Where should Ribery go if he leaves Bayern?

MANCHESTER United has joined the race to land Frenchman Franck Ribery, said Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (read Soccernet story here).

The English champions have joined Chelsea and Barcelona with bids for Ribery, who is touted to be the next Zinedine Zidane, while Real Madrid are said to be interested in the player as well.

Although Rummenigge has insisted that Ribery will see out his contract at the German club, a big-money bid might persuade them to release ‘the jewel of French football’.

If Ribery does leave Bayern, which club is he most suitable for?

How would you stop the Barca juggernaut?

How to stop Lionel Messi? (Picture: AP)

CHELSEA face an in-form Barcelona tomorrow morning (Singapore time) in the Champions League semi-final at the Nou Camp, and for the Blues, the match could not come at a worse time.

While the Premiership club have been revitalised with the appointment of interim coach Guus Hiddink, chalking up 11 victories in the Dutchman’s 15 games in charge, they face a Barcelona that had all but swept aside Bayern Munich in the previous stage of the competition.

A particular area to note would be Chelsea’s left flank.

Leftback Ashley Cole is suspended for the first-leg, after receiving a yellow card in the second-leg quarter-final against Liverpool. That flank just so happens to be the favourite hunting ground for Barca’s wonderboy Lionel Messi, who has grown from strength to strength this season, and surely a shoo-in for one of the contenders for the World Player of the Year award this season.

Without Wayne Bridge, who has since departed for Manchester City, Hiddink seems to be thinking of using Bosingwa to keep the mercurial Argentinian in check.

Problem is, Messi isn’t the only problem that Chelsea have to face. Strike partners Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry have been prolific in front of goal this season as well, scoring 27 and 17 goals respectively.

Given the situation, what would be your strategy if you were Guus Hiddink?

What is your dream Champions League q-final match?

THE Champions League quarter-final draw will take place later this evening, with English teams making up half of the field.

Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Porto and Villarreal will find out who they will face after 7pm (Singapore time), when the draw will take place at Uefa’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

Which possible match would prove to be the most exciting for you, and why?