All right, I'll admit I had no faith in Roma and they did very well in their Champions League quarter-final first leg against Manchester United last week. A 2-1 lead is not convincing as they prepare for the return leg at Old Trafford and 1-0 to United will end the Italian club's fantastic run.

There is hope for Roma, however. United have missed Nemanja Vidic due to injury. Without him, their defence has looked shaky and disorganised. Roma exploited it in the first leg and it was plain for all to see against Portsmouth. Rio Ferdinand's own goal underlined this and he, more then any other United player, suffers without the big Serbian alongside him.

United must be starting to get the jitters. Chelsea closed the gap in the Premier League this weekend to just three points with six games to go, including what will be a magic encounter between the two title hopefuls. Chelsea seem almost certain to face Sir Alex Ferguson's men in the FA Cup Final, so domestic success is less than assured.

If Roma can come out and get an early goal it could really dishearten the home team and if there was ever a case where you shouldn't attempt to defend a lead, this is it.

Conversely, United need to be patient. Their defence is weak so they won't want to let Roma test their back line too often. This means playing an un-English style and controlling possession and territory. This will also be particularly difficult for the Red Devils without Paul Scholes to help control the midfield.

Wayne Rooney scored his first Champions League goal in the first leg and if he can extend his goal tally further, he could make the difference for United.

This is also a great chance for Francesco Totti to write a bit of history. A weakened United defence should be easy pickings for the Italian. It would be great to see a Roma v AC Milan semi-final alongside one between Chelsea and Liverpool.


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