UEFA Champions League 2nd Legs Preview - PART 2

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)

ENJOY THIS WEEKS ACTION !!!!!

UEFA Champions League 2nd legs Preview

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)

The London Derby

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.

Italian Football

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.