At 3.00pm GMT, today, it will be exactly 12 days until the first round of Premier League fixtures get underway.
At Ewood Park, Craven Cottage, Anfield, Loftus Road, White Hart Lane, The DW Stadium and at St. James' "We-don't-know-quite-what-the -stadium-will-be-called" Park, the first whistle of the season will blow, and with it, absolute joy will wash over millions of football fans up and down the country!
After the (shorter-than-it-seems) Summer period where limited football is played and the back pages become filled with news of Cricket and Golf, we will finally start to see normality return as football will start to dominate
The fixture list in full, then, for the weekend of 13th-15th August: Saturday, 13 August 2011 Blackburn v Wolverhampton, 15:00
Fulham v Aston Villa, 15:00
Liverpool v Sunderland, 15:00
QPR v Bolton, 15:00
Tottenham v Everton, 15:00
Wigan v Norwich, 15:00
Newcastle v Arsenal, 17:30
Sunday, 14 August 2011
Stoke v Chelsea, 13:30
West Brom v Man Utd, 16:00
John O'Shea, the 30-year-old Republic of Ireland international, and Manchester United defender, is reportedly in Sunderland undergoing a medical.
This morning, he left for Wearside for his medical, following in the footsteps of United team-mate, Wes Brown, who was in the north east for his medical on Wednesday night.
Should O'Shea and 31-year-old Brown sign for the Black Cats, they will become Steve Bruce's 7th and 8th signings of the pre-season, with hopes of a 9th to be confirmed also- that of Darren Gibson, also from United.
They won't need to change their ties...
A Ł12million joint bid was made several weeks ago, which was accepted by Bruce's former manager, Alex Ferguson. The deal for Gibson has proven to be the most problematic, despite Gibson indicating his willingness to consider a move to the Stadium of Light early on.
Whether only Brown and O'Shea, or Gibson as well, sign for Sunderland, it will, as well as adding stability and experience to a weak defence, bring United fans everywhere to reluctantly bid farewell. O'Shea particularly is one of those players that has given his all, worn his heart on his sleeve, and any other number of clichés you can think of, for his club, and has adapted to any role given to him.
They will both, or all, be missed by United, and Sunderland will shore up a squad that has been all about change in recent weeks.
David De Gea, the Spanish U21 Atletico Madrid goalkeeper has agreed a 5-year contract with Manchester United, signing for a reported Ł17million.
Having already signed Phil Jones and Ashley Young, De Gea becomes United's 3rd major signing of the summer transfer perio, and pushed the expenditure through the Ł50m barrier,
De Gea stated: "I feel very proud and I can’t wait to start playing here. When a club the size of Manchester United comes in for you it obviously makes you very, very happy. I saw their interest as an extra motivation to work even harder to show off my ability. It’s a great privilege to be part of a club like United and I'm keen to do my best and show what I can do."
He will now set about the challenge of replacing Dutch legend, and retired United stopper, Edwin van der Sar, who, at 40 years of age, is double the age of the Spaniard.
Having made his La Liga debut for Atletico in 2009, and having just secured the U21 Euro Championship trophy with Spain, he will be thrown in to competition with Anders Lindegaard, the 27-year-old Danish keeper who joined last November, and Tomasz Kuszscak, the Polish keeper who has, in recent times, failed to impress.
After a huge void was left when Peter Schmeichel moved to Sporting Lisbon in 1999, a string of keepers tried to fill the gap. While some started well, such as Mark Bosnich and Fabian Barthez, they eventually left on bad terms after a catalogue of bad goalkeeping errors. Some, such as Massimo Taibi, is not even worth the screen you're reading this on.
But the arrival of Edwin from Fulham in 2005 gave United the goalkeeper to rival Schmeichel's pedigree. And having won a Champions League (2008), and four Premier League titles (2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2010-11), he felt it time to hang his gloves up, and the hunt for a new keeper could finally commence.
Following victory in the U21 European Championships with Spain, 20-year-old Atletico Madrid goalkeeper David de Gea has been spotted arriving in Manchester to go through his medical ahead of an Ł18m transfer.Though staff tried to hide him behind a blanket (you couldn't write this!), his 6'4" frame was too much to be covered, and photographs were inevitably taken.
Prior to heading to Denmark, it was reported that Manchester United and Atletico Madird had agreed a fee for the young keeper. However, De Gea remained mute on the transfer, besides to refute claims the deal was a 'done deal' back when Fergus was reported to have announced his imminent arrival.
De Gea started every La Liga game last season, after coming to prominence in the 2009-10 season. Along the way, he kept 11 clean sheets, and rose to 3rd place goalkeeper in the Spain national side.
Were he to sign, De Gea would be the 3rd United transfer of the pre-season period, joining Phil Jones and Ashley Young, and it doesn't look as if the champions will stop there. With the gap between United and Barcelona so vast in the Champions League Final, and with Scholes, Neville and Van der Sar retiring at the end of the season, new blood will be required to keep ahead of the likes of Chelsea and derby rivals, City.
Manchester United were delighted to confirm, today, that the Aston Villa winger, Ashley Young, completed his move to Old Trafford, signing a five-year contract.
A club statement read: "Manchester United is delighted to announce it has reached agreement with Aston Villa for the transfer of Ashley Young. The player passed a medical in Manchester this week and has agreed a five-year contract."
A short while after the season ended, Ashley spoke with the Villa board to inform them of his intention to play Champions League football. Having made 15 appearances for England, I feel he now realises his potential, and sought bigger challenges.
Young, 25, had just one year left on his deal at Villa Park and with the new Aston Villa (and former Birmingham) manager, Alex McLeish, resigned to losing Young, the deal has now been completed.
He joins Blackburn's England Under-21 defender Phil Jones who moved to Old Trafford for between Ł16.5m and Ł20.5m earlier this month and with Atletico Madrid goalkeeper David de Gea likely to move to Manchester before the new season, United have really begun to signal their intent for 2011-12.
Manchester United have continued their rebuilding with the signing of winger Gabriel Obertan from Bordeaux.
The 20-year-old has agreed a four-year contract with the Barclays Premier League champions.
Obertan, a Paris-born France Under-21 international who can fill several attacking roles, will have to wait for his first-team bow, however, as an unspecified minor injury will keep him out of United's forthcoming tour of the Far East.
"Gabriel is a player we have tracked for a few years now, but because of his educational programme our efforts to get him here have always been delayed," manager Sir Alex Ferguson told the club's official website.
"We are delighted to get him now as he is an exciting prospect. We like to get young players and develop them, and we will see that in Gabriel over the next two years."
Obertan himself says he is relishing the opportunity of playing for the Champions.
"I am very happy to join Manchester United," he said. "This is a big opportunity for me to play at such a great club. I am very excited to be here and I look forward to proving what I can do."
However, a slight injury means Obertan will not travel on the club's pre-season tour.
Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo has won the prestigious Ballon d'Or trophy for 2008, polling 446 points from a maximum of 480, to oust his closest rivals, Lionel Messi and Fernando Torres into 2nd and 3rd place respectively.
The Portugese winger scored an incredible 42 goals as Manchester United won the Champions League and Premier League double last season. Despite a less than spectacular performance at Euro 2008, the world's football journalists had no hesitation voting him for the most prestigious individual award in world football, awarded by France Football magazine.
"It is one of the most beautiful days of my life, something I dreamed of as a child," said the 23-year-old winger.
Ronaldo becomes only the third Portuguese player to lift the famous trophy - after Eusebio and Luis Figo - and the fourth Manchester United player to take the prestigious gong. He is the first Premier League player since Michael Owen in 2001 to scoop the award.
Liverpool 2 - 1 Man Utd
Blackburn 0 - 4 Arsenal
Fulham 2 - 1 Bolton
Newcastle 1 - 2 Hull
Portsmouth 2 - 1 Middlesbrough
West Brom 3 - 2 West Ham
Wigan 1 - 1 Sunderland
Man City 1 - 3 Chelsea
Sun, Sep 14:
Stoke 2 - 3 Everton
SUMMARY:
Every fan was looking forward to this weekend's Premier League action because it had all the ingredients for an explosive weekend. First there was arguably the biggest club match in world football - Liverpool vs. Man Utd; the match-up between two of the world's most cash-rich clubs: Man City vs Chelsea including the British record signing Robinho and whether Mike Ashley would survive the weekend as Newcastle takes on Hull for their first match since Kevin Keegan walked out on the club.
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez finally got one over his Manchester United counterpart as the Reds beat United 2-1 at Anfield on Saturday - their first win in eight league games against their bitter rivals.
The early signs were not good for the home side as they fell behind to an early Carlos Tevez goal after a neat pass from new signing Dimitar Berbatov in the 3rd minute. But Liverpool never buckled under the pressure and were level with a Wes Brown own goal before dominating the second half, playing the best football they have played this season, and grabbed a priceless win with 13 minutes left when Dutch winger Ryan Babel came onto score the winner.
Arsenal turned on the style against Blackburn at Ewood Park by scoring four unanswered goals against Paul Ince's men. Emmanuel Adebayor became the second Gunner to score a hat-trick this week following teammate Theo Walcott's exploits for England earlier in the week.
The 19 year-old didn't get on the scoresheet in this match but he set up the opening goal for Robin van Persie in the eighth minute before Adebayor stole the limelight with three goals.
Meanwhile, new British record signing Robinho scored on debut for Manchester City but could not stop his side from falling to a 3-1 defeat against Chelsea. The Brazilian forward lashed home a superb 13th-minute free-kick but it was downhill all the way after that as Chelsea scored three times without reply to register a seventh straight win over the Sky Blues.
When the fixtures list is released for a new season of English Premier League football, it's almost second nature for me to find the Liverpool vs. Manchester United games before I do anything else.
What's interesting though is that this doesn't necessarily apply to just Liverpool or Manchester United fans - this 'derby' garners the interest of supporters from other clubs/ leagues/countries, or the 'neutrals' because of the reputation of both sides and the intense rivalry over the years.
For the 2008-09 season of the EPL, the first Liverpool vs. Manchester United blockbuster takes place on September 13. Players from both teams will be pumped for the game, there's no doubt about that, but with some big players from both sides set to miss this fixture due to injury - there could be more by the time the latest round of international fixtures finishes - things are looking rather underwhelming.
While United will point to injury problems of their own with Portugese winger Cristiano Ronaldo still recovering from ankle surgery, they will be buoyed by the arrival of Bulgaria striker Dimitar Berbatov who is set to make his debut for the Red Devils against Liverpool on Saturday.
Despite the match being played at the fortress that is Anfield, it appears Liverpool will be the big underdogs in this match.
Serial quitter, Kevin Keegan, has resigned as manager of Newcastle United for the second time in his managerial career after just eight months in the hot-seat.
The resignation of the former England and Manchester City boss comes after three days of intense speculation about his future with conflicting rumours he had either been sacked by the club or had walked out after a huge bust-up with the directors.
In a personal statement, Keegan said: "I've been working desperately hard to find a way forward with the directors, but sadly that has not proved possible," said the former player.
"It's my opinion that a manager must have the right to manage and that clubs should not impose upon any manager any player that he does not want." he added.
Since Keegan ended his first tenure - also by quitting - at the club in 1997, Newcastle United have had six managers Kenny Dalglish, Ruud Gullit, Sir Bobby Robson, Graeme Souness, Glenn Roeder and Sam Allardyce until "King Kev's" return in January 2008 - that's 7 managers in total in a relatively short space of time.
On face value, it appears that Keegan's position at the club had been severely undermined by a number of factors including transfer dealings behind his back; the uncertainty over Michael Owen's future and the existence of a technical director in Dennis Wise - a role created shortly after Keegan's re-appointment in January to oversee the technical side of things and player recruitment.
The other side of the story is that Newcastle United released a statement saying they were "sad and disappointed that Kevin Keegan has resigned."
"Over the last few days the Club has devoted itself to the discussions it has held with Kevin and as a result of those discussions had put together a set of practical suggestions for how to move forward." the Club said.
"Today the Club made it clear to Kevin that if he had any outstanding concerns on its proposals, he should raise them with the Club.
"The Club regrets that Kevin has, instead of taking up that offer, chosen to resign."
It's hard to believe every word this club has said given their poor record of treating their managers - just ask Glenn Roeder and Sam Allardyce. They also seem to harbour a group of directors hell-bent on causing instability at the club or have complete disdain for the club's supporters - fans which are regularly voted some of the best in the country - by making them suffer.
However, what is hard to ignore in this particular case is that Kevin Keegan is a serial quitter. He first walked out on Newcastle in 1997 stating he had taken the club 'as far as he could'. When Keegan became England manager, he also chose to walk out on his country after losing the last game to be played at the old Wembley Stadium. Then it was Manchester City's turn with Keegan walking out without seeing the 04/05 season through after telling the chairman his desire to retire from football at the end of that season.
There's a pattern there, no doubt about that.
But what a week in English football - a rich Abu Dhabi consortium takes over Manchester City and gives them Robinho as their new signing. Two managers have walked out on their jobs after just three games into the 2008-09 season.
Manchester United's new blue kit for the 2008/09 season of the English Premier League has been designed to celebrate 40 years since the Red Devils wore blue in becoming the first English team to win the European Cup.
Manufactured by sportswear giants Nike, the new kit is worthy of that great team and their famous 4-1 win over Benfica at Wembley. The new blue shirt includes a number of details that commemorate the achievement including the embroidery of the words 'May 29th 1968' and '40th Year Anniversary' around the crest on the player's left chest, and an inside back neck shirt detail taken from the 1968 final ticket and shirt crest.
United captain Gary Neville said: "I think it’s fantastic, I like the traditional kits. I think we should wear kits that represent the history of the club and this one certainly does that.
"I think you will think about that night and that team when you wear this kit, particularly with the embroidery of the date around the badge. The fans will love it."
The shirt fabric is 100% polyester and features mesh side panels along with NikeFIT DRY technology designed to keep you dry, cool and comfortable despite the elements.
Reigning English and European champions Manchester United have started the new season by capturing the Community Shield at Wembley.
Sir Alex Ferguson's side continued where they left off last season by winning a penalty shootout to beat Portsmouth 3-1 on penalties in a game which United had complete control but a string of wasted chances.
Despite the endeavour of Carlos Tevez - the only recognised (and fit) striker in the squad - and a strong display from Portugal's Nani, signing a new striker must be Ferguson's top priority if they want to defend their Premier League and European titles this season. Without last season's 42-goal top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo (injured) and England striker Wayne Rooney (virus) in the side, you just can't seem to see where the goals are coming from.
The game marked the return of United captain and England right-back Gary Neville to the side - his first start since March 2007 - but it was Portuguese winger Nani who ran the show with his pace causing all sorts of problems for Sol Campbell and Glen Johnson in the Pompey back-line.
The FA cup winners were having a torrid time and created very little meaningful opportunities which culminated in three penalty misses in the shootout from Lassana Diarra, Arnold Mvuemba and Glen Johnson. Fortunately for the Red Devils, their players managed to find their scoring boots just in time for the shootout with all three penalty-takers - Tevez, Giggs and Carrick - finding the back of the net.
The win made it a lucky seven victories in the curtain-raiser for Fergie but the general consensus is that he needs to sign a top striker to ensure that his team wins more than just the community shield this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo has ended speculation about his future by confirming that he will remain at Manchester United for "at least one more season". This officially puts an end to the summer's most bitter transfer tug-of-war between fellow football giants Manchester United and their Spanish counterparts, Real Madrid.
The 23-year-old Portugal winger - the scorer of an amazing 42-goals last season - has frequently expressed his desire to play in the white shirt of Real Madrid and that dream almost became a reality this summer when the Spanish giants were reportedly prepared to break the world record transfer fee for the player hotly tipped to win the World Player Of The Year award later this year.
In fact, United have been so furious with Real Madrid’s antics over the summer that they even reported them to FIFA but to no avail.
However, it appears the player and manager Sir Alex Ferguson have reached an agreement - in the best interest of both parties - that will see the 'Portugese Winker' stay at Old Trafford for 2008-09 at the very least.
Speaking to Portuguese paper Publico, Ronaldo said: "Sir Alex Ferguson heard my arguments, I heard his and it was settled that the best thing would be for me to stay.
"I can confirm that, next season, I will play for Manchester United.
"Before rumours emerge saying that I will play against my will, I want to make this clear - whoever says or writes that is lying,
"I will play for Manchester with all my heart and soul. I will fight and honour that shirt with the same commitment and dedication as always."he added.
United manager Ferguson said he was pleased Ronaldo was staying and even said so much as understanding that it's been difficult for Ronaldo because "it's very difficult when a young boy is tempted by all this money".
My take on all this is the club has made some sort of deal with Ronaldo, who is under contract with United until 2012, to remain at Old Trafford for one more season. The deal could potentially mean some minor alterations to Ronaldo's contract - perhaps the addition of a get-out clause (if he doesn't already have one) after 12 months for a set-amount of money with Real Madrid getting first refusal on the player.
What remains to be seen is how Ronaldo will perform this upcoming season and how fans will react towards him. Will people start questioning his desire and professionalism if he happens to enter a form slump?
Reigning English and European champions Manchester United will be defending their titles in a new white kit for the 2008/09 English Premier League season.
The crisp white shirt featuring a blue and red collar is matched with blue shorts and white socks and looks world's apart from last season's all black away kit although which one looks better is debatable.
The Red Devils will wear the new kit for the first time for the opening two games of the club's pre-season trip to South Africa. United will take on the Kaizer Chiefs in Cape Town on July 19 and the Orlando Pirates in Durban on July 22.
The 2008/09 away kit will be officially launched on July 18 with pre-orders available now.
Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea (Manchester United wins 6-5 on penalties)
SUMMARY:
Manchester United and Chelsea played out a thrilling Champions League Final tie in Moscow overnight with the Red Devils emerging victorious to secure their third European cup with a 6-5 win on penalties after extra-time.
United dominated the first half and deservedly went ahead through Cristiano Ronaldo's brilliant header - his 42nd goal of the campaign - in the 26th minute. They continued to press and Carlos Tevez had two glorious chances to put the game out of reach for Chelsea but they held on to equalise from a goal out of nothing.
An attempted shot from Michael Essien 25-yards out took two deflections before landing sweetly into the path of Lampard, who duly supplied a left-footed finish from six yards.
Chelsea were back in it and it was the perfect time to equalise just before the break.
The London club came out rejuvenated in the second half and dominated proceedings much like their opponents did in the first half. Drogba saw a shot hit the woodwork as United held on and had chances of their own when late substitute Ryan Giggs saw a shot cleared off the line by John Terry.
Both teams were even in extra-time before drama unfolded. Drogba was shown a straight red for slapping Nemanja Vidic but his sending off came too late for United to make full use of their numerical advantage and penalties ensued.
Decisive misses by John Terry and Nicolas Anelka handed the trophy to United despite Ronaldo missing his second successive penalty but it did not matter as United marked the 50th anniversary of the Munich air crash with their third European crown.
It has been nine long years since that famous night in Barcelona when Manchester United came back from the dead to score two injury time goals to inflict a 2-1 defeat on Bayern Munich to lift the famous Champions League trophy.
Sir Alex Ferguson hailed the win with his famous remark: "Football, bloody hell!" but the trophy has eluded his team ever since - a fact that the manager has lamented for he believes winning the Champions League is the measure of any great side.
The Scotsman and his Manchester United team led by the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney have another chance to add to the club's illustrious history with a second Champions League triumph against fellow English Premier League side Chelsea in the 2007/08 final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on May 21st.
To celebrate this special occasion, the English giants has released a special edition home shirt with a Champions League Final Embroidery sitting in the middle of the chest between the Nike logo and club crest.
The Red Devils have also added some special retro kits - the 1968 European Cup Final Retro Home Shirt and Retro Champions League Final Shirt 1999 - to the club store for fans to purchase and wear on the night.
They will also be hoping that the 2007/09 Champions League Final shirt will get to join these two other retro shirts in the club's memorabilia come the final whistle in Moscow.
Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo has been rewarded for his extraordinary form this season with the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Player of the Year award for the second consecutive season.
The Portugese international bettered the legendary George Best's goal scoring record for a Manchester United winger with 38 goals in all competitions for the Red Devils and the chance to score even more in the two remaining premiership games of the season and the Champions League.
Realistically, Ronaldo's only challenger to the award was ever only going to be Liverpool striker Fernando Torres who has scored 22 goals in his first season in the English Premier League. The maturity and quality Torres has shown since his move from Atletico Madrid has been more than expected and he will continue to improve at just 23 years of age.
Other contenders for the prestigious award included Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas and teammate Emmanuel Adebayor and Portsmouth goalkeeper David James.
Cesc Fabregas won the Young Player of the Year award, fighting off tough competition from Ronaldo, Torres, Micah Richards, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young.
The PFA top-flight team of the year are as follows:
David James (Portsmouth), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Rio Ferdinand (Man Utd), Nemanja Vidic (Man Utd), Gael Clichy (Arsenal), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd), Ashley Young (Aston Villa), Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal), Fernando Torres (Liverpool).
Wed, Apr 23: UEFA Champions League (Semi-Final 1st Leg)
Barcelona 0-0 Man Utd
SUMMARY
Manchester United wasted a glorious opportunity to take a 1-0 lead - and a crucial away goal - into the second leg of their Champions League semi-final clash with Barcelona as a missed penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo in the third minute meant the score finished nil-all at the Camp Nou.
Ronaldo's admirers will probably point to those hideous red boots he was wearing as the cause for the fluffed penalty kick but his detractors will say the player that has terrorised Premier League defences all season failed to show up in a big game yet again.
Perhaps Ronaldo's performance last night ended the debate as to who is the world's best player once and for all. Barcelona's Lionel Messi, the other major contender for the prized accolade, returned from five weeks out with injury to spark his team into life and terrify the United defence with every touch of the ball.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, failed to inspire his teammates or showcase his famous skills on the biggest stage yet again. Perhaps he was still ruing his miscued spot kick? Nevertheless, the best players gets over those sorts of disappointments quickly.
All in all, the Red Devils will be relieved to be leaving Spain with a goalless draw when the result could have been so different had Barca converted the many chances they had created.
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has been identified by England boss Fabio Capello as a possible future England captain.
Although the Italian feels that Rooney is still too young for the role at present, he feels that the talented striker has the leadership qualities and talent to succeed in the role of skipper for his country as he matures mentally and football wise.
Capello was quoted as saying: "I am undecided who will be captain for the next game and Wayne Rooney is very young but I believe in the future he could be captain of England one day.
"What are his qualities for the role? He is a leader, he is a good example on the pitch. Like I said, he is very young so we need to give him a bit more time to get some more experience and mature a bit.
"But I do believe he could one day be captain. He is the most talented young English player and the good thing is he has still got a big margin of improvement ahead of him.
"He is very good at everything. The one thing he can improve is the number of chances he puts away. He doesn't convert as many as he could but I am sure that will come in the future."
It has to be pointed out that a naturally gifted player or the best player in a team does not necessarily make the best captain. Some players are at their best when left alone to concentrate on their own game and tend to feel burdened by the responsibilities of leading a team when the chips are down.
It is hard to say what the future holds for Rooney in a leadership role for England but at present, he simply does not have the temperament to succeed as a captain especially when under pressure. It has also been said that Rooney has yet to play at full potential for England bar his performances at Euro 2004; going long periods without scoring a competitive goal and his 'moment of madness' at the WC 2006 where he was red-carded for a stomp on Portugal's Ricardo Carvalho.
There is, however, no denying that he is the most naturally talented player in the current England squad and at just 22 years of age, he has at least another 8-10 years at the very top. Time will tell how many of these years will be spent as the captain of his country.
Do you think Wayne Rooney would make a good captain?
Wed, Apr 9: UEFA Champions League (Quarter-Final 2nd Leg)
Man Utd 1-0 Roma
Barcelona 1-0 Schalke 04
SUMMARY:
Manchester United and Barcelona pulled off 1-0 home wins over Roma and Schalke 04 respectively in the Champions League overnight to setup a mouthwatering semi-final clash in a fortnight's time.
United's 2-0 cushion from the first leg prompted Sir Alex Ferguson to drop the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes to the bench (in anticipation of the EPL clash with Arsenal this weekend) but still managed a narrow 1-0 win over the Italian side.
The home side was let off the hook in the first half when Daniele De Rossi skied a penalty in the first half and were made to pay the price when Owen Hargreaves crossed for Argentina striker Carlos Tevez to score a diving header in the 70th minute to seal a 1-0 win on the night and 3-0 on aggregate.
Barcelona shrugged off their recent woes in La Liga with a hard fought 1-0 win (2-0 agg) over German side Schalke 04 at the Camp Nou.
Despite missing the likes of the injured Ronaldinho and Messi, Barcelona just had too much class for Schalke as Yaya Toure scored the winner with a scuffed shot late in the 1st half to send the Catalan giants through to the semi-final in a competition they last won in 2006.
The first leg of the semi-final clash between Manchester United and Barcelona will take place at the Nou Camp on April 23.
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