Pre-Match Discussion: Champions League

This Wednesday, United battle the reigning German champions, VfL Wolfsburg in the Champion's League MatchDay 2.

For the football illiterate, the Champions League is a cup competition, consisting of several stages. The first stages are group stages, where every team in the competition is placed into one group or another. These teams all play each other and the teams who end up with the most points advance to the next stage.

Things don't get really serious until the latter stages for Manchester United, as they are usually expected to sail through the group stages. However, Wolfsburg has emerged recently as a real power in European football and could pose a serious threat for the English champs. Luckily, the match is at Old Trafford, and United's supporters will be sure to outsing any travelling Germans.

If United were playing a tougher side than Sunderland this weekend, I would advocate resting some key starting players against Wolfsburg and being fairly conservative. However, it's important that this win is picked up, and Wolfsburg should not be taken lightly. I propose the following eleven players start on Wednesday:

----------Foster-----------
Neville-Ferdinand-Vidic-Evra
Valencia-Carrick-Fletcher-Nani
----------Rooney------------
---------Berbatov------------

I have not started Giggs because even though he has been superb, he is an aging player and will need his rest to start against Sunderland. Although Nani and Valencia have been a bit shaky in recent matches, they should be able to handle the fullbacks of Wolfsburg. I've started Rooney in his natural role, right behind the front striker. If Rooney and Berbatov are allowed to work off of passes from Carrick and Fletcher, they should be able to penetrate the German side easily.