Champions League Preview - Manchester United vs Chelsea
All eyes will descend on the Theatre of Dreams tonight as two giants of world football collide in the the hugely anticipated second leg quarter-final Champions League tie! United are closing in on all three of footballs biggest prizes while Chelsea know it's the Champions League or bust, with Europe s biggest tournament their only hope of silverware this season.
As we prepare for one of the most anticipated matches of the season, we take a look at some key stats and players who could provide the match-winning difference for their sides tonight.
Michael Carrick was at the heart of Manchester United's midfield at Stamford Bridge. The England international controlled the midfield with unrivalled accuracy, completing 36 of his 41 passes, an 88% success ratio that no other United midfielder could match at the Bridge. Ryan Giggs was the highest beneficiary of his passes (seven), a fact that reaped rewards with Carrick's long diagonal ball to the Welsh wizard being the catalyst for the only goal of the game.
Castrol EDGE Performance data shows that Michael Carrick made seven interceptions in the first-leg, that's three more than any other player on the night.
On a near perfect night, he also won all seven of his duels, including the two dribbles he embarked on. Physical but fair, he was the only United outfield player who didn't concede a foul.
Chelsea and Fernando Torres will be forced to take the game to United tonight as they go in search of that vital away goal. Fernando Torres is still firing blanks in a Chelsea shirt but is notorious for producing on the big stage.
Castrol EDGE Performance data shows that no player has had more shots on target than Fernando Torres in the Champions League knockout stages this season.
At the moment though, he is the player who has had the most attempts without scoring in the knockout stages of this season's competition, ahead of teammate Didier Drogba and Tottenham midfielder Rafael van der Vaart
If Chelsea are to upset the odds at Old Trafford tonight, they can't afford to carry a below-par Fernando Torres. When firing on all cylinders, the Spaniard is among the most feared strikers in the world. Surely it's only a matter of time before the Chelsea hit-man breaks his duck for the Blues.
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