Last week we saw Real Madrid, Juventus, PSG and Borussia Dortmund book their passage to the Quarter Finals so who will join them in the pot for the draw in Geneva next week.
FC Bayern Munich vs Arsenal FC @ ALLIANZ ARENA
This tie is much like the Celtic v Juventus affair which was already determined after the 1st leg. Bayern travelled to the Emirates and bagged themselves 3 away goals with former Munich striker Lukas Podolski scoring the lone goal for the Gunners.
Bayern Munich are coming off a great season in the Bundesliga which they have all but clinched due to their 20 point gap between them and Borussia Dortmund. They had an impressive come from behind win vs Fortuna Dusseldorf at the weekend and now can concentrate on putting Arsenal to bed and look forward to the Quarter Final draw where they will be the competition favourites.
Arsenal are coming off a 2-1 derby loss at White Hart lane to Tottenham and their form to date has been very hot and cold. You just don't know what team is going to show up. A couple of early goals is definately what the Gunners need so with nothing to lose expect a very attacking formation.
Prediction = FC Bayern Munich vs Arsenal FC - 2-2 (Munich through 5-3 on aggregate)
Schalke 04 vs Galatasaray @ VELTINS ARENA
This tie is definately in the balance and can go either way. After the 1-1 in Istanbul Schalke 04 come into this tie in command with the away goal but on paper one could argue that the Turkish giants have the fire power to over turn this leg to their favour.
With the experience and the like of Drogba, Sniejder and Felipe Melo the Turkish side could be the surprise package to make it through. Emmanuele Eboue should be right to slot in the defence for this tie but it will be evident that they will miss the presece of Ujfalusi.
The Germans goalscoring hero from Istanbul Jermaine Jones will be suspended for this tie and Marco Hoger should slot in as his replacement.
Schalke 04 are coming off a big win in the Bundesliga against Borussia Dortmund whilst Galatasaray rested multiple players and lost 1-0 at home.
Prediction = Schalke 04 vs Galatasaray - 1-2 (Galatasaray through 3-2 on aggregate)
FC Barcelona vs AC Milan @ CAMP NOU
The Rossoneri are in command of this tie with a 2-0 advantage that they bring from the San Siro after goals from Kevin Prince and Muntari. Expect a very one way traffic type of Football game with the Italians expected to "Park the Bus" and sit and defend all 90 minutes long which we know Italian teams do very well.
Daniel Alves has been vocal in the press urging his troops to be ready for this monumental battle of overturning this tie.
Leo Messi was marked out of the game 2 weeks ago and Ambrosini will be doing his best to complete that assignment again.
AC are coming off a great start to 2013 in which they are unbeaten with 7 wins and 3 draws. On the weekend they travelled to Genoa and beat them 2-0 thanks to goals by Pazzini and Balotelli who will both be unavailable for this tie.
Barcelona are coming off a couple of dissapointing results vs Real Madrid but they did win on the weekend 2-0 vs Deportivo.
As mentioned before i do expect a very defensive effort from the Italians as they will look to protect the 2 goal advantage and they will be trying to capitalize on the counter attack which Barca have been left very vulnerable lately.
Prediction = FC Barcelona vs AC Milan - 2-1 (AC Milan through 3-2 on aggregate)
Malaga vs FC Porto @ ESTADIO LA ROSALEDA
Porto come into this with the 1-0 advantage from their home leg but it should have been more if they took their chances. The Portuguese champions proved that they were superior to the Spanish side and will approach this leg in a smart manner and look for an early away goal that they can afford to sit on.
Malaga who have had a great run in the Champions League will need the home fans behind them every step of the way to get them through this after they have come off 2 lackluster draws in the La Liga whilst Porto have had an unbeaten few weeks in the Portguese League.
I expect the Spanish side to attack and attack well in this leg and score enough goals to over turn the tie. Should be one hell of a match!!!
Prediction = Malaga vs FC Porto - 2-0 (Malaga through 2-1 on aggregate)
This week we are treated to the 2nd legs of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 ties.
We kick off this preview by looking at the clash to be held in Turin, Italy between Juventus F.C and Celtic F.C.
Juventus come into this tie in a very comfortable state after their 0-3 away win in Glasgow. This was thanks to goals from Matri, Marchisio and Vucinic. But even though this tie may seem to be already over the Old Lady are far from taking this Celtic team lightly. Celtic have nothing to lose and will be attacking without any consequences in the hope of scoring 3 or 4 without reply to force either extra time or the unlikely win.
Juve welcome back Chiellini but i'm sure coach Antonio Conte will be resting players and handing Champions League debuts to a few bianconeri.
Celtic will be without captain Brown and likely to be without Lustig. Although the ever goal poaching class of Samaras will return in this tie after missing the 1st leg due to injury. The Scots are coming off a shock loss to Motherwell and an unconvincing win away to St Mirren. Whilst the Italians are coming off a 3-0 demolision of Siena and a solid 1-1 draw in their top of the table clash with Napoli.
Prediction = Juventus v Celtic... 2-0 (5-0 aggregate for Juventus)
We then travel to Paris where PSG will host Spanish side Valencia.
This game is delicatly poised and could go either way after the 1st leg finished 1-2 for the away side PSG. The 1st leg held at the Mestalla was a firey affair which PSG dominated until Valencia found a goal and then ofcourse the sending off of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
PSG are coming off a solid 2-0 win over Marseille and a shock loss last weekend to Reims 1-0. David Beckham is expected to make his Champions League return after a succesful stint at the L.A Galaxy.
Valencia could be a threat as they will come into this knowing they have to score more than 1 goal to qualify to the Quater Finals. The Spanish side are coming off 2 consecutive 2-2 draws to Real Zaragoza and Levante.
I'm expecting a fats flowing game of Football with plenty of goal mouth action, so should make for great neautral viewing.
Prediction = PSG v Valencia... 2-2 (4-3 aggregate for PSG)
The highly anticipated return of Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford is the next stop of this preview and what a show the Theatre of Dreams will have for us.
Manchester United come into this tie with the slight advantage of having the away goal due to the first leg ending 1-1 with goals from Welbeck and Cristiano Ronaldo.
But something that I believe even the biggest Real Madrid supporter would admit is that their away form is better than their home form so this is poised for a great match of football that we could be talking about for years to come.
United are coming off a crucial away win at QPR and a 4-0 thumping at home against Norwich where we saw Shinji Kagawa come out of his shell and score a sublime hat trick. Ofcourse RVP will be a constant threat along with Wayne Rooney but it's the flanks where I'll be focusing my attention on this one. Valencia vs Di Maria will be a key match up and i also expect Ronaldo popping his head on the flanks with Benzema occupying the sol strikers role.
Real Madrid are coming off 2 outstanding results vs Barcelona. The first was the 2nd leg of the Copa Del Rey where they travelled to the Camp Nou and demolished Barca 3-1. The second was this weekend at the Bernabeu and won 2-1 with a late Sergio Ramos header.
I do expect goals in this match up and for plenty of goal mouth action and quite simply the team that takes their chances will come up trumps.
Prediction = Manchester United FC v Real Madrid CF . . . 1-1 (Real Madrid on penalties after Extra Time)
The last match of this preview sees us travel to Dortmund, Germany for the clash between Borussia Dortmund and Shakhtar Donetsk.
This will be an interesting match up that showed great glimpses of football in the 1st leg in Ukraine. Shakhtar play a fabulous brand of attacking football but will be without Willian who left for Anzhi and was a pivotal part of their attack.
The first leg ended 2-2 and Shakhtar will feel lucky after Lewandowski should have had the visiros walking away from that tie 3-2 in front.
Never the less Dortmund are in command with 2 away goals and Shaktar need to score goals and win in this tie to have a chance of qualifying.
Dortmund are coming off a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich and a 3-1 home win against Hannover 96. Whilst Shakhtar are coming off a loss to Dinamo Moskva and a 4-1 home win vs Volyn. But those results mean nothing with this tie subsequently up for grabs if Shakhtar score first.
Prediction = Borussia Dortmund vs Shakhtar Donetsk . . . 2-1 (4-3 on aggregate for Dortmund)
Tomorrow morning the London Derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. A game that is renown for goals!!!
Arsenal coming off a tipsy season that again has seen them miss out on silverware unless they can pull a miracle off in Munich. They're win against Villa was unconvincing but it seems as though you never know what type of Gunners side could turn up on any given day. Tomorrow morning could see the awakened Arsenal and a side with a point to prove to kill off the critics.
One the other hand the side from White Hart Lane are in tremendous form and sitting quite well on the ladder pressing or that Champions League place.
They have the EPL's player of the month in Gareth Bale and I think everyone would agree he is the one the Gunners defence need to keep an eye on.
The players that can make a difference in this mouth watering clash are Bale and Defoe for Spurs but as mentioned the side from White Hart should be made wary of an Arsenal side that could come to shake things up and I'd keep an eye on Arteta, Wilshere and Giroud.
Prediction for this in my opinion is a goal fest just like in previous encounters but I wouldn't be surprised to see Spurs win by a +2 margin. I don't see Arsenal coming across town to steal this away from the home team at all.
It's been criticised and labelled boring Football. But for those who admire different aspects of Football, the Italian game is technical and very tactical. Games aren't won on the team sheet before kick off, the games are won in a tactical battle that coaches face week in week out. The best players in the world may not play in the Serie A but the Italian league create some great work horse like players that would succeed in any league around the world. Catenaccio or "The Chain" is a tactical system used in Football with a strong emphasis on defense. In Italian "catenaccio" means "door-bolt" which implies a highly organised and structured back line which has its main focus on defense and closing down any attacks the opposition may have. The above system has been used in Italian football for years and highly successful. Is it boring? Maybe but at the end of the day if you need to get a job done then Catenaccio is definitely an option in defeating an opponent at all costs. Yes goals need to be scored also and this is where this system may have its down fall, but you do not play this system unless you have something to defend for example a 1st leg advantage or even just a lead in a match. AC Milan are the latest side to as they say "park the bus" in their UEFA Champions League first leg tie vs FC Barcelona. It is safe to say that after the start AC had in the Serie A and their current form it is no wonder why Barcelona were labelled favourites. It was a very entertaining game and the game plan AC set out worked to perfection. Messi, Iniesta and Xavi were marked out of the game, yes they had the ball at their feet on numerous occasions and the passes were flowing but Barca never looked like scoring. After the opener by Kevin Prince Boateng it was clear that we would see all Barca and not much of AC anymore. It was vital for the Rossoneri to deny Barca an away goal and they managed this in a great defensive effort. The second goal from Muntari came from a classic defensive move that resulted in a fast break away counter attack and Sulley finished the job in style and game set and match for the Milan side. They will now travel to the Camp Nou with most probably a 5-4-1 and sit and take every attack Barca will throw. Juventus on the other hand had more of a different style of defensive effort on their travels to Glasgow to meet a roaring 60 thousand crowd and the might of Scottish Champions Celtic FC. Before the match coach Antonio Conte stated that "we will try to press early to force a goal and see what happens". This was exactly what happened when Peluso's long ball found Matri who poked home the crucial away goal on 6 minutes in. It eventuated to be a nightmare situation for the Scots as this played into the Italians hands. Juve could now defend and protect the away goal to take home to Turin. Celtic dominated every facet of the game for the next 70 mins as Juve just sat back and endured this raid after raid on their goal. Celtic tired and before you knew it Juve found 2 great counter attacking goals in the space of 7 minutes to Marchisio and Vucinic. To the neutral this is not the way Football should be played and it is very boring but for those who study this type of Football it is glorious and exciting. Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan side executed the perfect defensive plan the year they won the Champions League and on the way defeated Barcelona over 2 legs. The 2nd leg at the Camp Nou was a situation much like the task AC Milan face in 2 weeks. The way the defence played that night for the Inter side was magical watching the side slide up and down and move up the field like clutch work. Jose stated in an interview that the Italian league is the hardest to coach in as you are constantly changing tactics to comfort your side compared to your opposition coach who reacts to your changes and visa versa. Italian football might not have the likes of the 90's legends such as Baggio, Peruzzi, Davids, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Rui Costa, Batistuta, Crespo, Cafu, Ferrara, Zidane or anything similar to what those players created for their time in the Serie A, but we are entertained with new stars such as Pogba, Jovetic, El Sharaawy, Guarin, Vidal, Hamsik, Cavani and so on.
I believe the UCL will see an Italian winner within the next 2 years and the Europa League may even be won by an Italian team this year and soon the Italian league will again get the respect it once had. The 1990's best Squadtarting Line Up: (my opinion) Coach - Marcello Lippi Goalkeepers - Peruzzi, Toldo, Pagliuca, Buffon Defenders - Cafu, Ferrara, Baresi, Donadoni, Zanetti, Montero, Aldair, Nesta Midfielders - Zidane, Davids, Veron, Rui Costa, Deschamps, Djokaeff Attackers - Del Piero, Ronaldo, Mancini, Zola, Salas, Zamorano, Batistuta, Inzaghi, Signori, Maradona, Baggio, Boksic.
What did we learn from all the friendlies that have happened over the past few days? Well we saw that improvements need to be made in the camps of Portugal, Italy, Germany and Ukraine.
But this in the past has proved to be nothing to go off so until the ball gets rolling this weekend we wont have any idea who will bring it.
Group A can be considered the group of the minors.
GROUP A:
POLAND (Co-Hosts)
Coming off a convincing 4-0 vs Andorra the Polish side coached by Frank Smuda look to have a side good enough to tackle their group favourites Russia and Czech Republic.
With striking power of Rob Lewandowski he will lead the attack and you never know what you are going to get from a nation who is co-hosting the event.
Faced with the task of playing Greece, Czech Republic & Russia it's a tall order for the Poles to get this right but with the home ground advantage we could see them perform above expectations.
Prediction - 2nd in group and out in the Quarters.
CZECH REPUBLIC
What can we expect from the Czech? Well a disappointing showing their last friendly verse Hungary leaves everyone wondering just what they can bring to these championships. With key players such as Cech, Rosicky and Milan Baros they can either be hot or cold.
I see the Czech beating Greece, on par with Poland but might struggle to keep up with the Russians.
With the squad they had back in 2006 or 2010 i don't see the Czech poising any threat with an inexperienced squad.
Prediction - 3rd in group.
RUSSIA
In their last friendly they faced the Italians and although the first half was even, they got the luck in the 2nd and dominated with taking their chances to prevail 3-0.
A very confident side with plenty of strike power with the left edge dominated by Zhirkov and up front led by Arshavin and Pavlyuchenko it could result with a total of 9 points in the group.
If that is the case they can only bring momentum to the Quarters and depending on who they play the Russians could see themselves as far as the semi's.
Prediction - 1st and loss in the Qtr Final
GREECE
Could this Greek side be another surprise package just like their 2008 campaign? Well all signs probably point to no in my book.
They qualified very well and love winning the tight battles 1-0 or 2-1. So if in an arm wrestle with only minutes remaining, i'd bank on the Greeks scoring from a set piece. I don't see them conceding from a set piece but they a left vulnerable from open play and on the counter attack.
So finally May 20 is here and the highly anticipated final held at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. These 2 clubs have met in Coppa Italia 8 times, Juve winning 4, drawing twice and Napoli have won 2. Last time they met in the Coppa Italia was in 2010 at the Old Olympic Stadium of Turin and the Black and White prevailed 3-0 with goals thanks to Diego, Sissoko & Alex Del Piero.
For the first time these 2 historic clubs will meet at a neutral venue. The Stadio Olimpico of Rome was of course the place where Juventus last held a loft the UEFA Champions League trophy against an Ajax team that featured Edgar Davids, Seedorf, Van Der Sar, the De Boer brothers and Nwanko Kanu.
JUVENTUS FC: Antonio Conte
Juventus are coming off a hot season in the Serie A where they finished the year unbeaten with 23 wins and 15 draws and winning the Serie A title for the first time in 6 long years.
A lot has been written and said about the Old Lady of Italian Football and the whole match fixing that saw the club relegated but to their credit they bounced back in the most outstanding fashion and have produced a record breaking season.
Road to the Final -
vs Bologna (2-1)
vs AS Roma (3-0)
vs AC Milan (2-1) 1st Leg
vs AC Milan (2-2) 2nd Leg
vs Napoli ???
With Giorgio Chiellini out injured for this match it give a starting centre pairing of Bonucci and Barzagli to be the muscle and grint of the Juventus defence who have only conceded 20 goals for the 24 goals all season. Another injury concern is on the left flank with De Ceglie undergoing an operation to fix and on going knee problem but not to worry as Antonio Conte has used a rotating system all year which will see Caceres fill up that spot.
The key men for the black and white lie in the midfield with World Cup winner Andrea Pirlo acting as the playmaker and will pull the strings of the whole squad. He will be supported by Juventus youth product Claudio Marchisio and what I regard as the best tackler of the game Arturo Vidal who came to Juve in the summer from Bayer Leverkusen.
Del Piero will wear the captain arm band for the last time as he plans to get ready for life after Juventus. Hopefully for Juve fans and for the number the #10 it will end with the master holding the cup.
Juve tend to play a very conservative brand of Football. Very stable and sure at the back but risky and not afraid to try things up front. With Marchisio's damaging runs and with impact players such as Matri and Simone Pepe it could become a night the black and white all remember.
Top goal scorer for Juve this year has been Alessandro Matri and funnily enough he may not start along with Quagliarella.
Last years favourite son of Turin was Milos Krasic but he is out of favour with Antonio Conte who doesn't believe Milos covers himself well in defence hence the midfielder looking else where next season along with Dutch young gun Elia who has featured in 5 Serie A games and last impressed in Juve's away win to Novara but still not enough to keep the other wingers out of the squad.
S.S.C NAPOLI: Walter Mazzarri
Napoli will be heading into this Final with a some what lack luster performance in the Serie A. A 5th place finish after a season which saw the team make the 2nd round of the Champions League eventually losing to Chelsea FC on aggregate. This could be the only silverware they will challenge for even for the near future as key players could be heading elsewhere next season.
Road to the Final -
vs Cesena (2-1)
vs Inter Milan (2-0)
vs Siena (1-2) loss 1st leg
vs Siena (2-0) win 2nd leg
vs Juventus ???
A full strength side will travel to Rome for the final with danger men obviously being Hamsik, Cavani & Lavezzi. But Juve should be aware of other players such as Italian international Maggio, Colombian Zuniga and off the bench Macedonian striker Goran Pandev.
A good match up will be on the right side as Maggio will be up against Caceres. Two players that love going forward to assist in attack.
Cavani has been the talk of the town with his possible switch to Juventus for the 2012/2013 season so expect a high intense match from the Uruguayan. Also a player that causes havoc every time he meets Juve is the playmaker Hamsik. The Slovakian is among one of Napoli's founded treasures over the past few years and his goals have helped them climb up the Italian ranks to where they belong.
Ezequiel Lavezzi is another hot topic has he could play his last game for Napoli with speculation that he is heading to Inter Milan to join Argentinian team mates Cambiasso and Zanetti.
Napoli play a very attacking style of play which last time they met Juve they failed to capitalize on and were caught out on the counter and on set pieces. Their 1st encounter with Juve this year saw the Sky Blues shoot to a 3-1 lead but let that slip and that has been the case all season. They tend to lapse concentration at the crucial parts of the match. This problem also saw them say goodbye to the 3rd and final spot in the Champions League next year and demoted them to the Europa League instead.
LAST 5 MEETINGS:
Juventus v Napoli (3-0) 2012
Napoli v Juventus (3-3) 2011
Juventus v Napoli (2-2) 2011
Napoli v Juventus (3-0) 2011
Napoli v Juventus (3-1) 2010
Juventus last won the Coppa Italia in 1995 beating Parma 3-0 on aggregate back in the day when the final held 2 legs to find a winner.
Napoli last won the title in 1987 beating Atalanta 4-0 on aggregate which of course was the Napoli side of the little Maradona.
So both clubs are hungry to have the Coppa Italia symbol on next years jerseys. Juve of course already have added the Scudetto to the jersey and would like to complete the jersey with their 10th Coppa Italia crown.
STADIUM:
In front of an already sold out Stadio Olimpico in Rome of 80,000 fans, this match should have it all. The stadium that plays host to the Roman clubs of AS Roma and SS Lazio. Apart from having the running track between the fans and the pitch, it truly has an amazing atmosphere and one fitting for a final of this capacity.
Prediction:
Juventus v Napoli (2-1) - (Del Piero, Caseres & Cavani)
Chiellini is a big absentie for black and white and filling his shoes will not be easy but I dont see Juve ruining a perfect season in a Stadium they have not lost in quiet sometime.
6 years fans of the Old Lady had to wait. They had to endure a match fixing scandal that players and coaching staff were kept in the dark about and that Luciano Moggi (ex president) organised with officials. 2006 was a dark time for Italian football, a time that saw Juventus demoted to Serie B and docked with a -17 points start. A period of time that saw AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Parma all docked minus points to start the season. Easy scudetto wins for Inter Milan right? The black and white army stood by the club and although star players such as Ibrahimovic, Zambrotta, Thuram, Cannavaro, Viera & Emerson all wanted out, there was a few super stars that decided to help this club out of a crisis. These players will forever be heroes to any Juventus fan and they are Del Piero, Buffon, Chiellini, Nedved, Camoranesi and Trezeguet.
The whole country bounced back though and Italy with 7 Juventus players won the World Cup which endured also the near death experience of Juventus veteren Gianluca Pessotto who felt the pressure and jumped off the Juventus office building and was in a coma until later making a full recovery.
After all this Juventus came back to the top flight to finish 3rd, 5th and lately 7th positions. Along came former player and now new head coach Antonio Conte to bring back the fire and grint that used to put fear in the oppositions eye. (video of Gary Neville finding out Juventus are the team he will face next).
This 2011/2012 season has been unique and record breaking. Juventus have not lost a game in all 35 league matches not including their cup final run in the Coppa Italia. With one game of the regular season left, it is apparent that the boys would want to finish strong in front of their home fans and hold aloft the cup that brings the club their 30th championship.
A lot has been written whether this is the 30th or the 28th championship but I'm sure the players and fans would agree 30 is the number that were won on the field and the politics that went on behind the scenes shouldn't affect the hard work the players and Lippi and Cappello endured.
Enough said since the left back of Juventus Paolo De Ceglie already customised his Jeep.
There have been many stand out moments this season for Juventus but here are my top five:
Del Piero's first league goal fittingly against Inter Milan in a 2-0 win.
Vucinic's 27 yard bomb that knocked AC Milan out of Semi Finals.
Lichsteiner's first goal of the opening game vs Parma.
Marchisio's goal vs AC Milan at the Juventus Stadium 2-0 win
Del Piero's free kick vs Lazio in a 2-1 win
Also many stand out players have been apart of this journey to the summit of Italian football and here is the list in order of the top performed players of season 2011/2012:
Andrea Pirlo
Arturo Vidal
Stephan Lichsteiner
Claudio Marchisio
Andrea Barzagli
Giorgio Chiellini
Alessandro Matri
Alessandro Del Piero
Gianluigi Buffon
Simone Pepe
Paolo De Ceglie
Leo Bonucci
Emanuele Giaccherini
Martin Caceres
Marcelo Estiggaribia
Andrea Pirlo cost the club absolutely nothing to get him to transfer from AC Milan and oh how that was a bad deal made by the Milan club. Letting one of the worlds best midfielders go for FREE to one of your biggest rivals. All Juve had to pay was his toll fare on the highway to get him over the boarder.
How about that image of Pirlo and Buffon, The Italian midfielder showing some water works moments after the win, for a player who last year went through hell sitting on the bench and his talent being played down, he over came all of this and proved the critics and especially the AC Milan club very very wrong.
Juventus have 2 competitive games left in the final season game at home vs Atalanta and the very important trip to the Olimpico in Rome for the Coppa Italia final vs Napoli which is set to be the last time we see Sir Alessandro Del Piero in a Juventus jersey and boy is that going to be hard to live with.
EPL -
Last year at this time the talk was all about the bottom teams and who was going to be the unlucky team to get relegated to the Championship. But this year it is all about the 3rd and 4th positions for Champions League qualification. The front runners are Arsenal and Tottenham but Newcastle are there also ready to pounce. The relegated positions are set and Wolverhampton will be joined by Blackburn Rovers and now awaiting one from either Bolton or QPR to join them.
Man City seem to have the league sown up if they can overcome one last hurdle in QPR who will be going all guns forward as Manager Mark Hughes faces his old club and also they are fighting for survival, whilst on the red side of Manchester, United head to Sunderland to try and end on a high and hope for an upset from the Blue side of Manchester. Chelsea's season is over but they have one more important game and that is the UEFA Champions League Final against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in Munich. A tough place to play but even tougher without Terry, Ivanovic and Ramires.
PREDICTIONS:
Chelsea vs Blackburn = 4-0
Everton vs New Utd = 2-2
Man City vs QPR = 3-1
Norwich vs Villa = 2-0
Stoke vs Bolton = 1-1
Sun'land vs Man Utd = 1-3
Swansea vs Liverpool = 2-1
Spurs vs Fulham = 3-1
WBA vs Arsenal = 2-2
Wigan vs Wolves = 3-0
Juventus vs Atalanta = 3-0
Fiorentina vs Cagliari = 1-2
AC Milan vs Novara = 2-0
Parma vs Bologna = 2-2
Cesena vs Roma = 1-2
Lazio vs Inter Milan = 2-0
Chievo vs Lecce = 1-2
Genoa vs Palermo = 3-3
Napoli vs Siena = 4-0
Catania vs Udinese = 2-1
With the experience and the like of Drogba, Sniejder and Felipe Melo the Turkish side could be the surprise package to make it through. Emmanuele Eboue should be right to slot in the defence for this tie but it will be evident that they will miss the presece of Ujfalusi.
Leo Messi was marked out of the game 2 weeks ago and Ambrosini will be doing his best to complete that assignment again. 
Porto come into this with the 1-0 advantage from their home leg but it should have been more if they took their chances. The Portuguese champions proved that they were superior to the Spanish side and will approach this leg in a smart manner and look for an early away goal that they can afford to sit on.
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