║ UEFA Champions League 2013/2014 ║

[Cavani]

I support underdog Celtic. Go go go!

 

[BayernMunich]

Reghecampf rallies Steaua for Chelsea rematch

Published: Monday 30 September 2013, 21.12CET

FC Steaua Bucureşti may be hosting "one of the favourites to win the Champions League" in Chelsea FC, but they remain eager to bounce back from their opening 3-0 defeat at FC Schalke 04. Laurenţiu Reghecampf, whose side succumbed against the same opposition in last term's UEFA Europa League round of 16, vowed to counteract Chelsea's attacking riches with a philosophy that hinges on the subtle art of organisation. Counterpart José Mourinho, meanwhile, aims to remedy the ills of the visitors' opening 2-1 Group E reverse to FC Basel 1893.

Steaua
Laurenţiu Reghecampf, coach

We are playing against one of the favourites to win the Champions League – a team we played against last year in the Europa League. Now they are back with José Mourinho as their coach – the best in the world, in my opinion.

Both clubs have no points after the opening game so every point is important and we want to win; we want to qualify. I did not expect Basel to win in London, so the group is more complicated and Chelsea will come here to win. That's why it will be harder for us but we'll do our best.

I like Chelsea's players, even those on the bench. Our next opponents are better than Schalke, so it won't be enough to play as well as we did in the first 60 minutes in Gelsenkirchen. We will play differently this time – we will look to rein in their main players, be very organised, not leave space and play to our strengths.

• Federico Piovaccari scored his fourth league goal of the season to add to his three in Europe. Steaua are undefeated in the league this season, winning six and drawing one of their opening seven fixtures, scoring 19 goals in the process.

Team news
"We have two players nursing injuries," said Reghecampf. "[Midfielder Mihai] Pintili did not finish the last training session and [Cristian] Tănase is still in pain, but we hope both will be fine and ready to play."

Chelsea
José Mourinho, manager
We did not play well [against Basel] and lost, but we didn't deserve to lose. However, we didn't deserve to win as we did not play well. Steaua have showed that they can play at a high level and will be competitive in this group. They will fight for points and try to qualify for the next round.

They are champions of their country, they have qualified for the Champions League group stage and are more experienced and motivated. For Chelsea, it's the same players but with a different manager. A new manager has to start things off again and normally it takes three months before the team is in top condition.

It is good that my players lost here last year. They know why they lost, they know it is not going to be easy. In terms of concentration and motivation maybe we are one step ahead of where we were for last season's game, the players were taken a bit by surprise.

• The visitors came from behind to consolidate their place in the top four, though Fernando Torres was sent off for two bookable offences on 81 minutes.

Team news
Marco van Ginkel is out for six months after undergoing knee surgery, while Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne did not travel to Romania.

Match fact
• Steaua's most successful recent European campaign ended in England in dramatic circumstances. Leading 1-0 from the first leg of their 2005/06 UEFA Cup semi-final tie against Middlesbrough FC, and 3-0 up overall after 24 minutes of the return, they were then heading through on away goals until Massimo Maccarone struck after 89 minutes at the Riverside Stadium to secure a 4-2 home win – and a 4-3 aggregate success – for the English side, who had Chelsea's current back-up custodian, Mark Schwarzer, in goal.

 

[BayernMunich]

UEFA Champions League Preview : Zenit St Petersburg v Austria Vienna - Both sides searching for first win

Luciano Spalletti's side entertain the debutants looking to get their Champions League campaign back on track after losing to Atletico Madrid

By Harry West

Zenit St Petersburg and Austria Vienna will both look to open their accounts when they meet in Tuesday's Champions League encounter.

Both sides lost their opening Group G fixtures, Zenit going down 3-1 away to Atletico Madrid while Vienna's first-ever Champions League group stage outing ended in disappointment with a 1-0 home defeat to Porto.

The Russian side will be hoping to continue their good run of form at home in Europe, having won five of their last six and lost just one of their last 23 at the Petrovsky Stadium in continental action.

Vienna's last away fixture in Europe saw them defeat Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 in the qualifying stages.

Nenad Bjelica's side boast a decent away record in Europe, having lost just two of their last eight games on the continent.

Zenit come into the game as Russian Premier League leaders, sitting above Spartak Moscow having lost just once in their opening 11 games after a 4-2 win over the second-placed side on Saturday.

Vienna are faring less well in the Austrian Bundesliga, currently sitting fifth in the table.

Champions last year, they have struggled for consistency this season, drawing three and losing three times so far, including a 1-0 defeat to Admira Wacker on Saturday.

Vienna have been dealt a blow ahead of the game with forward Marko Stankovic ruled out for around a month with a calf injury, meaning that he will miss the trip to Zenit.

The Russians, meanwhile, will once again be led by forward Hulk, with the Brazilian in a rich vein of form having scored seven times in nine matches so far this season.

 

[BayernMunich]

UEFA Champions League Preview: Basel v Schalke
30 September 2013

Basel and Schalke will each be aiming to add to their winning starts in the UEFA Champions League when they meet on Tuesday.

St Jakob-Park in Switzerland will play host to the fixture and the hosts go into the contest in good form, having not lost any of their last 10 matches in all competitions, while they sprung a surprise in their Group E opener.

Murat Yakin’s side travelled to Chelsea with many expecting a comfortable home win, but goals from Mohamed Salah and Marco Streller in the final 20 minutes saw the Swiss side leave with three points.

Schalke also won on matchday one, beating Steaua Bucharest 3-0 at home, but defender Benedikt Howedes believes they will have to improve considerably on their weekend 3-3 draw with Hoffenheim if they are to seal a positive result on Tuesday.

He said: "A point gets us nowhere. It annoys me terribly that we performed like that after such a good first half, and then played so weak in the second half.

"At some points we were too unfocused, so we invited the opponents’ chances. It's incredibly annoying, but we cannot change it now.

"We have seen that we are always good for early on. If we eradicate defensive errors and defend more concentrated and compact in the crucial situations then we will have good prospects for the game in Basel."

The Gelsenkirchen-based club have not impressed defensively in the Bundesliga so far this season, conceding 16 goals in their opening seven matches. Four of those came in a 4-0 home loss to Bayern Munich on September 21, their worst defeat at their own stadium in 32 years.

Jens Keller can take solace in the fact Schalke have only lost one of their last 11 away matches in Europe, with the Germans winning two and draw another pair last season.

Basel had won six matches in a row before Saturday's 2-2 draw with Sion, while that clash also yielded a potentially costly defensive injury as Fabian Schar was carried off with a knee injury.

The problem is not as serious as first thought, but the Switzerland international is a doubt for Tuesday.

They do have some good news on the injury front, however. Matias Delgado, Taulant Xhaka both returned to action against Sion, while Geoffrey Serey Die and Arlind Ajeti could make comebacks.

Keller has significantly more to contend with. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Christian Fuchs (all knee) are definitely out, with Ralf Fahrmann (foot) and Julian Draxler (knee) doubtful.

According to reports in Germany, midfielder Jermaine Jones has been suspended by the club after a run of substandard performances, while the USA midfielder will definitely not feature regardless, as he is set for knee surgery.

 

[BayernMunich]

UEFA Champions League Preview: Steaua Bucharest v Chelsea
30 September 2013

Steaua Bucharest and Chelsea will hope to get their first points on the board when they meet in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

Both teams suffered defeat in their first group games of the 2013-14 edition of the tournament, and will be looking to bounce back immediately by earning a win at Stadionul Steaua.

The hosts found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-0 drubbing from Schalke on matchday one, with Atsuto Uchida, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Julian Draxler notching for the German club.

Chelsea, meanwhile, slumped to a 2-1 loss to Basel at Stamford Bridge, as goals from Mohamed Salah and Marco Streller cancelled out Oscar's efforts to hand the Swiss outfit three points.

Jose Mourinho may shuffle his pack for the trip to Romania, and has just one major injury concern ahead of the game after Marco van Ginkel was ruled out long-term with a cruciate knee ligament injury.

Steaua remain without the services of Stefan Nikolic (knee) and Alexandru Chipciu, but boast an otherwise fully fit squad.

These teams met at the second knockout round of last season's Europa League, which Chelsea went on to win courtesy of victory over Benfica in the final.

The London club did not have things all their own way on the road to lifting the trophy, however, and required a 3-1 win at home after losing the first leg in Romania 1-0.

But the scorers of both of Steaua's goals in that tie no longer play for the club, with Raul Rusescu having joined Sevilla and Vlad Chiriches electing to leave for Tottenham.

Though Chiriches did not feature in the game, Chelsea's last outing in fact came against Tottenham, with Mourinho's men picking up a hard-earned point at White Hart Lane with a 1-1 draw.

That result sees them up in fourth place in the English top flight, four points short of early leaders Arsenal.

Steaua have enjoyed a significantly better start to their domestic season, winning six games and drawing one to take an early lead in the Romanian league.

 

[BayernMunich]

UEFA Champions League Preview: Borussia Dortmund v Marseille
30 September 2013

Borussia Dortmund will be looking for revenge against Marseille on Tuesday as they aim to kick-start their UEFA Champions League campaign.

The Germans remain unbeaten in the Bundesliga this season, however, they will be wary of a Marseille side that won both meetings between the two sides in the 2011-12 edition.

Dortmund also slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Napoli in their opening game of this year's competition, with manager Jurgen Klopp sent to the sidelines after berating the fourth official in the aftermath of Gonzalo Higuain's opening goal at the Stadio San Paolo.

Klopp has been handed a one-match ban as a result of his actions in Naples, but with Dortmund in fine domestic form, last year's finalists should be confident of atoning for that defeat even with their manager banished from the dugout.

Despite his absence from the touchline, Klopp is confident in his staff's ability to keep his players focused.

"It's going to be unusual," he said. "But Zeljko (Buvac, assistant manager) and I tend to work telepathically anyway so we're not going to need any other kind of contact."

Dortmund are likely to go in as favourites for the game at Signal Iduna Park, but will have to try and seal the points without goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller, who is suspended after being sent off in the loss to Napoli.

Midfielders Sebastian Kehl (foot) and Ilkay Gundogan (back) are also unavailable, as is defender Lukasz Piszczek (hip).

Marseille will be hopeful of replicating the results they achieved back in 2011, but will need to improve in their disappointing performance in their opener against Arsenal, which they lost 2-1 despite creating a number of chances.

Still, Baup's side head into the contest on the back of a confident 2-0 win at Lorient last Saturday, and will look to the likes of Mathieu Valbuena and Andre Ayew to break down the Dortmund defence.

However, the Provence outfit could well be without Andre-Pierre Gignac - top scorer with 18 goals last term - as he continues to struggle with a toe injury, while Jeremy Morel (knee) is also a doubt.

 

[BayernMunich]

UEFA Champions League Preview: Arsenal v Napoli
30 September 2013

The sides sat top of the Premier League and Serie A will meet on Tuesday when Napoli travel to Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League.

Both secured 2-1 wins in the opening round of matches and will square off in competitive action for the first time at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal are on a nine-game winning run in all competitions, with defeat to Aston Villa on the opening day of the Premier League season the last time the London club tasted defeat.

Their latest success came in Saturday's 2-1 victory away to Swansea City, with a first professional goal from Serge Gnabry and an effort from in-form Aaron Ramsey - his fifth in his last four games - proving enough for the points.

And manager Arsene Wenger is confident that three points against the Serie A side will leave them in a strong position to reach the round of 16.

"If we win the second game we know we can qualify," he said.

"I wouldn't say it is already a decisive game - but it is a game that will have a great bearing on who qualifies.

"If we deal with that situation then we will be in a very positive mood to finish the job."

Arsenal's form has been all the more impressive with an injury list that includes Lukas Podolski (hamstring), Santi Cazorla (ankle) and Theo Walcott (stomach) among the players on the sidelines.

But defeating Napoli will be no easy task, as Rafael Benitez's tenure at the Stadio San Paolo has started in terrific fashion.

Napoli have won five and drawn one of their six Serie A fixtures, and began their Champions League campaign with an impressive triumph over last season's runners-up, Borussia Dortmund.

Goals from Gonzalo Higuain and Lorenzo Insigne did the damage on that occasion, and they claimed the maximum haul despite Camilo Zuniga's late own-goal.

Despite their excellent start, Benitez believes the side is yet to reach their full potential, but says the club are confident of their chances in London.

"We talk with the team every day and we know that we are at 75 per cent," he told the club's official website.

"Now we must continue to grow. I know that we can and we must be competitive to try and win against all opponents.

"That is what we will try to do in London against Arsenal."

Christian Maggio (knee) is Benitez's only absentee, with Higuain set to start against a club he came close to joining over the close-season.

Reports suggested that Arsenal were ultimately unwilling to match Napoli's fee for the former Real Madrid man, paving the way for a move to Serie A, while the Argentinian was afforded a frosty reception when the Naples club played against Arsenal in pre-season during the Emirates Cup.

 

[BayernMunich]

UEFA Champions League Preview: Porto v Atletico Madrid
29 September 2013

Atletico Madrid and Porto will hope to build on their respective opening wins in the UEFA Champions League when they meet on Tuesday.

Diego Simeone’s side kicked their European campaign off with a 3-1 win over Zenit at the Estadio Vicente Calderon, with Miranda, Arda Turan and Leo Baptistao grabbing their goals.

Atletico have since also beaten city rivals Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga, a result that will fill them with confidence ahead of their clash with the Portuguese outfit.

Porto travelled to Ernst-Happel-Stadion on the opening Champions League match-day and picked up a slender 1-0 win at Austria Vienna thanks to a Lucho Gonzalez strike.

Domestically, the Portuguese side sit top of the Primeira Liga, but coach Paulo Fonseca has not been immune to criticism over the side's struggles to win convincingly.

He said: "I do not see football as a war, far from it. It is a very engaging sport, played under tremendous stress, and generates positive and negative feelings. I'm ready for whatever is necessary to defend the interests of FC Porto and my team and I will do it whenever necessary.

"I do not do any reading (of the newspapers). I am not even slightly affected by what people outside FC Porto say and think.

"Those who whistled (against Guimaraes) are maybe going to applaud the coming games and those who hissed are maybe the ones who applauded in the first half."

From their first six matches Porto have managed five wins, with only a 2-2 draw against Estoril denying them a 100 per cent record.

The Portuguese champions are competing in their 18th Champions League campaign, the same number as Barcelona and Real Madrid, and bettered only by Manchester United.

In last season’s competition, Porto won all of their home matches, and they have not lost at Estadio Dragao in the league since October 2008.

Atletico come into the tie in excellent form, however. They are the only side to have matched Barcelona’s seven wins from as many games in La Liga so far and are unbeaten in 13 matches in all competitions.

The two sides have only faced each other on four previous occasions and all came in 2009 as Porto won twice, with their other ties ending in draws.

Simeone has virtually a full squad to pick from as Adrian Lopez (knee) is the only player who looks set to miss out with injury, while Diego Costa will make a return from suspension.

Fonseca’s side should also be a full-strength, with Steven Defour making his return from a knock against Guimaraes on Friday.

 

[BayernMunich]

Champions League Preview: Ajax - AC Milan

The two footballing giants have won the top European competition 11 times between them but, in a group with Barcelona, both desperately need three points.

By Miles Chambers

Two of Europe's most successful clubs will go head-to-head when Ajax hosts AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Milan has tasted success in Europe's premier club competition on seven occasions - second only to Real Madrid - while Ajax has won the tournament four times.

But when it comes to recent form, Ajax certainly has the edge ahead of the fixture at the Amsterdam ArenA having thrashed Go Ahead Eagles 6-0 in its last outing.

On the other hand, Milan has struggled at the start of the new season, with Saturday's narrow 1-0 win over Sampdoria representing just the club's second in Serie A so far in 2013-14.

The Italians will at least be buoyed by the knowledge that they have already beaten Dutch opposition in the Champions League this term, with their group-stage participation sealed by a playoff round victory against PSV.

Massimiliano Allegri's team followed up that success with a 2-0 win against Celtic on matchday one, while Ajax found itself on the wrong end of a 4-0 humbling away to Barcelona.

Milan's hopes of taking a good result from the Amsterdam ArenA are likely to rest on the shoulders of four-goal forward Mario Balotelli, while Ajax will rely on Kolbeinn Sigthorsson - who has six goals in 10 appearances this term - to put chances away.

The two teams have plenty of history in Europe, having met in the finals of both the 1968-69 and 1994-95 editions of the competition.

Milan ran out a 4-1 winner in the former, with forward Pierino Prati notching a hat trick, while a solitary strike from Patrick Kluivert saw Ajax exact revenge 26 years later.

The last meetings between the clubs came in the group stages of the 2010-11 tournament, with Ajax taking a 2-0 win in Milan and the teams sharing a 1-1 draw in Amsterdam.

With Barcelona looking like a strong favorite to win Group H already, Ajax and Milan will hope to land an early blow in what could be a race for the second qualification spot.

The home side must bid for that win without the services of Thulani Serero (stomach) and Joel Veltman (knee) due to injury, though the Italians have a spate of problems in that regard.

Kaka, Mattia de Sciglio, Matias Silvestre and Giampaolo Pazzini (all knee) will miss out for Milan, though Stephan El Shaarawy, Riccardo Montolivo (both thigh) and Daniele Bonera (knee) could return.

 

[BayernMunich]

Celtic - Barcelona Preview: SPL champions eye another upset against Messi-less Catalans

Neil Lennon's men recorded a shock 2-1 victory over the Spanish giants in last season's competition, while the Blaugrana will travel to Celtic Park without their Argentine talisman

By Dominic Farrell

Barcelona will be without Lionel Messi as they seek to avoid another upset against Celtic in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Last November, Neil Lennon's men sprung a huge shock at Celtic Park when goals from Victor Wanyama and rookie striker Tony Watt secured a famous 2-1 triumph over the four-time European champions.

Messi pulled a late goal back for Barca that night but the Argentinian is set for at least two weeks on the sidelines after injuring his hamstring in Saturday's 2-0 victory at Almeria.

His absence is a major blow for the Catalan giants, with Messi having helped himself to a hat-trick as Barca brushed Ajax aside 4-0 in the Group H opener a fortnight ago to move ahead of Mario Gomez and Filippo Inzaghi by becoming the first player to score four trebles in the competition.

However, coach Gerardo Martino has more than enough in reserve to ensure that Barca will still be favourites.

Spain international Pedro matched his illustrious team-mate's efforts when he took home the match ball as Rayo Vallecano were dispatched 4-0 a week ago.

Messi scored again on Saturday as the Catalan giants claimed a seventh win from as many La Liga matches this term against Almeria, but was then withdrawn.

Meanwhile, Celtic warmed up for the clash in the best possible manner on Saturday when they bounced back from a shock defeat to Morton in the Scottish League Cup with victory at Kilmarnock.

The Scottish Premiership champions survived a fightback from their hosts before prevailing 5-2 as Georgios Samaras fired in a hat-trick.

Weekend goalscorer Kris Commons expects Barcelona to be fully aware of the threat Celtic pose as they attempt to register their first points of the group stage after a battling 2-0 loss at Milan.

"It is going to be difficult but I think it will be very unprofessional of them if they didn't think that we were a threat," the midfielder said.

"For us, it is about staying focused and trying to repeat what we did last year."

Barcelona will once again be without left-back Jordi Alba due to a hamstring problem, while fellow defender Carles Puyol and playmaker Isaac Cuenca are recovering from knee surgery.

Celtic are missing close-season arrival Steven Mouyokolo, who ruptured his Achilles in training before the Milan clash.

 

[BayernMunich]

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[BayernMunich]

UEFA Champions League Preview: CSKA Moscow v Viktoria Plzen
30 September 2013

Viktoria Plzen travel to Russia for the first time in European competition on Wednesday to face CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Champions League.

The game will take place in Zenit St Petersburg's Petrovsky Stadium due to the state of the pitch at CSKA's Arena Khimki and both sides will be looking to get their first points of the campaign following defeats on the opening matchday in group D.

CSKA lost 3-0 away at holders Bayern Munich, while Plzen went down by the same margin at home to Manchester City.

Both sides will be aware of the importance of this game if either are to qualify for the second round or, at worst, finish third and earn a spot in the last 32 of the Europa League.

The hosts have used Zenit's stadium on 12 occasions in the past 10 years with mixed results, winning five and losing five of those matches.

Pavel Vrba's Plzen have been much more consistent on their travels and they arrive in Russia on the back of a seven-match unbeaten run – including five wins – on the road in Europe.

CSKA's only previous meeting with Czech opposition came three years ago when they earned four points from their matches against Sparta Prague in the Europa League group stage.

Leonid Slutsky's side are winless in their last three Russian Premier League games, including Saturday's 2-0 reverse away at Terek Grozny, and they currently sit in fourth place, five points adrift of leaders Zenit.

Alan Dzagoev and Seydou Doumbia are doubts with hamstring injuries, while Aleksandrs Cauna will be out until November with a fractured toe.

CSKA will be hoping for a change in fortunes in front of goal, as they have gone 279 minutes without scoring in all competitions.

Plzen, unbeaten after 10 games in the Czech Liga, had suffered a similar goal drought – 272 minutes – until Frantisek Rajtoral's opener in Friday's 2-1 win at Vysocina Jihlava. That result left Vrba's side in second, four points behind Sparta.

The manager revealed that David Limbersky is a major doubt for the game after sustaining a thigh injury on Friday, while defender Radim Reznik returned in the same match and could feature.

 

[BayernMunich]

UEFA Champions League Preview: Shakhtar Donetsk v Manchester United
30 September 2013

Shakhtar Donetsk and Manchester United will meet for the first time in Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League clash in Ukraine.

The two sides come into the game having won their opening Group A fixtures, with Shakhtar defeating Real Sociedad 2-0 in Spain while United ran out 4-2 victors over Bayer Leverkusen at Old Trafford.

Shakhtar have won all three of their previous home fixtures against English opposition in the Champions League, with successes over Arsenal in 2000-01 and 2010-11 before last season’s 2-1 victory over Chelsea, which helped eliminate the then-holders of the competition.

United’s last visit to Ukraine was a successful one though, ending in a 4-2 win over Dynamo Kiev in the 2007-08 group stage.

And Mircea Lucescu's men head into the fixture on the back of a run of inconsistent league form, having won only one of their past five matches in the Ukrainian Premier League, a division they have won for the last four consecutive seasons.

They currently sit third in the table, having dropped 10 points from the opening 11 games - just one point less than they missed out on in the whole of the last term.

Shakhtar's latest outing saw them come from two goals down to rescue a point against local rivals Metalurh Donetsk, with Eduardo coming off the bench to bag the equaliser with eight minutes remaining.

United, under new manager David Moyes, have also struggled for form domestically this season.

The three-time European champions have taken just seven points from their first six Premier League games, their worst start to a season since the 1989-90 campaign.

Moyes came in for criticism following Saturday's 2-1 home defeat at the hands of West Bromwich Albion, a result that leaves the reigning champions eight points adrift of early leaders Arsenal.

However, the former Everton boss will have Nani available for the trip to Donetsk after the Portuguese winger missed the opening game through suspension following his red card in last season’s exit to Real Madrid.

Wayne Rooney’s two goals against Leverkusen made him the all-time leading British scorer in the competition with 29 goals, while Robin van Persie’s strike in the same game means he has now scored in 10 consecutive Champions League seasons.

 

[BayernMunich]

UEFA Champions League Preview: Bayer Leverkusen v Real Sociedad
30 September 2013

Bayer Leverkusen and Real Sociedad will be seeking their first UEFA Champions League points of the season when they meet on Wednesday.

The Liga outfit were beaten 2-0 by Shakhtar Donetsk in their group stage opener, while Leverkusen went down 4-2 against Premier League champions Manchester United.

However, the Bundesliga side have won all three matches in the league since their defeat at Old Trafford, scoring eight goals and conceding just once in the process.

Sami Hyypia's side third in the German top flight after their 2-0 win over Hannover on Saturday and face champions Bayern Munich on Saturday.

However, Hyypia is focused on Wednesday's game, rather than the meeting with Pep Guardiola's men.

"The next game is the most important," he told the Bundesliga website. "We play Real first. It's not a problem.

"Spanish teams are always very strong technically and play attractive football.

"That won't be any different against Real Sociedad. Of course we're at home and want to win. Otherwise we won't go any further."

Leverkusen have enjoyed 100 per cent records in the group stages of the competition in their past two campaigns, with Hyypia unsure on whether he will rotate his squad for the clash with Jagoba Arrasate's men.

Sociedad have never recorded a European win on German soil, losing two and drawing one of their three encounters in the country.

Arrasate's charges have not won since their Champions League qualifier against Lyon in August, losing two and drawing three of their last five league games.

The 35-year-old was pleased with the performance of his side during their 1-1 draw with Sevilla on Saturday but feels that they are in need of a win to boost confidence.

"I'm happy with the effort that we put in (against Sevilla)," he said.

"But we need a win to recover that joy, that confidence that victories bring."

Xabi Prieto is unlikely to feature for the visitors, having suffered a thigh tear in his side's 4-1 defeat against Barcelona, while loanee Esteban Granero will miss out.

The midfielder suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during the defeat against Shakhtar.

In what will be the sides' first meeting, defeat would see the losers cast three points adrift at the bottom of Group A.

 

[BayernMunich]

UEFA Champions League Preview: Juventus v Galatasaray
30 September 2013

Roberto Mancini will hope his Galatasaray side can bounce back in the UEFA Champions League when they visit Juventus on Wednesday.

Former Manchester City boss Mancini was appointed as Fatih Terim's replacement at the Turk Telekom Arena on Monday after Terim paid the price for a poor start to the season that yielded just one win in five Super Lig matches.

Terim also oversaw the humiliating 6-1 home defeat to Real Madrid in Galatasaray's Champions League Group B opener, as Cristiano Ronaldo stole the show with a second-half hat-trick.

And the club have now turned to Mancini to reverse their fortunes, although the Italian could hardly have asked for a more daunting first game as he takes his new side to his homeland to face the Serie A champions.

Galatasaray head into the fixture at the Juventus Stadium on Wednesday on the back of a 1-1 draw at home to Rizespor. Engin Baytor opened the scoring, but Tevfik Kose levelled in the second half before Selcuk Inan saw red.

Midfielder Hamit Altintop continues to be plagued by a hip injury and is likely to miss the visit to Turin.

Juve, meanwhile, will be desperate to claim maximum points after a disappointing 1-1 draw away to Copenhagen in their opening fixture.

Antonio Conte's team are in good form ahead of Wednesday's showdown, and are on an eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions.

They will look to build on the momentum from their 1-0 victory over rivals Torino at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday, with Paul Pogba's second-half header securing the points.

The France international has now set his sights on the Champions League, and said the side are itching to atone for their surprise draw in Denmark.

Speaking to Tuttosport, he said: "We know it will be an important match for us, we have to win it and we know it won't be easy.

"I don't know if it will be decisive for qualification, but after the draw with Copenhagen we all want to win."

Juve could be without influential striker Carlos Tevez after he picked up an ankle injury against Torino following a robust challenge from Ciro Immobile.

The Argentinian has notched three times in Serie A since his transfer-window move from Manchester City, where he played under Mancini.

 

[BayernMunich]

UEFA Champions League Preview: Real Madrid v Copenhagen
30 September 2013

Copenhagen will look to upset the form book when they visit Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

The Danish outfit have never defeated Spanish opponents in eight attempts, but they will be buoyed by the 1-1 home draw earned against Juventus on matchday one.

Real were in imperious form in their opening group B fixture, Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a hat-trick in a 6-1 demolition of Galatasaray in Turkey.

The two sides have never met before, with Real's last game against a Danish side ending in a surprise 2-0 home reverse to Odense in what was then the UEFA Cup in 1994-95.

The last time Copenhagen came up against a side from La Liga was three years ago when they took a point from two games against Barcelona in the Champions League group stages.

That season they went on to deliver the best performance by a Danish side in the competition, reaching the second round before being eliminated by Chelsea.

Madrid exited at the semi-final stage of this competition for the third year in succession last season, while Copenhagen were edged out 2-1 on aggregate by Lille in the final qualifying round.

Carlo Ancelotti's side suffered their first league defeat of the season on Saturday, going down 1-0 at home to neighbours Atletico Madrid, a result that leaves them five points adrift of both Atletico and Barcelona at the top of the table.

World-record signing Gareth Bale is in line to feature, the Wales international coming off the bench during the weekend defeat after recovering from a thigh injury, but midfielder Xabi Alonso remains sidelined with a broken foot.

Copenhagen have suffered a terrible start to their domestic campaign and with just two wins from the opening 10 matches, Stale Solbakken's side currently find themselves in the relegation zone, their plight not helped by Saturday’s 3-2 defeat away at Brondby.

That reverse was Solbakken's first defeat since taking over from Ariel Jacobs in August and Copenhagen will be hoping to celebrate their 150th European game with what would be a surprise win.

 

[BayernMunich]

UEFA Champions League Preview: Paris Saint-Germain v Benfica
30 September 2013

Paris Saint-Germain host Benfica in Wednesday's UEFA Champions League encounter with both sides bidding to go clear at the top of Group C.

On matchday one, PSG thumped Olympiacos 4-1 in Greece and Benfica sealed a comfortable 2-0 success at home to Anderlecht, so a win for either side will open up a three-point gap and edge them closer to the knockout stages.

Last season saw PSG eliminated in the quarter-finals by Barcelona on away goals, while Benfica came third in a group containing the Spanish giants and Celtic before going on a run to the UEFA Europa League final, where they were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea.

The two sides last met two years ago in the Europa League round of 16 in 2010-11, with Benfica winning 3-2 on aggregate.

The only other meetings between the teams came in the same round of the same competition in 2007, and again the Portuguese outfit came out on top, overturning a 2-1 first-leg deficit with a 3-1 victory in Lisbon.

PSG have never lost a home fixture to Portuguese opposition, winning four and drawing two, and Laurent Blanc's side come into the game full of confidence having yet to taste defeat in Ligue 1 this season.

As reigning French champions, PSG are currently only denied top spot by Monaco on goal difference, having taken five wins and three draws from their opening eight fixtures, conceding just four goals in the process. PSG defeated Toulouse 2-0 on Saturday at the Parc des Princes, with goals from Marquinhos and Edinson Cavani.

Blanc will be without talismanic defender Thiago Silva, who pulled up with a hamstring injury during the 1-1 draw with Monaco earlier this month and is facing six weeks out of action.

Benfica, two-time European champions, have a good recent record against French opposition, with last season's 3-2 victory in Bordeaux in the Europa League making it four wins in their last five games against Ligue 1 sides.

Domestically, Benfica find themselves five points adrift of leaders Porto after losing further ground at the weekend following a 1-1 home draw with Belenenses.

Bruno Cortez and Nicolas Gaitan both returned from injury in that game so manager Jorge Jesus will have them available as Benfica look to emulate Bayern Munich’s feat in 2012 by reaching the Champions League final in their own stadium.

 

[BayernMunich]

UEFA Champions League Preview: Anderlecht v Olympiacos
30 September 2013

Both Anderlecht and Olympiacos will be hoping to get off the mark when the pair meet in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

The two sides tasted defeat in their opening Group C matches, Anderlecht losing 2-0 to Benfica while Olympiacos were thumped 4-1 at home by Paris Saint-Germain.

Wednesday represents the first meeting between the two sides since 1974, when Anderlecht squeezed through 5-4 on aggregate in the second round of the European Cup after winning the first leg 5-1 in Belgium.

The reigning Belgian Pro League champions are unbeaten in their last seven games against Greek opposition, and their record at home to sides from the Mediterranean country reads four wins and two defeats from six matches.

Olympiacos’ last game against a club from Belgium came in the group stage of the Champions League four years ago, when they defeated Standard Liege 2-1 in Greece before going down 2-0 in the return fixture.

Anderlecht finished bottom of their group last season, while Olympiacos finished third in theirs and entered the UEFA Europa League, where they were knocked out immediately by Levante of La Liga.

John van den Brom's men currently lie fourth in the Belgian top flight, nine points adrift of leaders Liege after winning six and losing three of their opening nine fixtures. They will go into Wednesday’s game on the back of Sunday’s 2-0 home success over Lierse, Guillaume Gillet and Dennis Praet the goalscorers.

Ronald Vargas is a long-term injury absentee for Van Den Brom after undergoing knee surgery in July.

Olympiacos have enjoyed a fine start to their domestic season though, holding a three-point lead over PAOK at the top of the Greek Super League with five wins and a draw from their opening six matches, including Saturday’s 2-0 success at Panionios.

David Fuster and Paulo Machado are unlikely to feature with hamstring and knee problems, while Michel’s side will be looking to avoid falling to their 100th defeat in European competition at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium.

 

[BayernMunich]

UEFA Champions League Preview: Manchester City v Bayern Munich
30 September 2013

Manuel Pellegrini and Pep Guardiola will renew their rivalry when Bayern Munich meet Manchester City in Wednesday's UEFA Champions League tie.

Pellegrini will be hoping for a change of fortunes when the defending champions visit the Etihad Stadium, having never beaten Guardiola as manager of Villarreal, Malaga or Real Madrid when Guardiola was in charge of Barcelona.

Both sides enjoyed comfortable 3-0 victories in their opening group D games, Bayern overcoming CSKA Moscow at home, while City got the better of Czech side Viktoria Plzen.

The two clubs were drawn in the same group two years ago, with Bayern winning 2-0 in the Allianz Arena before City triumphed by the same score on the final matchday, a result that was not enough to prevent their elimination.

The hosts also failed to progress beyond the group stage in the last campaign, but their unbeaten record at home in Europe stretches back 20 games to the 2008-09 season.

Bayern's last fixture in England was their 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley in May that sealed their fifth European triumph, while their last game there against English opposition came in last year's second-round, first-leg 3-1 victory over Arsenal.

City, for whom Martin Demichelis (knee) remains out injured, have had a mixed start to the Premier League season, taking 10 points from six matches, and come into the game on the back of a shock 3-2 defeat away at Aston Villa at the weekend.

In contrast, Bayern have made a strong start to their Bundesliga campaign, dropping just two points from their opening seven fixtures, a run that sees them second to Dortmund on goal difference only.

Mario Gotze, signed from rivals Dortmund in the summer, has been out with an ankle injury since the Super Cup win over Chelsea in August, but was an unused substitute during Saturday's 1-0 win over Wolfsburg, so could feature in Manchester.

Thiago Alcantara (ankle) and Javi Martinez (knee) remain long-term absentees for Munich, who are bidding to become the first side to successfully defend their title since Milan in 1990.

 

[BayernMunich]

Manchester City duo Aguero & Silva passed fit for Bayern Munich test

Oct 1, 2013 12:34:00 PM

The Argentine striker and Spanish playmaker, both of whom missed Saturday's 3-2 defeat at Aston Villa, could return to the starting line-up against the Champions League holders

EXCLUSIVE
By Paul Clennam

David Silva and Sergio Aguero have both been passed fit for Manchester City's clash with Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

The Spain international has been sidelined for a month with a thigh injury, while Aguero missed City's loss to Aston Villa at the weekend with a knock.

However, the pair both passed fitness tests at the club's Carrington training base on Tuesday morning and are available for selection ahead of the visit of the European champions.
Tweet Owen Hargreaves!
Send your questions to former Bayern Munich and Man City midfielder Owen Hargreaves via @Heineken using #sharethesofa on Wednesday evening

Silva picked up the injury while on international duty with Spain in early September and has not played for the Premier League side since their 2-0 win over Hull at the end of August, despite initial hopes that he could return for the Manchester derby.

Aguero, who scored twice in the 4-1 win over United, picked up what Manuel Pellegrini described as a "small pain" against David Moyes' side, and was left out of Saturday's trip to Villa Park as a precaution.

Both players have been involved in full training sessions over the last few days but Pellegrini was keen to ensure that they were "match ready" ahead of the visit of Bayern.

A victory over Pep Guardiola's side would move City three points clear at the top of Group D after their comprehensive 3-0 win over Viktoria Plzen in the Czech Republic a fortnight ago.