Football : Manchester United to host Hull City

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 01, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Sport

Sport - Football

Manchester United to host Hull City

— PHOTO: AFP

MAN TO WATCH: The return to form of Cristiano Ronaldo will boost Manchester United’s chances against Hull in their Premier League encounter on Saturday.

MANCHESTER: Sir Alex Ferguson’s angry reaction to his side’s failure to score more than two goals against West Ham this week was probably the last thing Phil Brown and his Hull City players wanted to hear ahead of their trip to face Manchester United.

That Hull visits Old Trafford two points ahead of the reigning Premier League champion speaks volumes about the fairytale start made by the Yorkshire side in its first season in the top-flight. But the statistic also illustrates United’s shaky start to the campaign, when it won just one of its opening four league games.

And with Ferguson’s frustration at United’s failure to inflict a more humiliating defeat on a poor West Ham side summing up the manager’s growing confidence — he has, after all, had more to grumble about this term — Hull’s prospects look far more bleak than the league table would suggest.

An eight-point gap separates Ferguson’s team from leader Liverpool and while the Scottish manager has acknowledged he doesn’t expect to see his side head the table any time soon, he is convinced that its relentless march to reclaim the Premier League title is now underway.

Unbeaten in ten games in all competitions, and with last week’s draw against Everton the only slip in the last five matches, United appear poised to repeat its run of last season when it overcame a similarly stuttering opening.

The return to form of winger Cristiano Ronaldo midweek after an indifferent start to the season added further grounds for optimism, with the Portuguese winger’s performance hailed by his manager as evidence he can repeat last season’s 42-game haul.

Carvalho injured

Meanwhile, Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho faces at least three weeks on the sidelines with a thigh injury — making a swift return to Luiz Felipe Scolari’s casualty list.

The 30-year-old Carvalho, who returned to action last week after a month out with knee ligament damage, limped out of Wednesday’s 3-0 win clutching his thigh.

The Premier League club is expecting he will need a minimum three-week layoff, also likely ruling Carvalho out of Portugal’s November 19 friendly against Brazil.

Malaga faces Barcelona

In the Spanish League, Malaga faces the daunting prospect of a visit on Saturday from a buoyant Barcelona, which will be seeking its seventh straight league victory and 11th in all competitions.

With Pep Guardiola at the helm, Barcelona has made its best start to a season under a new coach since the 1970-71 season when the Catalan team was under Vic Buckingham of England.

Barcelona has scored 35 goals this season, including 6-1 wins over Sporting Gijon and Atletico Madrid and 5-0 victories over FC Basel and Almeria.

Guardiola, who replaced Frank Rijkaard in July, is trying to keep a lid on the euphoria enveloping him and his players.

“This is an unreal situation and what is important is for us to maintain the values we work at every day,” the 37-year-old former Barcelona midfielder said. “There are a lot of better coaches than me.”

Barcelona will be without left back Eric Abidal after the French defender limped out of training on Thursday with a right knee injury.

After eight rounds, Barcelona is second with 19 points, above defending champion Real Madrid on goal difference and one point behind leader Valencia. Villarreal is fourth with 18, one more than Sevilla.

On Saturday, Valencia hosts Racing Santander and Villarreal visits Athletic Bilbao. On Sunday, Madrid travels to Almeria, with Sevilla playing at Valladolid.

The fixtures: On Saturday: Chelsea v Sunderland; Everton v Fulham; Manchester United v Hull; Middlesbrough v West Ham; Portsmouth v Wigan; Stoke v Arsenal; Tottenham v Liverpool; West Bromwich Albion v Blackburn.

On Sunday: Bolton v Manchester City. On Monday: Newcastle vs. Aston Villa

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport