UEFA Champions League 2011/2012

Marek Hamsik · Sep 28, 2011

Garrido proud despite defeat
Villarreal coach Juan Carlos Garrido is proud of his side's efforts despite going down 2-0 against Napoli in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Fink delighted with Basel draw
FC Basel coach Thorsten Fink is 'incredibly happy' with his side's 3-3 draw with Manchester United in the Champions League despite conceding a late equalizer.

Ranieri hails Inter fighting spirit
Inter Milan coach Claudio Ranieri has praised his side's fighting spirit after beating CSKA Moscow 3-2 in the Champions League on Tuesday.

"Valencia will look to beat Chelsea"
Valencia's Jordi Alba has warned Chelsea that his side are "psyched up" to beat them in their UEFA Champions League Group E clash.

"Inter need more time to improve"
Inter Milan midfielder Esteban Cambiasso believes his side needs more time to improve, despite their 3-2 win over CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Champions League.

Rummenigge hails Bayern display
Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has praised his side's performance in their 2-0 Champions League win over Manchester City on Tuesday.

Mancini seeks to kick Tevez out
Roberto Mancini was enraged after Carlos Tevez refused to play in Man City's 2-0 loss to Bayern Munich in their UEFA Champions League clash.

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Wednesday 28th September 2011

Hamsik : Napoli must stay grounded

Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik has played down his side's 2-0 Champions League win over Villarreal on Tuesday.Group A: Napoli 2-0 Villarreal
The Slovakia international opened the scoring after just 14 minutes of the Group A match before the win was sealed by Edinson Cavani from the spot.

Speaking after the match, Hamsik was delighted with the victory - but has urged his side to stay grounded.

"We are very happy, Napoli have not played in this competition for many years," Hamsik told Sky Sport Italia after the game.

"We are very strong, but we must not get carried away with this win.

"Only with the right determination can we continue doing well.

"For now we have done nothing as there are still four games left to play."

Bayern Munich beat Manchester City 2-0 in the other Group A clash, meaning the Germans are top of the table followed by Napoli, who they play on Matchday Three.

Marek Hamsik · Sep 28, 2011

Wednesday 28th September 2011

Focus will be key for European clashes

With qualification to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League at stake, several sides will have to maintain their focus for all three points.

Chelsea new boy Juan Mata will find himself at his old stomping grounds against Valencia, while Arsenal and Marseille will hope to hold their nerves in order to notch up three crucial points in their Champions League group fixtures. Zenit, on the other hand, will be simply trying to break a Russian jinx against Porto. ESPNSTAR.com takes a closer look at all the clashes happening on Wednesday night.

Group E

After just leaving Valencia for Chelsea barely a month ago, Mata will find himself back at his old stomping grounds at the Mestalla, as the Blues look to continue their winning run over the La Liga side, having last triumphed 2-1 in the 2007/2008 group stages of the same competition.

The Spaniard will have fond memories of his former employers, having scored 45 goals in 172 appearances, but will be wary of being overly sentimental as Valencia are in fine form themselves, having won all three of their La Liga fixtures this season thus far.

They will be equally wary of Juan Mata, being aware of his qualities, as well as how well he has adapted to life in London since his move, as the star scored in Chelsea's 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen just a fortnight ago.

Bayer themselves have lost their last three fixtures, and will hope to get that winning feeling back against Belgian side Genk. However, it won't be easy for the Germans, as under new Dutch manager Mario Been, Genk have shown an upside in form.

They will always draw strength from their last trip to Germany as the Belgians beat Borussia Dortmund 201 in their 2004 Intertoto Cup third round clash.

Valencia vs Chelsea

Bayer Leverkusen vs FC Genk

Group F

Both Arsenal and Marseille will be hoping to reverse their poor starts in their respective domestic seasons by winning in Europe. Of the two, Marseille will be more desperate to stop a slide that has left them bottom of Ligue 1 with three points, and no victories, from six games, which contrasted agaisnt their 1-0 victory over Olympiakos two weeks ago. They will face Borussia Dortmund, who have also lost their last two Bundesliga fixtures.

The Gunners on the other hand, will be hoping to grab first spot on the table by beating the Greek Super League champions, and will be relieved that Theo Walcott has been deemed fit to play after the Englishman was forced to hobble off in their 3-0 win over Bolton last weekend.

Olympiakos will feel confident in their own chances though, as they head to the Emirates on the back of a 100% start domestically, following a 3-2 victory over Ergotelis on Saturday.

The Gunners will certainly have to be wary of Belgian playmaker Kevin Mirallas, who many in Greece compare to Cristiano Ronaldo, and if Arsene Wenger's players fail to mark the dangerman out of the game, there could be more furrowed brows at the North London club yet again.

Arsenal vs Olympiakos

Marseille vs Borussia Dortmund

Group G

Zenit will be looking at trying make history in Portugal when they welcome Porto. No Russian side have ever managed to beat a Portuguese one in European club competition, which is a remarkable statistic.

The pressure will also be on Zenit in the aftermath of their shock 2-1 loss to APOEL in their last fixture, and Porto will be confident of their chances after having won all four of their last fixtures in Russia.

Zenit will be putting their hopes in Alexander Kerzhakov, who is currently joint-top scorer in the Russian league, and will hope to carry on their winning run after notching a 4-0 win over Tomsk that surged them to the top of their domestic league.

Home advantage could proved a huge factor for Shakhtar when they take on APOEL, as they beat both Roma and Arsenal in European competition last season, and they will be confident of their chances against the Cypriots.

Zenit St Petersburg vs Porto

Shakhtar Donetsk vs APOEL

Group H

On paper, the fixture between BATE and Barcelona is one of two sides in great form, as the Minsk Voblast side have gone unbeaten at home since April, and boast a record of scoring in all 16 games since.

However, their record against Spanish opposition is dismal, having lost 1-0 to Real Madrid and 2-0 to Villarreal previously. Of course, facing the European Champions will also present a further obstacle to continuing their run, as Pep Guardiola's men have recently curtailed a run of draws by beating Atletico Madrid 5-0 last weekend.

Despite having to contend with a the absence of Alexander Pato, AC Milan should still be relatively untroubled by the visit of Viktoria Plzen, though the Serie A side will be hoping to notch a convincing victory to quieten their naysayers, who have slammed their lacklustre start to Serie A which has left them languishing at 11th spot on the table. However, manager Massimiliano Allegri will have every confidence he can turn things around, especially after their 2-2 draw against Barcelona at the Nou Camp last fortnight.

BATE Borisov vs Barcelona

AC Milan vs Viktoria Plzen

Alexandre Pato · Sep 28, 2011

Champions League Preview: AC Milan - Viktoria Plzen

The Italian champions will look to make it two wins on the bounce when they welcome the title holders of Czech Republic to San Siro on Wednesday

AC Milan UEFA Champions League 2011 Squad Listing

Massimiliano Allegri's list of absentees have only marginally improved since the weekend, but he still is forced to contend with a depleted squad. Nevertheless, Alessandro Nesta returns in defense and Massimo Ambrosini looks set to feature for the champions, after the veteran midfielder made a full recovery from his shoulder injury.

However, the same cannot be said for suspended Gennaro Gattuso and injured quartet Robinho, Alexandre Pato, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Mathieu Flamini, but there is slight hope for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who could feature in some capacity. A tactical change is also likely, as it seems that Stephan El Shaarawy will be dropped to accommodate the incoming Ambrosini, and see Aquilani pushed forward in a 4-3-2-1.

Milan's Brazil forward Alexandre Pato is out for a month with a thigh injury while Robinho (toe), Kevin-Prince Boateng (hip) and Philippe Mexès (knee) are also unavailable to coach Massimiliano Allegri. But Allegri is hopeful Zlatan Ibrahimovic will recover from a thigh problem in time. There is also a chance Daniele Bonera may also return, from a bruised rib.

For Pavel Urba's visiting outfit, they have only goalkeeper Roman Pavlik as its main injury worry, but the arrival of fellow shot-stopper Marek Cech during the summer seems to have softened the blow. Plzen are set to name an unchanged side from their 0-0 draw at the weekend against Ceske Budejovice, with a 4-2-3-1 system ready to be deployed that has also served them well during its qualifying campaign for the tournament over the summer.

MATCH FACTS

AC Milan has won only two of their last 14 Champions League matches.

It has lost five of its last nine home games in the Champions League, keeping a clean sheet just once.

However, the Rossoneri have won all of their four home games against Czech clubs in Europe.

The only Czech side to beat AC Milan were Slovan Liberec back in the 2002-03 edition of the competition.

Czech teams have conceded 11 goals in four trips to Italy since the inception of the Champions League.

This will be the first competitive meeting between AC Milan and Viktoria Plzen.

Plzen is unbeaten in its last five games and seven European fixtures, while losing just twice in 16 matches this season.

ballsathome · Sep 29, 2011

F.Inzaghi · Sep 29, 2011

Mesut Özil · Oct 9, 2011

Friday 7th October 2011

"Arsenal not reliant on Champs League"

Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis insists the Gunners would be able to compete with the top English clubs even if they miss out on income from the Champions League.

Arsenal earned £26million from Europe last season but have endured a poor start to this campaign and are 15th in the Premier League table.

They are rare in being a top-flight club which makes a profit, and Gazidis told the Leaders in Football conference Champions League football was important, but not essential to Arsenal as a business.

He said: "We would rather qualify for it but we have a really sustainable model that can cope without it. Not just cope, but we can do well and compete.

"It would be very foolish to build a business model that relied on being in the Champions League for perpetuity and I don't think any clubs do that and, if they do, then they probably aren't being run as responsibly as they should be.

"Every club has the temptation to think that money is the answer to issues and 'if we only spend just a little bit more, it would push us over the top of a curve', and that is what drives the cycle of spending that you see in the game and that is not by any means always what is successful, actually.

"It is tempting to think that it is. It relieves pressure for a while but actually builds long-term pressure in other ways. We will continue to act with discipline to make sure we have got a good short-term and long-term future."

Gazidis also said Arsenal would be able to compete with the likes of Chelsea and the Manchester clubs in terms of player wages.

He added: "We don't have a salary ceiling. I don't know where that story comes from.

We have a very sophisticated business model that looks at what we need to do to compete today and what we need to do to compete next year and five years from now.

"I'm comfortable we will be able to be competitive in whatever environment is created.

"We are not looking for credit for being a self-sustaining club. I do think it is the right model for us.

"It gives us stability and the ability to look forward with confidence without worrying too much about the ups and downs, the competitive cycle or the economic cycle."

Gazidis refused to be drawn on whether talks had taken place with captain Robin van Persie on a new deal - his current contract expires in 2013.

"I'm not going to comment on Robin," he said.

Mesut Özil · Oct 9, 2011

Friday 7th October 2011

"AVB can deliver Champs League"

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck hopes Andre-Villas Boas can deliver the Champions League trophy that Roman Abramovich craves in the next four years.

Chelsea have won seven major competitions since Abramovich bought the west London club eight years ago, but the one trophy that has eluded the Russian billionaire is the Champions League.

The closest the Blues have come to lifting the biggest club competition in Europe was in 2008 when they lost to Manchester United in the final in Moscow on penalties.

Abramovich has gone through six managers trying to win the competition but there were indications from the Chelsea hierarchy they firmly believe Villas-Boas, 33, is the man to succeed where his predecessors have failed.

Buck said: "In three or four years' time, we expect to have a 36-year-old manager who's been with us for four years, we expect to have won a couple of trophies - preferably a big one in Europe - and of course we hope and expect to have a contented fan base, a contented board and a contented Mr Abramovich."

As well as his desire to win the Champions League, Abramovich is thought to be keen to own a team devoted to playing attractive football.

Sometimes winning trophies and playing good football do not go hand in hand, but Buck thinks it is possible.

"It's other people who say you cannot win trophies while you are developing your creativity," Buck add.

"We don't agree with that. It might take time, it might not. Why are we here but to have a successful football club?"

Buck spoke openly at the Leaders in Football conference about the possibility Chelsea may leave Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have offered to buy back the 12,000 Stamford Bridge shares owned by Chelsea Pitch Owners (CPO) so they can negotiate a potential deal for a new stadium in London.

The CPO shareholders will vote on whether to sell their shares on October 27, but the plan has already drawn strong criticism from some fans, who say they should not agree to sell their shares without knowing exactly where Chelsea could relocate.

Buck moved to address those concerns by saying: "Plenty of developers have come to us about various sites around London but they won't negotiate with us if they don't know for certain whether we can come to a deal.

"Therefore we have come to the view that if someone comes along with a proposal, and it makes sense to us, and that we want to negotiate a deal with them, we want to be able to negotiate with them and the current structure does not permit us to do that."

Mesut Özil · Oct 17, 2011

Milner eyes crucial Villarreal win
Manchester City midfielder James Milner is steeling himself for a huge week ahead.

Arsenal sweat on Gibbs, Ramsey
Arsenal's injury problems deepened ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash with Marseille as Kieran Gibbs and Aaron Ramsey joined their lengthy absentee list.

United primed for Romanian test
Rio Ferdinand is confident Manchester United will get their Champions League campaign back on track in Romania on Tuesday.

Mourinho eyes special history
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is confident he can win a third UEFA Champions League title with his third team - Real Madrid.

"Mourinho will never join Barca"

Aguero to recover for Villarreal clash
Manchester City fans will be cheered by the news that Sergio Aguero will be fit in time to play in their crunch UEFA Champions League game against Villarreal.

Mesut Özil · Oct 17, 2011

Samuel out for two weeks

16 October 2011

Inter Milan have been dealt a blow ahead of Tuesday's Champions League tie against Lille, with Walter Samuel will unavailable due to injury.

The centre back suffered the injury, to the flexor muscle in his right leg, during Inter's 2-1 Serie A loss to Catania on Saturday.

The 33-year-old underwent tests at the San Matteo Polyclinic after suffering pain in the rear of his leg in the match in Sicily, and he is expected to miss around two weeks.

That rules Samuel out of beleaguered boss Claudio Ranieri's squad for Tuesday's trip to Lille.

Inter sit second in Champions League Group B, one point behind Turkish leaders Trabzonspor.

Mesut Özil · Oct 17, 2011

Sneijder ready to resume

17 October 2011

Inter Milan coach Claudio Ranieri has received some good news, with Dutchman Wesley Sneijder making a return to full fitness.

The Netherlands international picked up a thigh injury ahead of his side's win over Bologna on September 24 and has been out of action since.

But the 24-year-old resumed full training last week, and could now feature in Inter's crunch Champions League trip to French champions Lille on Tuesday.

Sneijder sat out Inter's 2-1 loss to Catania on Saturday, but has been named in the squad for the clash at Lille's Stadium Nord Lille Metropole.

Inter sit second in Group B of the Champions League with three points from two games, one behind Turkish leaders Trabzonspor and one ahead of Lille.

Mesut Özil · Oct 17, 2011

Mesut Özil · Oct 17, 2011

Ferdinand left out of United squad

17 October 2011

Rio Ferdinand has not been named in Manchester United's squad to face Otelul Galati in Tuesday's Champions League clash in Romania.

The centre-back completed 90 minutes in Saturday's Premier League match with Liverpool with no sign of injury, but Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans and Nemanja Vidic will be the options at the heart of defence in the forthcoming Group C encounter.

Ferdinand was previously left out for United's first Champions League away fixture this season against Benfica as a precautionary measure, with the England international having suffered a hamstring injury in their opening Premier League game against West Brom.

Midfielder Tom Cleverley, who recently signed a new four-year contract with the Red Devils, is yet to return from his ankle injury.

Manchester United squad: Amos, De Gea, Lindegaard; Evans, Evra, Fabio, Jones, Smalling, Vidic; Anderson, Carrick, Fletcher, Giggs, Nani, Park, Young, Valencia; Berbatov, Diouf, Hernandez, Owen, Rooney, Welbeck

Mesut Özil · Oct 17, 2011

Champions League Group A preview: City playing catch-up

17 October 2011

Manchester City welcome La Liga outfit Villarreal in a vital Group A clash in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Roberto Mancini's team are two points clear at the top of the English Premier League, but they are yet to produce the same form in European competition this term.

After settling for a 1-1 draw at home to Napoli, they suffered a 2-0 loss at Bayern Munich in a game best remembered for Carlos Tevez's alleged refusal to come on as a substitute.

The meeting with Villarreal shapes as one Mancini's team must take three points from.

The Spaniards are yet to collect a point in Group A and are sitting in a lowly 13th in La Liga, winless since a 2-0 victory over Mallorca on September 20.

City rested midfielder Samir Nasri and striker Edin Dzeko in a 4-1 thrashing of Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday.

In-form playmaker David Silva came on as a 65th-minute substitute, while forward Sergio Aguero, who is recovering from an adductor strain, was not risked ahead of the meeting with Villarreal.

While Mancini has a quality squad at his disposal, Villarreal boss Juan Carlos Garrido will be without Brazilian forward Nilmar, who has recently undergone knee surgery.

Italian Giuseppe Rossi will still pose a threat to the City defence, but they will be confident of collecting three points if they can contain him.

In the group's other game, leaders Bayern Munich travel to Italy to take on Napoli.

Walter Mazzarri's team suffered a 2-1 loss against Parma in the Serie A but will go top of the group if they can beat the Bavarian giants at Stadio San Paolo.

It will be a tough task against Jupp Heynckes' in-form team, who have striker Mario Gomez finding the net regularly.

Bayern are unbeaten in their last 12 matches in all competitions, have not conceded a goal in 1108 minutes, while scoring 32 in the same period.

In his last nine matches, including internationals, Gomez has scored 13 times.

Mesut Özil · Oct 17, 2011

Champions League Group B preview: Inter seek season kickstart

17 October 2011

Inter Milan will look to get their season back on track when they travel to take on Lille in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The Serie A giants continued to struggle in their league campaign, falling 2-1 at Catania on Saturday and slipping to 17th on the table.

While they have struggled in the league, Inter sit second in Group B thanks to their 3-2 win over CSKA Moscow last month.

That came after a shock 1-0 loss at home to Turkish side Trabzonspor, six days after they had sacked manager Gian Piero Gasperini.

Claudio Ranieri's reign has started slowly but he will be keen to ensure they progress from the group stages.

Argentine striker Diego Milito has scored just once in his last six outings, and he will need to start finding the net if Inter are to resurrect their poor start.

With Giampaolo Pazzini also struggling, Ranieri could hand Mauro Zarate a start in France.

Lille's confidence has continued to grow and the Ligue 1 champions moved into fourth after a 3-1 win over Auxerre on Saturday.

Belgian attacker Eden Hazard, who has reportedly caught the eye of Spanish giants Real Madrid, will need to play a key role if Lille are to come away with a positive result.

Striker Moussa Sow has also been in form up front, netting in his last two outings, while former Liverpool attacker Joe Cole is also likely to threaten.

Lille need a result after picking up consecutive draws, while Inter may settle for a point with two of their last three games at home.

In the other game, CSKA Moscow host an in-form Trabzonspor who are surprise leaders in Group B.

CSKA sit second in the Russian Premier League despite playing out two draws since their loss to Inter, and they will need to make the most of their home ground advantage against a Trabzonspor team that is unbeaten in their last five outings.

Mesut Özil · Oct 17, 2011

Champions League Group C preview: United still chasing first win

17 October 2011

Manchester United go in search of their first victory in Champions League Group C when they travel to Romania to take on Otelul Galati on Tuesday.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side have made a mediocre start to their campaign, battling to two draws from their first two group matches.

Ferguson took no chances at the weekend as he rested Wayne Rooney, Nani and Javier Hernandez in the first half of United's Premier League clash with Liverpool at Anfield.

Currently third in the group after snatching a 1-1 draw against Benfica and a 3-3 draw with FC Basel thanks to Ashley Young's 90th-minute equaliser, Ferguson is determined to get all three points in Romania.

And if history is anything to go by, United could well be lifting the trophy next May as the last time they failed to win either of their first two group games was in 1998-99 when they won the Champions League.

Tournament debutants Otelul Galati have lost both matches so far in Group C and coach Dorinel Munteanu will be steeling his troops for a tough fight on Tuesday in what will be their first encounter with an English team.

The other clash pits joint leaders in Group C against each other, with Swiss champions FC Basel hosting Portuguese giants Benfica.

Both sides have beaten Otelul Galati and drawn with Manchester United in their opening two matches of the campaign, and a win on Tuesday for either team will put them clear on top of the group.

Fabian Frei has been on fire for Basel, scoring in both games so far.

The 20-year-old Swiss international has been a constant threat on the right and his chemistry with striker Alexander Frei has led to the majority of Basel's goals this season in the Champions League.

Former Barcelona winger Manuel Agudo Duran ran Manchester United ragged in Benfica's 1-1 draw at home against the Premier League champions.

With Pablo Aimar pulling the strings in midfield and Paraguayan striker Oscar Cardozo in good scoring form, this one is expected to go down to the wire.

Mesut Özil · Oct 17, 2011

Champions League Group D preview: Old foes to meet again

17 October 2011

Familiarity will not be a problem for either side when Real Madrid play host to Lyon in Champions League Group D at the Bernabeu.

The teams will come face to face in the tournament for the third season in a row on Tuesday, as Madrid coach Jose Mourinho attempts to sew up qualification to the next stage.

The Spanish giants have maximum points from their opening two games - a 1-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb and a 3-0 thumping of Ajax Amsterdam seeing them on top of the group.

Cristiano Ronaldo has continued his imperious form this season, and with Gonzalo Higuain scoring a hat-trick against Real Betis in La Liga at the weekend, Mourinho will have his best strikers at his disposal against Lyon.

The French side, who are second in Group D with four points after a 2-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb, face an uphill task at the Bernabeu.

Former Arsenal midfielder Remi Garde will be looking to strikers Bafetimbi Gomis and Bakary Kone to add to the scoresheet against the nine-time European champions.

Meanwhile, Dutch champions Ajax are pinning their qualification hopes on a win in Croatia as they play away against Dinamo Zagreb.

After a goalless opening draw against Lyon, a 3-0 hammering by Real Madrid at the Bernabeu has left Ajax's qualification hopes hanging by a thread.

But they will take confidence from their recent record against Dinamo Zagreb, having never lost nor conceded a goal against the Croatian champions.

They will have to do it, however, without striker Kolbeinn Sigthorsson, who will miss the remainder of the Champions League campaign with a stress fracture in his right ankle.

The 21-year-old has scored five goals in eight Eredivisie games since signing from AZ Alkmaar in the summer.

Ajax are currently third in the group, five points behind Real Madrid and three behind Lyon.

Shinji Kagawa · Oct 17, 2011

Klopp not panicking over UCL hopes

17 October 2011

Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp has stressed that the German title holders can still qualify from Group F of the Champions League.

Dortmund were held to a 1-1 draw by Arsenal in their opening game before they were beaten 3-0 by Marseille on matchday two.

As a result, they desperately need to secure a positive result in Wednesday's away match against Olympiakos in order to keep their hopes of advancing alive.

Nevertheless, Klopp feels that even if Dortmund fail to make it to the next round, they will still have enjoyed the experience of playing Champions League football.

"We can survive the group. There are no guarantees, but the chance is there for us to progress," Klopp told the official Uefa website.

"All doors are open, and we're ready for it all. If we get through this group, we'll have to wait for the draw and see what's possible."

"Worst case scenario, we'll enjoy the experience, take the money and focus on the Bundesliga."

Dortmund meet Olympiakos in Athens on Wednesday, before hosting the Greek side two weeks later on matchday four.

Mesut Özil · Oct 18, 2011

Ya ya ya.. until you rediscover your form and bounce back, we don't know when your current losing form will stop. I will have better luck in putting my $ on other teams than yours. :biggrin:

Ranieri firmly focused on Lille

18 October 2011

Inter coach Claudio Ranieri has stressed the upcoming Champions League fixture at Lille is a must-win game for his side.

The Coppa Italia holders are under heavy pressure after domestic defeats to Napoli and Catania raised doubts about the new coach's capabilities to revive the team following a dismal start to the season.

Inter are second in Group B with one victory from two games and Ranieri highlighted the importance of their trip to France.

"(Tuesday's) game against Lille will be important," Ranieri said. "We will face a good team, with great players."

"We will try to play smart and we will obviously do everything to win."

Although Inter are 17th in Serie A, Ranieri stated his sole focus right now is on Tuesday's game against the French champions.

"I am not thinking about our position in the league," he said. "The president believes in this team and he thinks we will soon get out of this moment."

Ranieri then admitted that the latest string of negative results has taken its toll on the players' morale, but said he still had full confidence in his men.

"I do not think this team is afraid," he said. "Although naturally confidence drops a little when results are not going your way."

"But we are not in freefall. This is a bout of bad weather but it will pass."

Mesut Özil · Oct 18, 2011

Bayern expecting tough exam in Naples

18 October 2011

Bayern Munich stars Bastian Schweinsteiger and Franck Ribery are expecting a tough test from Napoli in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Jupp Heynckes' side has been in outstanding form this season, winning 11 of their last 12 games - a run in which the German giants haven't conceded a single goal.

Bayern top Group A after two games, having beaten both Villarreal and Manchester City 2-0.

But the Germans will be under no illusions of the task they face in Naples, with Napoli unbeaten in nine games in European competition at the San Paolo.

"I think we're all on top form at the moment. Of course we need to forget the game against Hertha Berlin on Saturday," Ribery said.

"This is a completely different competition, a completely different level. Tomorrow night's game in Naples is going to be tough, but I think we can win, and I hope that we can get a good result."

Ribery is enjoying playing under Heynckes and hopes the experienced German will sign an extension to his contract, which is due to end in 2013.

"I'm really hopeful for him and his time at the club," he said.

"He's done good work so far. I hope that I can work with him for a long time. We must win trophies, and I hope we can do that."

The Bavarians will be without Dutch winger Arjen Robben for the game - he's sidelined through injury.

But Heynckes will again be able to look to the likes of star midfielder Ribery, influential playmaker Schweinsteiger and striker Mario Gomez for inspiration.

Gomez, who's scored 15 goals in 11 games for club and country this season, is the joint top goalscorer in the Champions League having found the net three times.

"I think that we're a real attacking threat at the moment, and we want to show that, but it's more important that we're solid at the back and keep a clean sheet," Schweinsteiger said.

"Tomorrow will be tricky in Naples. They have a lot of decent players going forward, so we will need to prove that we're strong at the back."

"We shouldn't be afraid. We're in good form but we need to turn up tomorrow and play well because we're taking on a side who are going to give everything."

Mesut Özil · Oct 18, 2011

Badstuber: ´Napoli are a hard nut to crack´

18 October 2011

Bayern Munich defenders Holger Badstuber and Philipp Lahm agree Tuesday's trip to Napoli will be a massive challenge for their side.

The Bavarian giants lead Napoli by two points in Champions League Group A and a victory at the Stadio San Paolo would go a long way to ensuring their path into the knockout stages.

Napoli have been in good form in the early part of this season, particularly at home, but Badstuber is confident his team can earn a positive result if they play to their potential.

"They are very unpleasant to play against and have had a very good start to the season, even if they lost to Parma on the weekend," Badstuber told Bayern's official website.

"They will fight until they drop and will be urged on by the crowd to give their best performance. Champions League games are always a highlight."

"Napoli are a hard nut to crack, we expect a heated atmosphere. This game will live on in memory, I'm sure."

The defender also praised Napoli striker Edinson Cavani, but made note that his team will not be focused too closely on one man.

"(Cavani) is very good, but we must not only focus on him and have to impose our own game. If we do that and take control, we will play a good match," he said.

Finally, Badstuber reflected upon the marked improvement in his form in recent months.

Last season he was subject to constant scrutiny, but this year he has put his best foot forward as Bayern have conceded just one goal in their first 14 matches in all competitions.

"It was a difficult time for me, after a great first year I learned the flip side of professional football," he said.

"Now I know how I must deal with the media, as they sometimes can get to one's head. I have learned from this. I'm glad that now I am bringing my best performances from week to week."

Bayern are undefeated in their last 12 matches, a streak which includes group stage wins over Manchester City and Villarreal, and captain Lahm wants to ensure that streak continues.

"We want to keep up our current form. We are travelling to Naples in order to win our third game of the group stage," Lahm told SID.

"It is crucial to record good results in the Champions League. What happens there is what gets noticed by the other teams."

UEFA Champions League 2011/2012

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