Manchester United hosts Romanian team CFR Cluj plays at Old Trafford in the last match of the group stage, with the Romanians hoping to earn a spot in the next round.
(Photo: Reuters/Phil Noble)Manchester United's Robin van Persie reacts after their English Premier League soccer match against Everton at Goodison Park in Liverpool, northern England, August 20, 2012.Manchester United and manager Sir Alex Furguson heads into this match having already clinched a spot in the next round as they have finished in first place of Group H. United enters this match after Ferguson lambasted his back line after several poor performances showcased a lackluster effort by his top-tier defenders.
United, while still leading the Premier League, has conceded 32 goals so far this season. That would be the main talking point if not for United's ability to seemingly score on a whim.
For their Romanian counterparts, they enter this match with an outside chance of placing second in the group, but will need some help from the other two teams in the group.
CFR Cluj will need to have a better result in their match with United than Galatarasay does in their match against FC Braga to have a chance at advancing to the knock-out round. If they fail in this quest, all is not lost as they will have finished third in the group, qualifying for a spot in the Europa League.
History is not on CFR's side as United has won all five previous encounters with Romanian opposition, including their 2-1 comeback win in Cluj-Napoca in October in the pair's first meeting. This is United's 17th successive Champions League group stage campaign.
United has won both home fixtures so far in the Champions League, but CFR is unbeaten in away matches during the campaign. CFR's 2-0 victory against SC Braga on the first match day was only the third time a Romanian side had won away from home in the Champions League group stage.
Kick-off for the match is at 2:45 and can be watched online here.
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