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UEFA Champions League 2011/2012

Mesut Özil

Alfrescian (Inf)
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Mourinho cagey on strike duo

18 October 2011

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Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho refused to rule out playing Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema together in their Champions League match with Lyon.

Higuain has made the most of his call up to Madrid's line-up following Benzema's hamstring injury and the Argentina international has scored a hat-trick in each of the club's last two games.

The former River Plate star's scintillating form has led to suggestions he may start against Lyon in Group D on Tuesday, despite Benzema having fully recovered from his injury.

Mourinho was non-committal when asked about his strategy for Tuesday's game at the Bernabeu, and reminded the press how Higuain's qualities were being questioned recently.

"Two weeks ago, it was said Higuain was bad and it was asked why we did not sign (Sergio) Aguero, and today everything is different," Mourinho said.

"Benzema is fine, he is not injured and it is possible to play with both at the same time."

"Higuain and Benzema and very different, but if I tell you who will play, your debate will be over, so it is best to wait for tomorrow."

The Portuguese coach said he is anticipating a difficult match against the French giants.

"I have been facing them for several years, since my time at Porto.

Since then, they have changed coaches and players, but they remain a serious team, very good tactically and in set pieces," he said.

"Their principles have not changed and that is why they are always in the Champions League, year after year, reaching the quarter-finals and the semi-finals."

Mourinho went on to reject suggestions Real approach their games too defensively.

"We have always had an offensive team, but I also want us to be balanced, to play well and win every match, although it is obvious you cannot win them all," he said.

"I do not want a team with a defensive mindset. It is normal that teams improve because of hard work, and our expectation is to be stronger than last year, but it is not easy because we were good last year."

"But we want to be better."

 

Mesut Özil

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset

So many OG ! (own goal). And Bayern Munich's record of not conceding a goal was broken by their own defender.
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Napoli's De Sanctis saved a penalty kick from tap-in flop Gomez.
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Man of the match for Napoli : De Sanctis
Man of the match for Bayern Munich : Frank Ribery (booked for diving in the penalty box)
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Mesut Özil

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset

Allegri coy on Pato

19 October 2011

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AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri is yet to rule out Alexandre Pato for Wednesday’s Champions League clash with BATE Borisov.

Pato has been out of action for four weeks with a thigh complaint sustained in last month’s 1-1 draw with Udinese.

The Brazilian striker is now approaching full fitness, but Allegri is reluctant to risk him at San Siro unless he is 100 per cent ready.

"Pato is much better, but it is a situation which has to be assessed day by day, and with injuries like this it’s better to be careful," he told the club's official website.

Allegri did confirm that Mark van Bommel is available for selection but that Massimo Ambrosini will not feature.

There are also ongoing doubts over the participation of Clarence Seedorf and Thiago Silva.

"I'll have to evaluate training (on Tuesday)," he mused.

"Seedorf has not trained with the rest of the squad for the past two days, Thiago Silva did not train (on Monday), Van Bommel's fine, but I do not think Ambrosini will be fit."

Allegri confirmed that Antonio Cassano will start, with the enigmatic Italian international currently in great form. "Antonio is doing very well," the Milan tactician said.

"He is in excellent physical condition and is working hard even when the team needs to retrieve the ball, and it makes me very happy."

Allegri has also been buoyed by the way in which his side responded to their tame capitulation at the hands of Juventus just before the international break, in routing Palermo 3-0 at San Siro on Saturday.

"Milan messed up in Turin. Saturday was a match of real intensity, quality and great technique in attack and, above all, defence," he said.

"It may be that Saturday’s game kick-starts our season: we had a good win and now we will have a crucial month in terms of the Champions League and Serie A."

However, despite his renewed optimism, Allegri is not underestimating the threat posed by their opponents on Wednesday night.

"Tomorrow we will face a team that will take away space, which defends in an organised fashion. They're young and in good shape."

"We must play with respect, strength and great technique. We start as usual from 0-0, so we need to play a great game.

Otherwise, like against Viktoria Plzen, we will give away 10-12 shots on goal: this cannot happen tomorrow."

 
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Mesut Özil

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset

Champions League Group A wrap: City toil for first win

19 October 2011

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A last-gasp Sergio Aguero strike gave Manchester City a hard-fought 2-1 win over Villarreal in Group A of the Champions League on Tuesday.
Spanish midfielder Cani shocked the hosts at Etihad Stadium by striking in the fourth minute, but a Carlos Marchena own goal just before half-time restored parity, before substitute Aguero snuck home the winner.

City, seeking their first win in of their European campaign, saw their plans go astray from the outset in Manchester.

A Giuseppe Rossi shot was parried by goalkeeper Joe Hart, allowing Cani to slot an easy opener for Villarreal.

Aleksandar Kolarov was proving threatening to the Villarreal defence, crossing for Samir Nasri to volley over before testing Diego Lopez with a curling free-kick.

He set up City's equaliser after overlapping down the left, with defender Marchena diverting the Serbian's cross into his own net as striker Edin Dzeko waited for a tap in.

City could have taken the lead immediately after the interval as Dzeko was denied by Lopez, while the La Liga side's lone striker, Rossi, hit a shot into the side netting and had another effort saved by Hart.

City fans thought they had found the elusive second goal when Kolarov smashed another free-kick, but his powerful effort hit the side netting.

Dzeko missed an excellent chance soon after, heading a cross from the left wide with five minutes left. But in the final seconds, Villarreal hearts were broken.

James Milner, fresh from the bench, squeezed a fine reverse pass through to Dzeko, who crossed low into the box and Aguero, lurking at the back post, tapped in a dramatic late winner.

In Italy, Bayern Munich's long run without conceding a goal came to an end in a 1-1 draw against Serie A outfit Napoli.

Toni Kroos had given the visitors a lead in the second minute, but Holger Badstuber's own goal ended goalkeeper Manuel Neuer's streak without conceding a goal at 1147 minutes.

Mario Gomez's second-half penalty could have won the match for the Bundesliga giants, but his tame effort was saved by Morgan De Sanctis, and both sides were forced to settle for a share of the spoils.

 

Mesut Özil

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset

Champions League Group B wrap: Inter move top

19 October 2011

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Inter Milan moved to the top of Champions League Group B after a 1-0 win over Lille on Tuesday, as CSKA Moscow went into second.

Inter's Giampaolo Pazzini scored what turned out to be the winning goal with a well-executed volley midway through the first half, stopping his side's recent bad run that saw them suffer two consecutive league defeats.

The victory moves Claudio Ranieri's team onto six points, two clear of both CSKA Moscow and Trabzonspor after the Russian side secured a 3-0 victory over their Turkish opponents.

Inter soaked up the early pressure before hitting Lille with a sucker-punch, taking the lead in the 22nd minute.

Returning Dutchman Wesley Sneijder, who had been out injured for over three weeks, was the architect, working a neat exchange with Pazzini before dissecting the Lille rearguard with an incisive through ball for Mauro Zarate.

The Argentine clipped a cross back towards the penalty spot, where Pazzini arrived to thrash a volley past Vincent Enyeama to open the scoring.

Lille struggled to break down the Inter defence as Eden Hazard and Joe Cole failed to find a way behind.

The Ligue 1 side looked more threatening after the interval, but all they had to show for their efforts were Moussa Sow's deflected strike and Dimitri Payet's curling attempt, both forcing solid saves from Julio Cesar.

In the earlier kick-off, a superb double from Seydou Doumbia gave CSKA Moscow a convincing 3-0 win over Trabzonspor.

A volley from Aleksandrs Cauna sealed the win for Leonid Slutsky's men, and condemned the Turkish visitors to their first loss of the campaign.

Trabzonspor thought they had gone ahead when Poland international Adrian Mierzejewski slotted past Vladimir Gabulov, but his goal was ruled out after being judged offside.

The game turned from that moment as CSKA Moscow opened the scoring from the resulting free-kick.

The Russian side played the clearance long, and Doumbia smashed in from 12 yards after being fed by Vagner Love.

With a quarter of an hour to play, Doumbia became the creator.

The Ivorian sprayed the ball out wide for Love, who crossed early for substitute Aleksandrs Cauna to make it 2-0.

Doumbia completed his brace when he turned marker Giray Kacar inside out and put in his 18-yard effort to celebrate a superb double.

 

Mesut Özil

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset

Champions League Group C wrap: Rooney fires United

19 October 2011

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Manchester United edged Otelul Galati 2-0 in a tight Champions League Group C encounter, while Benfica also won on Tuesday.

A brace of penalties from Wayne Rooney gave United their first win of the group stage, while captain Nemanja Vidic and the home side's Milan Perendija were sent off in Bucharest.

Sir Alex Ferguson's team looked off the pace in the first half but the game turned in their favour just after the hour mark.

Moments after Rooney had put a good chance wide, he earned United a clear-cut penalty.

After being put through by Nani, Rooney attempted a cross to strike partner Javier Hernandez, but defender Sergiu Costin stopped the pass with his hand.

Rooney coolly dispatched the penalty, sending goalkeeper Branko Grahovac the wrong way to put United in the lead.

But minutes later Vidic became the centre of attention, as he was harshly sent off for a high tackle on Gabriel Giurgiu.

The United captain produced an untidy rather than malicious tackle and a yellow card would have sufficed.

The numbers were even with five minutes to go as Perendija was booked for a second time after dragging down Hernandez.

Nani came close to making sure of the result two minutes later, but his 25-yard shot struck the inside of the post and bounced to safety.

But in stoppage time, Rooney made sure of the points as he earned a second penalty and brushed himself off before firing in his second goal from the spot.

Meanwhile, Benfica moved top of the group with a hard-fought 2-0 win at Basel.

Brazilian attacker Bruno Cesar gave them a 20th-minute lead at St Jakob-Park, before Paraguayan Oscar Cardozo, coming off the bench, sealed the points with a strike a quarter of an hour from the end.

The visitors were reduced to 10 men with five minutes to play when Brazilian Emerson picked up his second yellow card, but they held on for their second win of the campaign.

 

Mesut Özil

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset

Champions League Group D wrap: Real continue dominance

19 October 2011


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Real Madrid maintained their perfect record in the Champions League with a 4-0 win over Lyon in Group D, while Ajax also won on Tuesday.

La Liga giants Real recorded a comfortable win at the Santiago Bernabeu thanks to goals from Karim Benzema, Sami Khedira and Sergio Ramos, as well as a Hugo Lloris own goal.

Portuguese tactician Jose Mourinho started Benzema ahead of Gonzalo Higuain and the Frenchman repaid the faith with a fine finish after 18 minutes.

Cristiano Ronaldo flicked on Mesut Oezil's corner to the far post where Benzema was on hand to divert the ball into an empty net.

Lyon began to force their way into the match and striker Bafetimbi Gomis expertly powered the ball home, only for his effort to be correctly ruled offside.

Benzema thought he had a brace when he was on hand to slip a quickly taken Xabi Alonso free kick past goalkeeper Lloris, only for the referee to demand the set piece be taken again.

Mourinho's men extended their lead two minutes into the second half when Benzema took advantage of Anthony Reveillere's slip before steadying himself and sliding the ball into the path of Khedira to score his maiden goal for Real.

Real made it three after Lyon failed to clear their lines, and Lloris diverted Ozil's effort in his own net.

It soon became four when Sergio Ramos controlled Kaka's corner before smashing home from 10 yards.

Lyon drop to third in the group after the loss, having collected four points, while Real are top with nine.

Ajax leapfrogged Lyon into second after recording a crucial 2-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb at Stadion Maksimir.

It took until the 49th minute for the Amsterdam club to break the deadlock through Derk Boerrigter, and Zagreb were unable to bounce back.

Christian Eriksen added a second in the 90th minute. Boerrigter capitalised after a pass from Miralem Sulejmani to open the scoring, netting into the far corner.

Danish playmaker Eriksen decided the match in the dying seconds as he calmly beat Ivan Kelava in a one-on-one after a counter-attack.

Zagreb sit last in the group standings and are yet to earn a point.

 

Mesut Özil

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset

Champions League Group E preview: Chelsea right at home
18 October 2011

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Chelsea can improve their already dominant position in Champions League Group E when they host lowly Genk in London on Wednesday.
The Blues have not lost a European group stage clash at Stamford Bridge in eight years, and the Belgian First Division champions would need a miracle to take all three points in their first fixture against English opposition in the tournament.

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has a positive recent history with Genk, having led former team Porto to a 7-2 aggregate defeat of the Belgian outfit in the Europa League playoff round last season.

The Londoners are also fresh off a drought-breaking 3-1 win in the Premier League over Everton - a side they had not conquered since the FA Cup final in 2009.

Genk, meanwhile, have lost their past three in all competitions, including a 2-0 defeat by Bayer Leverkusen in the group.

They managed to hold Valencia to a scoreless draw at home on matchday one, and manager Mario Been will be hoping for more of the same defensive stubbornness out of his XI.

In the other game in Group E, Leverkusen will aim to add to their defeat of Genk with another three points when they host Valencia at Bay Arena.

Robin Dutt's men are second in the group, one point above their La Liga opponents.

The Bundesliga side are unbeaten in three matches in all competitions, including a defiant 2-2 draw with 10 men away to Borussia Monchengladbach in the league at their last start.

Brazilian midfielder Renato Augusto - who played the full 90 minutes in the win over Genk - will miss after having knee surgery earlier this month.

Third-choice keeper Bernd Leno will get another chance on the European stage for Leverkusen, with injury still ruling out first-choice stopper Rene Adler and number two Fabian Giefer.

Turkish midfielder Mehmet Topal could make a return to the starting line-up for Valencia, after spending several weeks out with a shoulder injury.

Valencia will be hoping summer signing Sergio Canales or goal machine Roberto Soldado can score their first open-play goal in their European campaign, after they were lucky to scrape a 1-1 draw at home to Chelsea.

Soldado converted a fortunate spot-kick for an alleged foul on Salomon Kalou for handball, but replays suggested the Ivorian did not contact the ball at all as it came in from a corner.

Valencia, though, will take the point, but manager Unai Emery would be all too aware of the need to start scoring to set alight their fight for a top-two spot and a ticket to the knockout stages.

 

Mesut Özil

Alfrescian (Inf)
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Champions League Group F preview: Gunners target French scalp

18 October 2011

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Arsenal will be unfazed by a trip to Marseille for their Champions League Group F clash, having never lost away to a French club.

Didier Deschamps' Marseille sit top of the group with six points from two matches and are yet to concede a goal in the competition.

But they will be wary of an Arsenal team who reached the last 16 of the Champions League last season before falling to eventual winners Barcelona.

However, the Gunners' recent form is nothing to write home about, struggling in a 2-1 win over Sunderland in the Premier League at the weekend.

With Thomas Vermaelen out injured and Bacary Sagna's broken leg keeping him out until next year, manager Arsene Wenger then had to replace Kieran Gibbs with Andre Santos five minutes into the second half with stomach muscle inflammation.

Robin Van Persie's brace against Sunderland may have pulled Arsenal up to 10th in the league but it is their backline that may prove to be their undoing as they come up against the firepower of Ghanaian Andre Ayew and France international Loic Remy.

In the other Group F clash, Olympiakos and Borussia Dortmund meet for the first time in a competitive fixture.

The Greek champions are still without a point in last place, having lost narrowly to Arsenal on matchday two.

Coach Ernesto Valverde will be looking for a better performance on home soil but he will have to do it without talismanic Spanish midfielder David Fuster.

Borussia Dortmund snatched a 1-1 draw with the Gunners in their first match before crashing back to earth with a 3-0 loss to Marseille.

But Jurgen Klopp's team will fancy their chances against Olympiakos in what is shaping as an even match.

 

Mesut Özil

Alfrescian (Inf)
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Champions League Group G preview: Porto, Shakhtar aim to bounce back

18 October 2011

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Porto will enter their Champions League Group G clash with APOEL FC as warm favourites but will not be taking the surprise leaders lightly.

The two-time European champions meet the Cypriot team away as they look to bounce back from their defeat to Zenit St Petersburg.

Porto have not suffered back-to-back losses in Europe for three years.

After losing to 3-1 to Zenit following Jorge Fucil's sending off, Vitor Pereira's team will be looking for nothing less than a win against APOEL.

Brazilian striker Kleber who scored in Porto's 2-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk, has recovered from his shoulder injury and will expected to lead the line alongside fellow Brazilian strike partner Hulk.

Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk are also aiming to get their campaign back on track when they meet Zenit St Petersburg.

Quarter-finalists in the Champions League last season, Shakhtar Donetsk sit bottom of the group with just one point after a home draw with APOEL.

Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu will be desperate to jump-start their campaign with a home win at Donbass Arena, with the likes of former Corinthians midfielder Willian and former Arsenal frontman Eduardo looking to put their stamp on the occasion.

The two clubs were rivals in the old Soviet league but have not met since 1989.

The Russian side, led by former Roma coach Luciano Spalletti, will be counting on Portuguese striker Danny and Aleksandr Kerzhakov to spearhead Zenit's qualification challenge.

With his brace in their 3-1 over Porto lifting Zenit level on three points with the two-time Champions League winners, Roman Shirokov will be key to their hopes for qualification to the knockout stage.

 

Mesut Özil

Alfrescian (Inf)
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Champions League Group H preview: Barca, Milan aim to consolidate

18 October 2011

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Barcelona and AC Milan can move six points clear in the top two spots in Champions League Group H with victories on Wednesday.
The La Liga champions host Czech side Viktoria Plzen, while the Serie A outfit welcome BATE Borisov, the Belarusian champions.

The Catalans have had their fair share of injury worries early in the season and hampering them further will be the loss of centre-back Gerard Pique for two weeks to a hamstring injury.

Pique was substituted just nine minutes into their league clash with Racing Santander on Sunday, forcing Eric Abidal to play out the majority of the contest despite being under a fitness cloud himself.

It has been a while since Czech opposition have visited the Camp Nou - so much so, that current manager Pep Guardiola was on the scoresheet for Barcelona in a 5-0 victory over Sparta Prague in the 1999-2000 group stages.

Despite the result being a decade ago, Guardiola will be hoping for a similar scoreline as Barca look to go six points clear of the bottom two and move a step closer to the knockout stages.

Milan will have similar hopes as they prepare to welcome Borisov to the San Siro.

Borisov's domestic form has been steady as they have not lost in seven games, but the gulf in class between their home league and the Champions League was evidenced by Barcelona's 5-0 thrashing of them at their last start.

The Belarusians have experienced the pressure of playing Milan previously, going down 6-0 on aggregate in the UEFA Cup first round in 2001-02.

Featuring on the pitch that day were current coach Vikto Goncharenko and assistants Aleksandr Fedorovich and Aleksei Baga.

The only current-day player in the side that day was attacker Artem Kontsevoy.

Milan, however, will not be worried about history as they look to continue their form which has seen them win three of their past four.

Their home form in Champions League past seasons has been woeful, winning just one of eight in their two most recent campaigns before a 2-0 win over Plzen steadied the ship.

Brazilian striker Robinho returned to the Milan line-up in their 3-0 win over Palermo, adding a new dimension to their attack, and the former Santos and Manchester City star will be in contention to keep his spot under Massimiliano Allegri.

 

Mesut Özil

Alfrescian (Inf)
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Injury worries for Dortmund

19 October 2011

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Borussia Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp concedes his side have injury concerns ahead of their Champions League Group F clash with Olympiakos.

The German champions have just one point from two group games as their European campaign has been littered with upheaval after a loss to Marseille and a draw against Arsenal.

However, despite a great start to the Greek Super League season, Olympiakos have struggled in Europe and Klopp sees a window of opportunity to take advantage.

"It will be difficult but we're not bothered by Olympiakos' previous results against German opposition," Klopp told reporters ahead of Wednesday's clash.

"Dortmund have one point and Olympiakos have none."

Despite his confidence, the German coach said he had genuine concerns over how to approach the game as Lucas Barrios and Mohamed Zidan, leaving him with limited options in attack.

However, 23-year-old Polish striker Robert Lewandowski is fit and is expected to lead the attack in Greece.

"We only have one experienced forward. I can't look anywhere else and I'm worried ? I will field the players that are available," Klopp explained.

"However, we have to start winning points and remain in contention."

"In any case, tomorrow's match is not a final. We don't fear the atmosphere, we're used to it."

 

Mesut Özil

Alfrescian (Inf)
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Victory a must for Valencia

19 October 2011

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Valencia coach Unai Emery said his team are focused solely on beating Bayer Leverkusen in their Champions League clash on Wednesday.

The Spanish side are hoping to gain some ground on their Bundesliga opponents who are currently a point ahead of them in the Group E standings.

Emery has stressed the importance of the game and believes the Germans will be a fighting force for second place in the group behind Chelsea, who top the group ahead of their match against Genk.

"We still have four group matches to play. We think that Bayer Leverkusen will be our toughest competitors for second place," the coach is quoted as saying on uefa.com.

"Whoever is second after the two next matches are obviously favourites, but then there are two more games to be played."

"We must not forget that we have not won a single match so far. Tomorrow, we play to win, that's our only intention."

"We have to focus our energy on this single goal, we will have to reach our short-term goals."

Critics have questioned Valencia's ambitions after selling key players like Juan Mata to Chelsea in the off-season.

However, Emery believes the hunger in his squad is visible, and hopes the Champions League provides a window for them to display it.

"We are still in development. Players with a lot of international experience have left us, but now we have new hungry players who want to go as far as the generation before," Emery said.

"This is the chance tomorrow. But we also need patience and time and know that we have a lot of work to do."

"We have to remain stable in defence while at the same time improving our attack, there has to be a balance we still have to find."

"Players like (Juan) Mata are not here anymore; many people are at the beginning of this new road."

 

Mesut Özil

Alfrescian (Inf)
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BATE fear Milan power

19 October 2011

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BATE Borisov midfielder Renan Bressan fears Wednesday's Champions League clash against AC Milan could end with another thrashing.

The Belarus-based club were hammered 5-0 by the Spanish and European champions Barcelona last time out and Bressan admits his side have prepared well for their trip to San Siro after being taught a football lesson by the Spaniards.

However, any hopes of improving from defeat against Pep Guardiola's men are in short supply as the midfielder feels BATE's prowess may be thin on the ground.

"The difficulty of playing against AC Milan is equivalent to facing Barcelona," Bressan told uefa.com.

"It's emotional playing in Milan but we've already gained good experience in European competition."

"I'm confident about tomorrow, we'll do our best. The team is feeling good and we are fully motivated."

BATE are bottom of Group H with one point after their opening two matches.

 

Mesut Özil

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Torres touted to start against Genk

19 October 2011

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Chelsea boss Andre-Villas-Boas is poised to recall striker Fernando Torres for their Champions League Group E clash with Genk.

The Spaniard is currently serving a domestic suspension for a red card picked up against Swansea and has not played for the Blues since their 1-1 draw against Valencia last month, but Villas-Boas has confirmed Torres could start at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday after impressing in training.

"The decision over Fernando has been made - but I won't share it with you now," the former Porto boss said.

"What's most important is that he's been selected for the 18. He's been out for a long period, although he had some action for Spain to keep him in form for this period."

"Then we just have to make best decision possible. He's been good in training but everybody has been pretty good."

Chelsea will be without the in-form Ramires after Villas-Boas confirmed the Brazilian picked up a knock in their 3-1 win at home to Everton at the weekend and remains under a cloud for their visit to QPR at the weekend.

He added: "I think Ramires will be out of this game and the game on Sunday he’s a doubt. Although because it’s a four-day period to the next game there might be a 50 per cent chance of him making that."

Villas-Boas is confident whichever team he puts out will put on a good display as they look to secure three crucial points.

"The most important thing is that we are aware of the talent we have at our disposal. Any team is strong and any 18 we pick is strong," he said.

"That puts us in a position of comfort, to be able to ensure good rest and play periods and good relationships, thinking about the situations that might happen with regard to the QPR game."

"We got a draw in Valencia when we were in a position to win the game and wanted to win it."

"As a result, the group has become tight, only three points between all four teams, so anything can happen."

"At the moment it is an unpredictable situation so we want to cut that off by winning this game and put ourselves in better position.

This is a very important game. We are at home and we have to continue our responsibilities."

 

Mesut Özil

Alfrescian (Inf)
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Champions League Group E wrap: High five for Chelsea

20 October 2011

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Chelsea continued their strong start in the Champions League with a 5-0 victory over Genk as Fernando Torres hit a double on Wednesday.

Goals from Branislav Ivanovic, Raul Meireles and Salomon Kalou sealed a comfortable win for Andre Villas-Boas' team as they kept top spot in Group E.

It was a match in which Torres silenced his critics as he played with new-found confidence against the Belgian champions, looking like the man who was once considered one of the best strikers in the world.

He needed just seven minutes to have an impact, smashing the post after a Meireles through ball.

But the Portuguese midfielder opened the scoring soon after, hitting a cleanly struck 25-yard shot into the bottom corner.

A few minutes later, Torres finally netted after he was put through by Frank Lampard and finished calmly, slotting the ball past goalkeeper Laszlo Koteles.

Chelsea came agonisingly close to a third goal when Torres burst down the left flank and set up Florent Malouda, but the Frenchman failed to take advantage of the opportunity as he side-footed his shot inches wide.

The game was over after 30 minutes as Torres headed a Meireles cross past Koteles for his second goal.

Genk's Daniel Pudil picked up a yellow card for a foul on Nicolas Anelka, meaning he will miss the return match, and Chelsea took advantage of the free-kick.

Malouda put in a delightful cross and Ivanovic used his height to leap above his marker and head home to make it 4-0 before the interval.

Torres missed his hat-trick chance before the end after a Jose Bosingwa cross, but Kalou was on hand to net Chelsea's fifth.

Elsewhere, Bayer Leverkusen extended their advantage in second in the group after a come-from-behind 2-1 win at home to Valencia.

Brazilian forward Jonas had given the La Liga side a 24th-minute lead at BayArena, but two goals in the space of five second-half minutes gave Leverkusen a lead they would not relinquish.

Forward Andre Schuerrle levelled before a superb finish from Sidney Sam had them 2-1 up after 56 minutes, and the Bundesliga outfit held on to open up a four-point gap over third-placed Valencia.

 

Mesut Özil

Alfrescian (Inf)
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Champions League Group F wrap: Ramsey late show stuns OM

20 October 2011

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A stoppage-time winner from Aaron Ramsey has given Arsenal a 1-0 win over Marseille in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The Wales international struck in the second minute of additional time at the Stade Velodrome, sending Arsenal top of Group F on seven points.

Arsene Wenger's team started brightly and captain Robin van Persie went close to opening the scoring, but he headed Theo Walcott's cross harmlessly wide.

Marseille's delivery in the final third was poor as they wasted decent opportunities to put Arsenal's fragile defence under pressure, particularly from set-pieces.

The visitors nearly made the home side pay for their lack of cutting edge as Van Persie saw his goal-bound header cleared off the line by defender Souleymane Diawara after Mikel Arteta's corner.

Didier Deschamps' side were beginning to dial up the pressure on the Arsenal backline and Lucho Gonzalez came close to breaking the deadlock as he raced onto cross into the area, only to put his left foot shot wide.

Just after the hour mark Walcott had Arsenal's best chance when he was put through by Tomas Rosicky.

The England international managed to escape the attentions of defender Nicolas N'Koulou before firing an effort straight at goalkeeper Steve Mandanda, who made a decent stop.

Van Persie threatened for Arsenal late on but he was again denied by Mandanda as the Frenchman looked set to keep a clean sheet.

But it was Ramsey, a 78th-minute substitute, who had the final say, latching onto a through ball and placing it into the bottom corner to steal the points.

In the other game, Olympiakos secured a deserved 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund at Karaiskakis Stadium.

Jose Holebas, Rafik Djebbour and Francois Modesto scored for the hosts, who took full advantage of a poor display from the defending Bundesliga champions, who could only muster a Robert Lewandowski effort in reply.

 

Mesut Özil

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset

Champions League Group G wrap: APOEL hold Porto, stay top

20 October 2011

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Porto continue to struggle in the Champions League after a disappointing 1-1 draw to Group G rivals APOEL on Wednesday.

The Portuguese champions took the lead through the set-piece exploits of Brazilian striker Hulk early in the first half, but Ailton's vicious strike from distance ensured the Cypriot high-flyers returned to their native shores with a valuable point for their European campaign.

It was a cagey start to proceedings in Oporto, but the hosts retained much of the ball in the early stages as the best of the early opportunities fell to young forward Kleber, whose efforts from close range were impressively stopped by Dionisis Chiotis in the APOEL goal.

Soon enough, the overriding dominance of Porto was finally rewarded on 13 minutes, after Hulk curled in a direct free-kick from 25 yards, beating Chiotis at his near post.

However, the visiting team soon created their first worthwhile chance of the encounter, and it proved to be fruitful as Ailton smashed a rocket from range after shifting the ball onto his right foot and leaving Fernando for dead just 12 minutes later.

Porto remained in the hunt for the winning goal through Kleber, but APOEL did not budge in their attempts to resist Portuguese pressure.

The second half was more of the same in terms of intensity, with the yellow card tally beginning to pile up as both teams showcased their intent on gaining all three points in a heated manner.

Despite Porto possessing the upper hand on goal-bound attempts, it was the Cypriots who had the best chances to come out victorious, as late strikes from Constantinos Charalambides and substitute Aldo Adorno were whiskers away from proving to be the winners, but captain Helton continued to stand tall as both teams settle for a share of the spoils in Group G.

Meanwhile, Zenit St Petersburg twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with Shakhtar Donetsk at the Donbass Arena.

The Russian champions could have taken the lead in the 10th minute when Viktor Fayzulin was fouled by Dmytro Chygrynskiy inside the area. But Roman Shirokov could not beat Oleksandr Rybka from the spot, the keeper diving low to his left to push the ball away.

They were punished five minutes later, when Willian gave Shakhtar the lead with a sublime curling shot into the right-hand corner of the goal.

The Ukrainians were pegged back just after the half-hour mark, however. Roman Shirokov controlled a neat pass with his chest and knocked it past an oncoming Rykba from a tight angle.

Shakhtar then went in front again on the stroke of half-time. Ravzan Rat sent a low ball into the area and found Luiz Adriano, who, with his back to goal, turned and slotted the ball past Malafeev.

The home side came close to adding a third inside the first minute of the second half when Adriano almost got on the end of a Willian cross, but was denied by the Zenit defence. Three minutes later, captain Darijo Srna played a low ball to Jadson inside the area who blasted the ball high over the bar.

At the other end, Bukharov and Danny came close with attempts inside the opening 10 minutes after the break, but it was Fayzulin who drew the game level for the Russians on the hour mark with a well-taken lob over the helpless Rykba after Oleksandr Chyzhov lost the ball inside his own half.

The Russians almost won the game with five minutes to go, when first-half goalscorer Shirokov had a close-range shot blocked by some last-ditch defending from Oleksandr Kucher.

 

Mesut Özil

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset

Champions League Group H wrap: Barca, Milan stamp class

20 October 2011

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Barcelona kept top spot in Group H of the Champions League with a 2-0 win over Viktoria Plzen, while AC Milan also won on Wednesday.

The impressive Andres Iniesta gave the Catalans an early lead with a lovely goal and David Villa rounded off the scoring with a late second after the hosts had missed a series of chances at Nou Camp.

Pep Guardiola needed to wait just 10 minutes to see his side go ahead as Iniesta combined with Lionel Messi on the edge of the box, controlled with his right foot and slid a low shot into the corner.

The midfielder had returned from a hamstring injury on Saturday against Racing Santander and Barca looked a different team with him on the pitch.

Iniesta then set up Villa moments later, but the Spain striker shot wide.

Villa came close again later in the half with a trademark angled drive from distance which was just off target, while Messi came within a whisker of a second goal, but his effort was saved by Viktoria keeper Marek Cech.

Pedro then fired over from a rebound with an open goal to aim at and Messi hit the side netting before sending a free-kick against the woodwork on the stroke of half-time.

The Argentine forward was brilliant as the second half got underway, hitting the post again and almost scoring a wonder-goal as the visitors held on for dear life.

The 24-year-old was also brought down in the area with eight minutes left and the La Liga giants could have had a penalty, but it mattered little as Villa was on hand to sweep home the rebound.

AC Milan beat BATE Borisov 2-0 in the other match, meaning Barca remain top of Group H on goal difference.

The Serie A giants were convincing in their victory at the San Siro.

The home side missed a host of chances but still emerged the victors courtesy of goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kevin-Prince Boateng.

 
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