Sir Alex Ferguson insists there is an air of calm around the club ahead of two massive weeks which could determine Manchester United domestic and European fate. The Reds are within two wins of a tenth league triumph, while Barcelona lie in the wait in the Champions League semi-final, the first leg of which takes place at the Nou Camp on Wednesday 23^rd April and the second leg at Old Trafford on Tuesday 29^th April. Sir Alex Ferguson is calling on United supporters attending the Barcelona home game on Tuesday 29 April to make Old Trafford a “sea of red and white”. The Reds boss believes fans have a real part to play in the remainder of this season and says that, with the help of United’s support, the home leg of the Champions League semi final against the Barça could be a memorable occasion. Many of Old Trafford’s greatest atmospheres have come in European games – Barça ’84, Porto ’77, Inter ’99, Rome last season – and Sir Alex is urging fans to help add Barcelona 2008 to that list and become again the 12^th man on the pitch.
If it’s like that on that night with our supporters bringing their red and white scarves it should be fantastic. We want to make sure it’s a real sea of red and white, and if we can do that we have a big, big chance of reaching the final. We know that not all fans are keen on wearing a scarf to the match but we’re calling on all Reds to make an exception for what is the biggest game of the season so far.
Sir Alex believes the backing of the fans really gives the players a lift – so show your colours, exercise your vocal cords and let’s roar the lads to Moscow. So many things can happen, the important thing is how you handle those things. Sir Alex is confident that it can be done in the best possible way.”

The German coach was keenly aware just how special Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final clash with Barcelona. He had identified the defensive midfield pairing of Xavi and Iniesta as key players alongside Barcelona’s exceptional strike force and the defences Eric Abidal and Gianluca Zambrotta, who operate almost as wingers whenever the Catalans attack, are others meriting close attention because FC Barcelona play almost in the style of a handball team.  Nevertheless, the “two faces” of Barcelona have not escaped Slomka’s attention. Barça is having an outstanding season in Europe and are unbeaten so far having picked up six wins and two draws but in the league and the Spanish cup they have only won one of their last six and have conceded 15 goals and the hope of the Schalke boss was that his team will be able to exploit this. Barcelona’s recent results are not the only reason why the Royal Blues feel they are in with a chance at the Veltins Arena. Determination, strength in the tackle, pace and drive going forward have been features of Schalke in the Bundesliga just recently, and these are the things that Germans will be hoping to reproduce against Barcelona. The atmosphere inside the Veltins Arena was excellent, as was the effort and the passion put in by the players, but too much reverence in the opening 45 minutes of the quarter-final first leg against Barcelona cost Schalke 04 a better position going into the return at the Camp Nou. Mirko Slomka’s men will now have to reverse a 1-0 deficit there on 9 April if they are to progress to the semi-final.

It seems that relationship of Ronaldinho with FC Barcelona is every time much more distant and that the Brazilian star, far away to be the same player than two years ago, could leave Barça soon. The last new is that Dunga, the coach of Brazil national team, has refused to take in account Ronaldinho for any future competition, including the Olympic Games in Beijing next August. On top of this Ronaldinho has not been  concentrate for both last Liga and Champion League matches. Assis, Ronaldinho’s brother and manager, has assumed when he talked to “Globoesporter” in Brazil, that his brother could cancel his contract with Barcelona after paying to the Catalan club the equivalent of their future salaries and a percentage of the amount of the initial cost when he was transferred from PSG. Assis who also do not discard Real Madrid as future destination of Ronaldinho as it happened some years ago with Luis Figo, seems convinced that his brother will abandon Camp Nou soon because every day in newspaper first page appears the comment that the cycle of Ronaldinho at Barcelona has already finish making also reference to the party nights he organises a lot of days now much more popular than his performance in the pitch.In the other hand nobody from FC Barcelona clearly mention what it is happening with the player and nobody justifies why he is not training and playing.Anyway Assis is also convinced that wining the Champions League would completely change all. “The situation is now very bad but imagine that Barcelona arrives and win the Moscow Final. Perhaps with this tittle things could be quite different”, he said.Johan Cruyff, former Barça player and coach, had also attacked Ronaldinho few months ago and the player defended himself saying that he will replay to all criticisms in the pitch although this unfortunately has not happened.