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What's the story?
Manchester United hero Dimitar Berbatov believes that his former club will be punished by Barcelona and its captain Lionel Messi during their UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash this month.
In case you didn't know...
The Red Devils made a miraculous comeback in the second leg of their Round of 16 fixture with Paris Saint-Germain. The Ligue 1 giants had a two-goal advantage from the first leg but squandered their lead in the closing leg to crash out of the Champions League yet again.
Since the arrival of Ole Solksjaer Gunnar as manager, United has undergone a revival of sorts, putting the hopes of the United brigade back up with a series of wins. However, reality came crashing down as the club suffered three defeats in their last five games, which does not help the team's confidence ahead of their clash with Barcelona.
The heart of the matter
Berbatov has expressed his concern at United's current form and believes the Premier League club could be punished for it by Barcelona.
Speaking to Betfair, he said,
"I'm concerned by United's poor form and, if they continue to make mistakes like they have been doing recently, then, let's face it, they're going to be punished by Barcelona."
"They are making their lives difficult at the moment and it's looking tough to make the top four in the Premier League now."
"United went on that incredible undefeated run when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over and this is their first bad patch."
"You know, when you're winning everything feels natural and good but an important thing is knowing how to react to a defeat. I'm sure Ole knows what to do here and he will have his side fired up and ready for Barca."
"In football sometimes you have that strange thing where a club can falter against small teams but turn it on against big teams. It's crucial to get motivated for every game, not just the big ones."
"Sir Alex Ferguson sometimes didn't need to motivate us for the big games, his job and real skill was to motivate us for the small games."
He then added,
"I admit, Barcelona are the rightful favourites in the tie, but, of course, so were PSG, and nothing is certain in football."
What's next?
You can catch the much-anticipated quarter-final clash between the two giants on April 11 at 12.30 AM (IST).
