18 Yard Box has a look at the various battles on the pitch in this gigantic clash of the titans.
Its the biggest match this year. A ‘Clash of
Titans’ as Real Madrid faces Manchester United in their own backyard in a UEFA
Champions League Round of 16 face-off.All eyes would be on the two as they both
try to fight each other out of the competition in the Santiago Bernabeu. All 22
players would be fighting their hearts out but the tie might just be decided on
some specific individuals and their dominance and excellence on the pitch.
18 Yard Box analyses the player battles ahead of the mouth-watering encounter.
Cristiano Ronaldo v/s Rafael da Silva
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Ronaldo, the prodigal boy returns to face his former club, Manchester United and his real-life mentor Sir Alex Ferguson and nothing but bitter memories would be made if he were to play the best game of his life. Currently on a frantic run of goals, Ronaldo just cant seem to stop at the moment and it will be a tough task for Rafael to get a good hold of him.
Rafael,currently playing the best season in his career, has been quite influential in Manchester United’s league wins but hasn’t been that influential at the back helping out central defenders .He faces a huge task of man-marking Ronaldo, who is known for hunting down weak defences and in this case, Rafael.
Ronaldo’s dribbling abilities and an eye for goal will be a great test for the young Rafael as the short Brazilian will have to match Ronaldo toe to toe. Excellent in going forward but lacking defensively, Rafael just might be the weaklink to the United defense as Ronaldo would like to exploit his former team mate and trick his way past him.
Going into the match, Ronaldo bears the upper hand in this duel.
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Mesut Ozil v/s Michael Carrick
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Real Madrid wont be banking solely on the contribution of Ronaldo but also the passing and playmaking qualities of Mesut Ozil. Ozil, known for his quality dribbling, passing and scoring talents, would be looking for the forward runs of Ronaldo and Benzema. His closely crafted through-balls might pose a threat to United’s defence.
But Michael Carrick on the other hand has been quite good at keeping midfielders at bay preventing passes through to the strikers and other square passes. Carrick himself has been good enough for United, contributing to a lot of goals this season. His pass-accuracy and pass-frequency has been over the top and his contributions would be important to the course of the game.
However Ozil has been accused to be blow hot and cold and might one can never tell which Ozil they might see on the night. On the other hand Carrick has been way too consistent for Sir Alex’s team and will be looking to block Ozil’s attempts to penetrate United’s defence.
Ahead of this match, going by form, Carrick edges Ozil even though this duel would be one of the most eagerly and elegantly fought out battle.
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Xabi Alonso v/s Wayne Rooney
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Rooney would be the one grabbing eyeballs for United. One of the most complete and versatile players for United, Rooney, would be the key figure in United’s attack combining with Robin van Persie and the midfielders. It will be a tough task for the midfielders and the defenders to hold back Rooney and his combinational play with van Persie might prove dangerous for Mourinho’s troops.
Xabi Alonso, who has been allotted a much deeper role in Madrid’s midfield would be the one monitoring Rooney’s movements and his job to stop Rooney from creating chances would be worth noticing. Alonso is also the backbone of Madrid’s midfield and his man-management skills in the middle of the park would be tested in this encounter.
Alonso, a natural midfielder by trade, has an advantage of being more experienced amongst the two and might just prove to be Rooney’s nemesis. On the flip side, Rooney has proven himself in the CAM-cum- One behind the striker role time and again and stopping him would take the best out of the Spanish international.
This match is closely fought on paper and is too difficult to predict. But based on the experience, Alonso might just edge it.
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Written By,
Rishav Ghosh
Rishav is a writer for 18 Yard Box.
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