The path to a trophy is easier, but not without its faults.

Bayern Munich has the dubious distinction of being the team that gets to “attempt” to handle Manchester United in the Quarterfinals of the Champions League draw.  This is the kind of thing that puts 0ne team at a disadvantage whilst the other has a huge advantage in seeding.

You see, Bayern isn’t bad, but they are not a team on the level of Manchester.  United has a world-class manager and tons of world-class talent, but they also play well together and the depth of their team will win out in the end.

There only comes the question of how much effort United is going to put into two matches with a team that they should handle easily.

I’ve already said that Chelsea gets aided by being out of the Champion’s League while United is still in.  This should give Chelsea an advantage in the EPL so how would United counteract that advantage?  Is there a way to put in just enough effort to win without killing yourself for the rest of the Champion’s League AND the EPL season?

I don’t think so.  If you watch NCAA Basketball you know that a few teams(Villanova, Georgetown, and Kansas) slept on their opponents and got beat by teams they would kill during the regular season.

If Manchester lets up for one second then Bayern will score and make the aggregate tighter than it should be.  I know United would like to take a break and try to save something for the EPL, but I don’t think they can.

Their only saving grace will be if Chelsea cannot fully take hold of their unique opportunity.  they can also only hope that Bayern will show up unready to play.

Let’s face it–ManU is moving on, but we don’t know yet at what cost.

Champions League Tickets
Bayern Munich v Manchester United
Manchester United v Bayern Munich