UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:
Fascinating match that showed 2 sides of the tactical game that we love. Chelsea managed by Italian coach Di Matteo had one game plan in mind and that was to score the away goal and then sit. Pep Guardiola's side needed goals and needed them fast and it was unfortunate that Lio Messi was on on his best form in this match. After sprinting to a 2-0 and in-between goals having captain John Terry sent off for what i thought was a yellow card offence, Barca kept the foot on the pedal but they must have thought they were still in the dressing rooms after a sublime pass by Lampard and a cheeky chip from Ramires saw the away goal in and the tie favouring the London side. It was pressure after pressure from the Spaniards but the Chelsea defence would bot crack sitting 10 players behind the ball and sliding one side to the other. It was very reminiscent to the plan Jose Mourinho had when he won the tie at the Camp Nou in 2010 with Inter Milan. At the end in the 91st minute a clearance from Bosingwa saw Torres one on one with the keeper and he slotted a well needed goal for the out of form striker.
Leo Messi would have some weight on his shoulders after a performance that he could be heavily critiqued for but come on, every player is allowed an off day and his off day was complete when he missed the penalty.
So Chelsea are through to the final at the Allianz Arena in Munich and will face the winner of tomorrows crucial clash between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Bayern lead the tie 2-1 and i believe have what it takes to hold that advantage when they travel to the Bernabeu. Key figures in this match will be the ever present Cristiano Ronaldo and Sami Khedira for Real whilst for Bayern i wouldn't be banking on a big performance from Arjen Robben but I think Ribery & Lahm can make the difference along with the 2 centre halves.
SERIE A:
Last night saw 2 important games that could decide the middle of the table and the last few spots in the Europa League. Cagliari were expected to fall against a well drilled Catania side but against all odds Cagliari won in a convincing manner 3-0. In Bergamo, Atalanta were expected to take the 3 points when they hosted Chievo Verona and that's exactly what they did with a 72nd strike from Moralez.
Tomorrow morning we'll see the rest of the Italian clubs play and it's obvious all the attention will be on the game at the San Siro where AC Milan host Genoa and also the match in Cesena where they will host the top of the table Juventus out fit. It's expected that both heavy weights will come away with the 3 points especially at the San Siro where AC are playing an out of touch Genoa side who have had their crowd problems as last week fans threw bottles on the field and the club has been hit with a 2 game suspension where they will play their home games in front on no supporters.
Juventus travel in healthy and momentes condition. Key figures in that match will be Vidal and the always dangerous Pirlo.
In other games Roma have a chance to heap more pressure on the last UCL spot when they host Fiorentina and in another crunch game Udinese are at home to Inter. Lazio should take the points at Novara and Napoli should do the job on Lecce.
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE:
In the one game overnight it seems that Villa are almost flirting with the relegation zone on purpose. They had chance after chance to finish off the Wanderers but in the end it was Owen Coyle's men who walked out of Villa Park with the 3 points to help their cause in getting away from the drop zone.
PREDICTIONS (tomorrows matches):
Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich = 2-1 (extra time 0-0 and penalties won by Bayern Munich)
Novara vs Lazio = 0-2
Siena vs Bologna = 1-3
Roma vs Fiorentina = 2-0
Udinese vs Inter = 2-0
Lecce vs Napoli = 0-3
Palermo vs Parma = 2-2
AC Milan vs Genoa = 2-0
Cesena vs Juventus = 1-4
Torino vs Reggina = 3-1
No comments:
Post a Comment