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Champions League Group A preview: City eye final 16 22 November 2011
Manchester City can book their spot in the Champions League knockout stages on Tuesday, with victory away at Napoli.
After dispatching Newcastle United 3-1 in the Premier League, Manchester City, who have two points more than third-placed Napoli, travel to Naples looking to build on their back-to-back Champions League wins over Villarreal.
City drew 1-1 with Napoli at the Etihad Stadium on their Champions League debut in September.Napoli have a formidable recent home record in Europe. Since returning to European competition, Walter Mazzarri's men have been unbeaten in 10 matches including a win against Villarreal and a draw with Bayern this season.
Sergio Aguero has scored 11 goals so far in all competitions and Edin Dzeko 13 goals with three in the Champions League. This one will be a tight one with a draw likely to go City's way.Meanwhile, Group A leaders Bayern Munich take on bottom side Villarreal as they look to wrap up their qualification for the last 16 for the fourth consecutive season.
Bayern beat Villarreal 2-0 at the El Madrigal on matchday one, and the Spanish side have failed to pick up a point since in Europe, to be out of knockout-stage contention in four matches.Bayern have won 10 of their last 11 Champions League home matches including wins against FC Zurich and Napoli.
Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes suffered a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Villarreal while coaching Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League last season and will take no prisoners as he seeks to sew up the group for Bayern.
Villarreal are enduring their worst run of form in their nine-year European history and have lost their last four away matches in UEFA Cup competition.
Champions League Group B preview: Milan aim for four wins 22 November 2011
After winning three successive games in Europe, Inter Milan travel to take on Trabzonspor while CSKA Moscow host Lille in Champions League Group B on Tuesday.
Inter Milan travel to Turkey in their return fixture against Trabzonspor with a four-point lead over second-placed CSKA Moscow, with a win for Claudio Ranieri's men necessary for them to secure top spot.
The 2010 European champions have struggled in Serie A but their sparkling Champions League form have seen them win 3-2 away at CSKA with a Mauro Zarate late winner and a 1-0 away win at Lille after Giampaolo Pazzini poached the only goal of the game.
They beat Lille 2-1 with goals from Walter Samuel and Diego Milito.Inter playmaker Wesley Sneijder was taken off in their recent 2-1 win against Cagliari with a muscle contraction but should be fit to face the Turkish side.
Trabzonspor, who beat Inter 1-0 with a late Ondrej Celustka strike in their Champions League debut, are in third place after drawing 1-1 with Lille and losing 3-0 to CSKA while earning a goalless draw against the Russians in Turkey.
CSKA Moscow will play host to Lille as the Russian side hope to build on their five-match unbeaten run to hold off Trabzonspor for second place in the group.
Former Chelsea man Joe Cole has scored three goals for Lille this season on loan from Liverpool and if Lille win in Moscow, they will be level on points with CSKA and Trabzonspor if Inter beat the Turkish side. CSKA are a formidable side at home, and are expected to take all three points from the contest. (Of course! You can count on Doumbia to do that!)
Champions League Group C preview: United, Benfica to fight for top 22 November 2011
Manchester United and Benfica will be battling it out for top spot in Group C of the Champions League when they meet on Tuesday. Both sides have eight points from their four fixtures so far with the Old Trafford showdown sure to go a long way towards determining who will top the group.
The visitors will not find it easy scoring given the fact Sir Alex Ferguson's side have kept five successive clean sheets, something that has pleased the Scottish manager considerably."A few weeks ago there was genuine criticism about the defending and the chances opponents were getting," Ferguson told MUTV on Saturday after his side's 1-0 win at Swansea City.
"When you win these games 1-0 it brings the concentration back to a good level which has been lacking."The return of Nemanja Vidic from a calf injury has helped Ferguson's side considerably but the Serbian will not feature on Tuesday due to suspension, meaning the Premier League side will have a makeshift look about their back four with Jonny Evans likely to partner Rio Ferdinand.
That will give Benfica some confidence and they can take heart from the way Swiss side FC Basel came from 2-0 down to claim a 3-3 draw at Old Trafford earlier in the group stages.
Rodrigo has been in immense form of late for Benfica, scoring five goals in the last four matches for Jorge Jesus' side and with the likes of Nicolas Gaitan, Pablo Aimar and Oscar Cardozo likely to be in the visitors' starting line-up, they have more than enough quality to snatch a point.
The other match sees Basel travel to Romania to face Otelul Galati, who have not earned a point in their four group matches so far.Otelul will not be disheartened by a pair of 2-0 losses to Manchester United though and they are unbeaten in their last five top-flight matches in Romania which will give them hope of getting on the board with a win, albeit a result that would be in vain.
Basel are flying, sitting atop the Swiss Super League, and a win could see them draw level on points with either Manchester United or Benfica, pending the result at Old Trafford.
Champions League Group D preview: Real host Dinamo 22 November 2011
Real Madrid will look to continue their perfect record in Group D of the Champions League when they host Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday. Jose Mourinho's side have won all four of their European fixtures this season, scoring 10 goals and conceding none in the process.
It means they have already qualified for the next stage of competition and with a clash against city rivals Atletico Madrid to come in La Liga on Saturday, Mourinho may be tempted into resting some of his key men.
But even then, Real's squad possesses the depth that would still trouble the Croatian side.An 11-match winning streak in all competitions has seen Real storm to the top of La Liga as well, hence it would take something special from Dinamo to get a result.
Krunoslav Jurcic's side will not want to end the group stages without a point though and they can take heart from their battling performance on matchday one against Real, in which they only lost 1-0 thanks to Angel di Maria's second-half goal.
The battle for second spot in the group is on the line in France as Olympique Lyon play host to Ajax.Ajax have seven points from their four matches with Lyon three points behind, meaning a victory would draw them level on points with the Eredivisie giants.
And with Ajax still to play Real, a win at the Stade de Gerland becomes even more significant.Both sides have made stuttering starts to their respective league campaigns, with Lyon in fifth while Ajax - who have won just one of their last eight league games - sit fourth.
The Ligue 1 outfit have scored just two goals in their four group matches so far and will need the likes of Bafetimbi Gomis, who has scored eight times this season but just once in the group stages, to convert his league form into European goals if they are to record a much-needed victory.
Jesus targets Old Trafford victory 22 November 2011
Benfica coach Jorge Jesus is targeting an away win over Manchester United as his team close in on Champions League progression.
Liga Sagres club Benfica are second in Group C of the Champions League, level on eight points with United and three ahead of third-placed Basel.The Portuguese side may be hard pressed to pick up points at the home of the English Premier League title holders.
But Jesus believes his team has what it takes to win Tuesday's match at Old Trafford and secure progression to the knockout stages."We have the same number of points as United and we are in a good position to go through in the Champions League," Jesus said.
"We want a win here - a win tomorrow would put us in first place and put us through.""Although United are at home tomorrow and they are favourites, if we are strong enough we can go through.""United are an exception to the other British clubs.
They have different characteristics and, because of that, they are a winning side.""They have a lot of technical quality and a lot of possession of the ball. But Benfica have quality, too, so it will be a very good game."
Benfica have another big clash to come on Saturday, when they host local rivals and fellow title challengers Sporting Lisbon at Estadio da Luz.But Jesus is confident the challenge of tackling United away from home will ensure his team concentrate on the task at hand.
"I think the derby will not be in the players' minds," Jesus said."Benfica are in the Champions League and we have a chance of reaching the next stage.""Every player who will be in Tuesday's game will be focused and they will not be thinking about Saturday's encounter."
Jesus also voiced his doubts over the validity of the English Premier League's self-proclaimed billing as the best domestic competition in the world."In my opinion compared with the Spanish, German and Italian leagues there is more that goes on tactically and technically in every match (in those leagues)," he said.
"There are many foreign managers and players in England. So technically it's improved when these foreigners arrive. That's the reason why I think those three leagues are slightly better than the Premier League."
Champions League Group E preview: Leverkusen eye top spot 22 November 2011
Bayer Leverkusen host Chelsea and Valencia welcome Genk in Champions League Group E action on Wednesday.
After losing 2-0 to Chelsea in their first Champions League meeting this season at Stamford Bridge, Bayer Leverkusen - who are two points behind the Blues – can move to the top of the group if they win the clash at the BayArena.
Leverkusen defeated Kaiserslautern 2-0 on Friday, with former Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack scoring for the second time in four matches.And the former Chelsea midfielder would dearly love to find the back of the net again at the BayArena, where Leverkusen have won both of their group matches so far.
Chelsea suffered another home defeat in their last match, with Liverpool claiming all three points in a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge.That result has increased the pressure on Andre Villas-Boas, who is dearly missing Michael Essien in his screening role in front of what has been a suspect defence of late. David Luiz and John Terry have been making far too many errors and a slip-up against the Germans could prove costly on Wednesday.
Just a point behind Leverkusen in third are Valencia, who host Belgian side Genk in what shapes as a must-win match for Unai Emery's men. A win against Genk – who have just two draws from their four matches so far – will put the La Liga outfit above Leverkusen, unless they defeat Chelsea.
And with just two matches remaining in the group stage, Valencia's qualification into the last 16 could depend on the result they get at the Mestalla.Emery's side will take heart from a strong second half showing against Real Madrid on Saturday, in which they nearly came from two goals down to force a draw.
Instead, they lost 3-2 but they remain third in La Liga and had won their past four matches before losing to Real.That good form will give the Spaniards confidence and they should have enough quality to defeat Genk.
Champions League Group F preview: Gunners, Germans in blockbuster 22 November 2011
Arsenal's clash with Borussia Dortmund is the highlight of the Group F action in the Champions League on Wednesday.Arsene Wenger's side are unbeaten in Europe this season, having picked up eight points from their four matches, which sees them a point ahead of Marseille in the standings.
Dortmund – who won last season's Bundesliga – sit in third place, on four points, and need a positive result at the Emirates Stadium to have any chance of making it through to the last 16.What Dortmund do possess though, is good form, and a 1-0 victory at Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena in the Bundesliga on Sunday will give Juergen Klopp's side all the confidence they need to pull off an upset in North London.
Arsenal have been in improved form of late and a 2-1 success at Norwich City on Saturday was their fifth in a row in the Premier League.A big part of that success has been thanks to Robin van Persie's input, with the Dutch forward having scored 15 goals in all competitions for Arsenal this season.
He has 10 of those goals in his last six matches for the Gunners and he is one man Dortmund need to pay close attention too.But Dortmund are unbeaten in their last seven Bundesliga matches and they have climbed to second in the league, indicating that a rise in their European form is to be expected.
The previous match between the two sides ended in a 1-1 draw in Dortmund, with Ivan Perisic's sublime goal two minutes from time ensuring the hosts claimed a point.The other match in the group sees Marseille host Olympiakos, with Klopp's side hopeful that the Greeks can claim an unexpected result in France.
Despite stuttering to 10th in Ligue 1, Marseille have been in good form in Europe, especially in defence where they have conceded just one goal in four appearances.Their previous match against Olympiakos, who are second in the Greek Super League, ended in a 1-0 triumph with Luis Gonzalez grabbing the second half winner.
Champions League Group G preview: Zenit stand in way of APOEL glory 22 November 2011
APOEL Nicosia's bid to create history and qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League will be tested in Russia on Wednesday.
APOEL - who are hoping to become the first Cypriot side to ever get past the first round of the competition - will travel to Zenit St Petersburg as the top two sides in Group G clash.APOEL have two wins and two draws from their four matches, giving them a tally of eight points, with Zenit trailing by just one point.
Given that Porto (four points) and Shakhtar Donetsk (two) have struggled so far, APOEL can seal qualification with a win at the Stadion Petrovskij, while three points for the hosts would mean that they could also qualify, pending on Porto's result.
Zenit enter the match full of confidence after a 12-match unbeaten run in all competitions which has seen them establish a three-point lead at the top of the Russian Premier League table.Ailton Almeida (APOEL) and Roman Shirokov (Zenit) are two of the seven players tied in fourth spot on the Champions League scoring charts this season, with the pair each having netted three goals in the competition.
The other match in the group sees 2010-11 Europa League winners Porto travel to Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk, who won the same trophy in 2008-09.Both sides have performed below-par in the competition so far and they will know that one more lacklustre effort could see them eliminated.
Despite topping the Liga Sagres table, Porto have not won in their past three matches in all competitions, with losses to APOEL and Academica (in the Taca de Portugal) sandwiched by a goalless draw at Olhanense.
Having lost Radamel Falcao - who scored 37 goals for Porto last season - to Atletico Madrid, Hulk has struggled to shoulder the responsibility of leading his side's attack, with just six goals in all competitions this season. And they will not find it easy in Ukraine with Shakhtar having lost just one of their past nine matches at home in the Champions League.
Shakhtar have been in good form domestically, with four wins in a row sandwiched by a Champions League defeat to Zenit, and their clash with the reigning Portuguese champions is sure to be fascinating.
Champions League Group H preview: Top spot on the line at San Siro 22 November 2011
Barcelona have a chance to seal top spot in Group H of the Champions League when they travel to the San Siro to face AC Milan on Wednesday.
The glamorous fixture in Italy will pit Barca - group leaders with 10 points - against the Serie A outfit, who have eight points from their four fixtures.With BATE Borisov (two points) and Viktoria Plzen (one) no chance of making it through to the round of 16, Wednesday's eagerly anticipated encounter is likely to determine who will top the group.
The first match between the two sides ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Nou Camp, with Milan snatching an equaliser at the death.After Alexandre Pato's opener in the first minute, Barcelona dominated and goals to Pedro and David Villa looked to have given them an important victory.
But Milan did just enough to keep the hosts at bay before completing their snatch-and-grab performance with Thiago Silva's late equaliser.The exciting match is sure to be in the back of the mind for Pep Guardiola and his Barcelona players, who will be hell-bent on killing the game off if given the opportunity.
Barca's unbeaten run has stretched to an impressive 26 matches in all competitions, while Milan are without a defeat in eight.Massimiliano Allegri's side are just a point off the summit of Serie A and Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been in good form in the Champions League this season, with three goals in four matches.
Barcelona's Lionel Messi has been in impressive form himself though, netting five goals in his European fixtures this season.The other match in Group H sees Viktoria Plzen of the Czech Republic travelling to Minsk to face BATE.
Both sides are without a win in the Champions League this season and with every side who finishes third in the group stage earning a spot in the next round of the Europa League, there will still be lots on the line in this match.BATE top the Belarusian Premier League by seven points but have dropped their past two fixtures, while Viktoria Plzen enter the match on the back of two wins.
Champions League Group A wrap: City lose, Bayern through 23 November 2011
Manchester City's Champions League hopes took a hit on Tuesday with a 2-1 loss at Napoli, as Bayern Munich secured their place in the next phase.Edinson Cavani was the hero for Napoli with a goal in each half, the Uruguayan scoring the opener after 17 minutes with the barest of touches from a corner.
Mario Balotelli struck back with a tap-in on the 33-minute mark, but Cavani was on hand four minutes after the break to seal the win for the hosts with a brilliant side-footed finish from Andrea Dossena's low pass. City now need to beat Bayern in their last group game and hope that bottom side Villarreal can upset the odds by recording their first points in the competition this season against Napoli.
The visitors made a bright start to the contest at San Paolo, but Napoli took the lead on 17 minutes after City goalkeeper Joe Hart touched over a rasping 30-yard effort from Gokhan Inler for a corner.Cavani met the ball at the near post and his faint header evaded both Aleksander Kolarov and Hart to send the home fans into a frenzy.
City were back on level terms 15 minutes later, when David Silva's shot was parried by Morgan De Sanctis, but Balotelli was on hand to tap in the simplest of goals on the rebound.After the break, Napoli came out on the offensive and they took the lead on 49 minutes when Cavani scored his second with a great finish from Dossena's low cross into the box.
Napoli should have extended their lead when Christian Maggio flew down the right wing and delivered a probing cross to which Hart offered only a feeble punch, but Lavezzi was unlucky to slip at the crucial moment and could not capitalise on the mistake.
City threw everything they had at the Italians down the stretch but there was no repeat of the home leg's last-minute miracles and they now face the prospect of slipping into the second-tier Europa League.
Elsewhere in Group A, Bayern Munich secured their place in the knockout stage with a 3-1 home win over Villarreal.Their victory, combined with Napoli's win over City, confirmed the Bavarians' status as group winners.
It took less than three minutes for Franck Ribery to open the scoring for Bayern at Allianz Arena, and by the 24th minute the hosts were 2-0 up thanks to Mario Gomez.Jonathan De Guzman pulled one back for the visitors five minutes after the interval, but Ribery restored the hosts' two-goal advantage on 69 minutes, and they held on for a convincing win.
Champions League Group B wrap: Inter top group 23 November 2011
Inter Milan made sure of top spot in Champions League Group B on Tuesday, playing out a 1-1 draw with Trabzonspor in Turkey. Inter had made it through to the round of 16 before the clash, thanks to Lille's 2-0 win at CSKA Moscow, but they made sure of first place in the group with their hard-earned point in Trabzon.
Ricky Alvarez's strike put the Italian giants in a commanding position after 18 minutes, but Halil Altintop fired an equaliser five minutes later to claim a point for the hosts. Proceedings began in favour of the home side, as Ondrej Celustka and Burak Yilmaz's speculative efforts inside the first five minutes laid the foundations for what was to be an enthralling clash.
Senol Gunes' side dictated much of the play in midfield throughout the first half, but it was the visitors who took the initiative on 18 minutes through Alvarez.The Argentine midfielder showed great movement around the box to construct a one-two with Diego Milito, before receiving the ball in plenty of space to coolly poke home past Tolga Zengin and give his side the lead.
Trabzonspor managed to hit back just five minutes later when Gustavo Colman drove through midfield and laid off to Altintop on the edge of the area where the Turkey attacker proceeded to smash the ball past a helpless Julio Cesar. In the second half Alanzinho and substitute Adrian Mierzejewski both squandered golden opportunities to deny the visitors, with the latter seeing a diving header cannon off the post.
Elsewhere in Group B, Lille remain in the hunt for a spot in the round of 16 after a 2-0 win over CSKA Moscow at the Luzhniki Stadium.An own goal by Vasili Berezutski and an opportunistic strike by Moussa Sow sealed the points for the French side, who were aided by impressive performances from Eden Hazard and Joe Cole.
After a goalless first period, Lille went ahead four minutes after the break when Cole played a dangerous ball into the box and Berezutski's attempted clearance flew past goalkeeper Vladimir Gabulov and into the back of his own net.
Rudi Garcia’s men maintained their offensive dominance, and doubled their advantage in the 64th minute.Hazard was at the centre of things, playing a brilliant pass to put Cole clean through on goal. His flicked effort bounced off the post, but Sow reacted a split second faster than Gabulov to slide the ball home.
Heading into the final round of matches in Group B, Trabzonspor are a point clear of CSKA and Lille, who are both on five points.Lille welcome Trabzonspor, while Inter host CSKA in two weeks time.
Champions League Group C wrap: United held by Benfica 23 November 2011
Manchester United are yet to secure progression to the Champions League knockout stages after they were held 2-2 at home by Benfica.
The hosts trailed to a Phil Jones' own-goal just two minutes into Tuesday's match at Old Trafford, conceded via a deflection when Nicolas Gaitan fired in a shot across the six-yard box.United levelled on 30 minutes, with Dimitar Berbatov heading home a Nani cross following Ashley Young's quick free kick.
Alex Ferguson's side found themselves in the lead two minutes before the hour mark.Benfica goalkeeper Artur did well to keep out Darren Fletcher's shot from a Patrice Evra delivery, but he could not prevent the Scotland captain from netting the rebound.
From there, last year's finalists might have been expected to see out the time remaining and secure their place in the round of 16.Instead, the lead lasted less than 60 seconds.A poor clearance from United goalkeeper David de Gea was gathered by Bruno Cesar, who advanced into the box before firing across goal.
Centre-back Rio Ferdinand, off balance, could only block the attempt, and Pablo Aimar was on hand to slot home from close range.Berbatov missed a chance to volley what could have been the winner with 10 minutes to go.And Rodrigo went even closer for Benfica, arriving in the box before shooting into the side-netting with a minute remaining.
Also on Tuesday, FC Basel held off Romanian champions Otelul Galati to win 3-2 away from home.The visitors from Switzerland led 3-0 by half-time at Stadionul National in Bucharest, courtesy of goals from Fabian Frei, Alexander Frei and Marco Streller.
The home side made things interesting through late strikes from Gabriel Giurgiu and Liviu Antal, but they proved unable to force an equaliser, and remain without a point from five matches played.The results mean United need a point from their trip to face Basel on December 7 if they are to reach the knockout stages.
Even if Ferguson's team win in Switzerland, Benfica will top the group with victory against Otelul, courtesy of their superior head-to-head record over United.
Champions League Group D wrap: Real thrash Dinamo Zagreb 23 November 2011
Real Madrid secured top spot in Champions League Group D with a 6-2 thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday, as Lyon and Ajax drew 0-0.Hosts Real made a lightning start at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, getting themselves on the scoresheet in the first minute of the match.
Mesut Oezil found space on the by-line and cut a pass into the box for Karim Benzema, who took a touch before coolly slotting the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.It was the fastest goal in Real's Champions League history and an ominous sign of things to come for the visitors from Croatia.
Jose Mourinho's side doubled their lead within five minutes of the opener.A fantastic cross-field pass from Germany international Oezil found the head of Jose Callejon, who leapt well to flick the ball on to Benzema.
The French striker quickly turned and returned the pass to Callejon, and the former Espanyol man emphatically drove the ball home for a 2-0 lead.Three minutes later and things went from bad to worse for Dinamo.
Lassana Diarra played a ball into space for Gonzalo Higuain to collect and the Argentina striker evaded his marker with a brilliant cut-back, before casually flicking the ball over Dinamo goalkeeper Ivan Kelava.
Oezil then made it 4-0 to the home side in the 20th minute.Higuain came inside from a wide position to lash a shot at goal, and Oezil seized on the rebound to pass the ball into an open goal.Real Madrid started the second half in the same manner they began the first, damaging Zagreb's spirit further with another early goal.
On 49 minutes, Raphael Varane clipped the ball over the visitors' defence from inside his own half.Callejon collected the delivery before driving forward and guiding the ball into the right corner of the net.The home side made it 6-0 in the 66th minute courtesy of some excellent link-up play on the outside of the Zagreb box.
Benzema played a pass to the feet of Higuain, who returned the ball with a flick into the path of his teammate.The former Lyon man then went through on goal and calmly slotted the ball home.Zagreb rallied in the last ten minutes and were able to grab two consolation goals.
Fatos Beqiraj popped up in the 81st minute to score an excellent header at the near post after latching on to a well-placed cross by Luis Ibanez.The Croatian side scored again a minute into injury time when Milan Badelj took advantage of some miscommunication in the Real ranks to slide a cross to the back post, with Ivan Tomacek the man to get the ball over the line.
Real's heavy win sees them secure first place in Group D, after notching a maximum 15 points from five matches.Dinamo are consigned to last place after failing to pick up a point.Also on Tuesday, Lyon and Ajax played out the second 0-0 draw between the teams in the group stage.
The stalemate at Stade de Gerland leaves Ajax second with eight points, three points ahead of third-placed Lyon.Eredivisie champions Ajax travel to Real on the final matchday, but boast a significantly better goal difference than the French club.Lyon must record a big win away to Dinamo on December 7, and hope Ajax are put to the sword during their trip Madrid.
This is what happens when some dumbfuck <acronym title="cunt">cunt</acronym> like Mancini claims his team are as good as Real Madrid and Barca, you're a bunch of <acronym title="fucking">fcuking</acronym> nobodies and the entire football world knows it, you spend 440m and can't even beat Napoli, fcuk off you City wasters.
November 23, 2011
