SOCCER/Bayer Leverkusen v Man Utd: Brinkmanship is Manchester United's stock-in-trade. So often have they tempted fate it is a wonder fate has not got fed up and taken its ball home. This evening will find United in a situation which is all too familiar to them.
Having suffered a bad result at home in a major European tie, they now have to redeem themselves in distinctly less favourable circumstances.
It is almost as if Alex Ferguson's team need to flirt with failure to find the passions which have driven them to one triumph after another over the last 10 years.
Few can doubt that they are well capable of overcoming Bayer Leverkusen to reach the Champions League final at Hampden Park a fortnight tomorrow.
In a sense, this is Turin revisited. Three years ago Manchester United could only draw 1-1 at home to Juventus in the opening leg of the semi-finals and in the return game conceded two early goals. Yet they rallied to win 3-2 and in the final came from behind to beat Bayern Munich.
Once more, any confidence in a United success is not based on the statistics, which favour Klaus Toppmoller's side more than they did Juventus.
Last Wednesday, Bayer twice came from behind to force a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford, which means that they need only draw 0-0 or 1-1 to go through on away goals.
Manchester United, moreover, are now without David Beckham and Gary Neville. This will mean Ferguson having to field an entirely makeshift right wing against the pace and guile of the Brazilian Ze Roberto, with Denis Irwin at right back unless Ronny Johnsen is considered fit enough to resume at centre back, which would release Wes Brown to go wide.
Yet, far from appearing downcast, the United manager is beamingly optimistic, ever confident that the greater odds his players face the better the performance will be."We've seen so many videos of Leverkusen that we know practically everything about their strengths and their weaknesses," he said yesterday."
Manchester United will be hoping that the successive defeats against Werder Bremen and Nuremberg, which have cast sudden doubts on Bayer's ability to win the German league, affect the confidence of Toppmoller's players.
The return of Roy Keane after the hamstring injury he suffered in Coruna in the quarter-finals will give United a stronger chance of withstanding the kind of relentless midfield pressure which so spectacularly undid Liverpool.
Ferguson has hailed Keane as Manchester United's most influential player ever. "I think it's a well-known fact that he's the most influential player we have had at our club ever probably," said the United manager.
Midfielder Michael Ballack has been rated as "very doubtful" for the game. "He suffered a foot injury on Saturday against Nuremburg and is very doubtful for the match," Toppmoller said.
Live on TV3 and UTV, 7.45
PROBABLE TEAMS
BAYER LEVERKUSEN: Butt; Zivkovic, Lucio, Nowotny, Placente; Schneider, Ballack, Basturk, Roberto; Berbatov, Brdaric.
MANCHESTER UNITED: Barthez; Irwin, Brown, Blanc, Silvestre; Veron, Keane (capt), Butt, Scholes; Giggs, Van Nistelrooy.
