Will Rio’s absence swing the Premiership title race?

MANCHESTER United are one foot into the Champions League final, thanks to John O’Shea’s solitary goal in the first-leg semi-final at Old Trafford early this morning.

But the victory comes at a price, as centreback Rio Ferdinand could be out for the rest of the season with a cracked rib, pending further tests.

This comes at a time where United’s backline is just looking more confident following its recent shakiness, notably in games where Sir Alex Ferguson had to rely on central defensive pairings other than the usual Ferdinand-Vidic axis.

United are currently leading Liverpool by three points, with a game in hand, but United have some tough opponents in their remaining five league matches – against Manchester City at home on 10 May, and a home game against Arsenal the following weekend.

Given how United looked so frail without Ferdinand and Vidic together in the heart of defence, and how Liverpool have come into form in March, will Ferdinand’s injury swing the fate of the Premiership race this season yet again?

How would you shore up United’s defence?

WITH this morning’s 2-2 draw between Manchester United and Porto in the Champions League, any hopes of a United resurgence after the 3-2 weekend win over Aston Villa have all but evaporated into thin air.

While they previously have only conceded almost 30 goals in 52 games in all competitions this season, they have shipped in 10 in the last four games. Even Sir Alex Ferguson have admitted the fragility of his defence after a last-gasp equaliser by Maciano left the Old Trafford faithful high and dry.

Are the English clubs heading for a slaughter tomorrow morning?

CHAMPIONS League action returns tomorrow morning (Singapore time), as Italian clubs Inter Milan and Roma face off against English clubs Manchester United and Arsenal.

While English football seem to be on the ascent, with three of last season’s Champions League semi-finalists hailing from England, tomorrow’s fixtures could prove tricky for both United and Arsenal.

United’s defence is decimated by injuries – with Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra the only fully fit and eligible defenders available. With Anderson still out through injury, United could be forced to draft Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher into defence, or rush John O’Shea and Jonny Evans back from injury.

On the other hand, Inter are riding high on top of the Serie A table, with Jose Mourinho managing to bring the best out of Adriano, who seemed to be on his way out of the club earlier this season. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is reaching the peak of his career, while Mourinho has an excellent track record against Alex Ferguson, winning five of their 10 Premiership encounters when he was at Chelsea.

In the other “Italy v England” game, Arsenal’s midfield is decimated by long-term injuries. Cesc Fabregas, Eduardo, Tomas Rosicky, Theo Walcott are all out, while Andrei Arshavin is cup-tied, leaving a shaky midfield core of Denilson and Alexandre Song. That, and the fact that Arsenal’s goals have dried up of late, is hardly comforting for any fans of the London club.

Roma will probably play their usual 4-6-0 formation, choking the midfield while constantly rotating the targetman, with Francesco Totti pulling the strings.

Will the English clubs survive the Italian onslaught tomorrow morning? I hope not, but I am not holding my breath on that.

Who will partner Rio on Wednesday?

DEFENDING European champions Manchester United travel to the San Siro this Wednesday morning (Singapore time) with just one fit centreback eligible to face Inter Milan, after Jonny Evans limped out in the second half against Blackburn.

Nemanja Vidic is suspended, following his red card at the World Club Cup last December, while club captain Gary Neville is still suffering from a virus and a strained leg. Wes Brown is also out, after breaking his metatarsal in training earlier this month.

John O’Shea is still doubtful, and the United medical staff are working overtime to get the Irishman’s heel in shape for the Inter game.

If that does not fall through, any one of these senior United players should get the job of partnering Rio Ferdinand in defence – Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and the young Rafael.

Who would it be?

THE POSTMAN LIM SAY HENG says: My pick would be Fletcher, if the rest don’t come through by Tuesday. The Scot has faced much criticism for his inconsistent performances over the past few seasons, but the 25-year-old has come through for United this season, shining in the early parts of the season where the champions were struggling to find their feet.

Are Man United “untouchable” this season?

MAN United extended its lead at the summit of the Premiership table early this morning, brushing Fulham aside easily with a 3-0 victory.

In the build-up to this game, Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger has declared the Red Devils currently “untouchable”, and Sir Alex Ferguson has also said that the title race is now down to his United team and Liverpool, with Chelsea blowing their chances after sacking Luiz Felipe Scolari.

While some critics are saying that Man United are due for a bad patch soon, after a nine-game winning streak (the last time they failed to collect three points was against Spurs in December) and a 14-game unbeaten run.

Are Man United “untouchable” this season? Let’s play it by the numbers.

Stoke v Man United

MANCHESTER United will have a great opportunity to catch up with leaders Liverpool and Chelsea tonight when they face Stoke at the Britannia Stadium later tonight.

The English and European champions are seven points off Liverpool, but with two games in hand, and an away victory would put pressure on both Chelsea and Liverpool, who are playing later tonight.

THE POSTMAN LIM SAY HENG SAYS: On paper, this should be an open-and-shut case for United. The Red Devils are currently lying fourth in the league, albeit with two games in hand, while Stoke are 15th, level on points with Middlesbrough and one ahead of Spurs.

What’s more, United put five past a hapless Stoke just last month, with Cristiano Ronaldo playing a starring role.

But consider this: while Stoke has conceded 20 goals away from home so far, they have only let in half that number at the Britannia Stadium. And they have been more prolific in front of their own fans as well, scoring two-thirds of their total goals at home this season.