UEFA Champions League 2011/2012

[Mesut Özil]

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[Keisuke Honda]

Champions League Group E preview: Chelsea seek change of fortune

31 October 2011

Chelsea will be desperate to shrug off a poor couple of weeks when they head to Belgium to face Genk in Champions League Group E action on Tuesday.

Andre Villas-Boas' side looked to be in cruise control after big wins over Swansea, Bolton and Everton in the English Premier League, but in their past two matches they have been beaten 1-0 by Queens Park Rangers before losing 5-3 at home to Arsenal on Saturday.

The QPR result was overshadowed by a race row involving skipper John Terry and Rangers' Anton Ferdinand, brother of Manchester United and England star Rio Ferdinand.

Villas-Boas will be hoping to put all that behind him when he does battle with Genk, who Chelsea slaughtered 5-0 at Stamford Bridge, inspired by a brace from Fernando Torres, in their most recent Champions League outing. Chelsea are sitting on top of Group E on seven points, one clear of German side Bayer Leverkusen, with Spaniards Valencia on two points and Genk bottom with just one point.

Chelsea can make sure of their place in the knock-out stages by beating Genk if Valencia cannot claim full points against Leverkusen in Spain in the group's other match, and the Portuguese coach will be imploring his men to go for the jugular.

"The Champions League is a different scenario to the Premiership and this is a good opportunity for us," Villas-Boas said."We will put ourselves in a very good position to qualify if we win this.

"Valencia therefore need to beat Leverkusen at the Estadio Mestalla to keep their hopes of progression alive, and their cause was boosted by news influential Leverkusen midfielder Michael Ballack broke his nose in Bundesliga action on Friday.

Ballack scored in the second minute in Leverkusen's 1-0 away win over Freiburg – his first Bundesliga goal since 2006 – but was forced off the field after the hour mark after a clash with Jan Rosenthal.Valencia will head into the match in good form, winning their past two La Liga games to sit in fourth place in the Spanish league, four points behind leaders Real Madrid.

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[Keisuke Honda]

Champions League Group F preview: Gunners all fired up

31 October 2011

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Arsenal will hope to turn their resurgence in domestic fortunes into some strong Champions League form when they host Marseille on Tuesday.

Despite their indifferent English Premier League form over the first two months of the season, Arsenal sit on top of Group F in the Champions League with two wins and a draw, one point clear of Marseille.

Since their 2-1 loss to Spurs on October 2, Arsene Wenger's side have won three league games in succession, culminating in their stunning performance in eclipsing Chelsea 5-3 on Saturday.

The last time they met, a last-gasp winner from Aaron Ramsey lifted Arsenal to a 1-0 triumph over Marseille at the Stade Velodrome, but Marseille – ninth in Ligue 1 – head to London in confident mood after defeating Dijon 3-2 on Saturday.

Wenger will be hoping for more good form from Dutch master Robin van Persie, who has already found the back of the net 10 times this season.

"Robin's form is fantastic," Arsenal winger Theo Walcott said. "It makes our job much easier when he plays like that.""We're enjoying our football, our run is great now and we're just going to keep on continuing that. Everyone is buzzing at the moment."

Group F's other match sees German champions Borussia Dortmund welcome Greek outfit Olympiacos to the Signal Iduna Park in dire need of a win. After drawing with Arsenal in their opening match, Dortmund suffered crushing away defeats to Marseille (3-0) and Olympiakos (3-1) to leave them bottom of the group on one point, two behind Olympiakos.

Dortmund are third in the Bundesliga and played out a 1-1 draw with Stuttgart on Saturday, but manager Jurgen Klopp knows his side needs three points.

"We need to play at least as well as we did against Stuttgart," Klopp said."Our chances of qualifying are over if we lose.""We have learned our lessons from the first three games and we know what we have to do to make this group more interesting."

 

[Keisuke Honda]

Champions League Group G preview: Porto chase away glory

31 October 2011

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Porto will look for a big improvement when they tackle Group G's surprise leaders APOEL Nicosia in Tuesday's Champions League match in Cyprus.

Porto, two-time European champions, may make wholesale changes to their team as they seek to avoid being stunned again by the Cypriots, who they drew 1-1 with at home in their last Champions League match.

APOEL played out a goalless home draw in their domestic league with Anorthosis on Friday. But APOEL's Serbian coach Ivan Jovanovic said he could understand why the team played so poorly with the Porto match and the possibility of a place in the last 16 looming.

APOEL lead the tightly-bunched Group G quartet with five points, one clear of Zenit St Petersburg and Porto and three ahead of Shakhtar Donetsk.The Portuguese champions were booed by their fans after they drew with APOEL earlier this month.

Coach Vitor Pereira said his team had no choice but to go for the three points in Nicosia."The APOEL match is fundamental to us. We know that to go over there and win will require a Porto side at its very best level," Pereira said. "I am sure that in the APOEL match, with a good performance and a good win, the fans will applaud, because they love the club and they love football.

"Pereira has not been afraid to make significant changes, having dropped regulars Kleber and Nicolas Otamendi for striker Walter and centre back Eliaquim Mangala.Mangala, also captain of France's under-21 team, will probably feature against APOEL but Walter cannot be picked because he was not registered to play in the Champions League, a decision that Pereira has publicly regretted.

APOEL are without injured goalkeeper Dionisios Chiotis and Brazilian defender William Boaventura while midfielder Marchinho is not 100 percent fit after a lengthy injury absence and is unlikely to feature.In the group's other match, Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg will seek their 11th successive European home win against Ukraine giants Shakhtar Donetsk.

Goals from midfielder Viktor Faizulin, forward Alexander Bukharov and Serbian winger Danko Lazovic gave Zenit a 3-0 win over Russian league minnows Volga Nizhny in their last match and Zenit sit on top of the table, two points ahead of CSKA Moscow.

Russia striker Alexander Kerzhakov may miss with an ankle injury while attacking midfielder Vladimir Bystrov is an unlikely starter.Shakhtar, who have a 5-5 win-loss record in their last 10 European away matches, will also be without several first-choice players.

Fullback Dmitry Chygrynskiy has a serious hip injury suffered in the Ukraine Cup match with Dynamo Kiev, while Brazilian midfielders Fernandinho and Jadson are injured.

 

[Keisuke Honda]

Champions League Group H preview: Milan, Barca nearly there

31 October 2011

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AC Milan and Barcelona can wrap up qualification for the Champions League knockout stages should both sides win on Tuesday.

Italian champions Milan visit Belarusian side BATE Borisov, while Barca are in Prague to meet Czech outfit Viktoria Plzen.

Milan and Barca are top of the Group G standings with seven points each, while BATE and Plzen have just one point apiece meaning in all likelihood they will be fighting among themselves for third place in the group and the resulting Europa League place.

Massimiliano Allegri's men made an indifferent start to their league campaign, but four wins in succession in Serie A have seen them climb to fourth in the league, just two points behind leaders Juventus.

In their most recent match, a brace from Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic lifted them to a 3-2 win over Roma, while Kevin-Prince Boateng is another in sensational form after a hat-trick in 14 minutes helped inspire Milan to come from 3-0 down to defeat Lecce 4-3 on October 23.

Allegri will be sweating on the midfielder's fitness, however, after he picked up a knee knock in the Roma clash, while striker Antonio Cassano has been kept in hospital with a mystery illness. Milan cruised to a 2-0 win over BATE on October 19 in their last Champions League match, with the goals coming from Ibrahimovic and Boateng.

Barcelona will be confident of victory from their trip to Prague, after strolling to a 5-0 thumping of Real Mallorca in La Liga on Saturday. Argentine maestro Lionel Messi cracked a hat-trick in half-an-hour against Mallorca, and in their last meeting with Plzen goals from Andres Iniesta and David Villa earned them a 2-0 triumph at the Nou Camp.

 

[Keisuke Honda]

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[Keisuke Honda]

Klopp wants consistent Dortmund

31 October 2011

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Borussia Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp said he cannot explain his side's poor Champions League form ahead of Tuesday's clash with Olympiakos.

The Bundesliga club are still looking for their first win in Group F, having followed up a draw against Arsenal with disappointing defeats at the hands of Marseille and their Greek opponents.

Klopp's men are set to battle once more with Olympiakos at Signal Iduna Park, and the 44-year-old has urged his players to prove that they belong in the competition.

"I still do not understand why we haven't reached the same level in the Champions League as we have in the Bundesliga," Klopp told Bild.

"Against Olympiakos, we must prove that we can compete in Europe and that can only come with a win.""I feel the team are burning with desire to prove themselves in front of their critics.

Now we must finally realise what we can do."Despite Dortmund's indifferent form in Europe, the German champions sit in third place in the Bundesliga, five points behind leaders Bayern Munich.

 

[Keisuke Honda]

Injury concerns for Real duo

31 October 2011

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Real Madrid duo Kaka and Alvaro Arbeloa are both in doubt for Wednesday's Champions League clash with Lyon because of minor muscle injuries.

Spanish giants Real revealed the news on Monday but did not disclose how long the players will be out for.

Kaka came on as a second-half substitute in Madrid's 1-0 victory at Real Sociedad on Saturday, while Arbeloa played the whole match.

Real defender Ricardo Carvalho is still recovering from a back injury and has been ruled out of the midweek encounter at Stade de Gerland.

Real currently top Group D with a perfect record after three games, while Lyon have four points.

 

[Keisuke Honda]

Three points the aim for Ferguson

1 November 2011

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Sir Alex Ferguson says that Manchester United are treating their midweek Champions League clash with Otelul Galati as a must-win encounter.

The Red Devils shaded the Romanian club in the reverse fixture 2-0 a fortnight ago thanks to two Wayne Rooney penalties, but Ferguson is not taking Wednesday's clash at Old Trafford lightly.

"We have to win on Wednesday, without doubt," Ferguson told United's official website."We're at home and I expect us to win and, if we do that, (qualification) is in our hands when we play Benfica at home."

"We'll hopefully win our game and, when we play Benfica at home, it'll be the decider in our section.

"United sit in second place in the Group C standings, two points behind leaders Benfica who play Basel in the other fixture.

And Ferguson is not content with merely qualifying for the knockout stages, underlining the importance of winning the group to avoid some of Europe's biggest clubs in the next round.

"It's always better to finish first than second," Ferguson said."After getting the first result against Galati and then playing them again at home, we'll hopefully go into the Benfica game with eight points.

That will be an important match."

 

[Keisuke Honda]

Valencia know score, says Emery

1 November 2011

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Valencia manager Unai Emery is well aware of the importance of his side's Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.

Valencia need a victory over their Bundesliga opponents at the Mestalla to keep any hopes of progression out of Group E, which they share with Genk and Chelsea.

Emery knows the situation that faces his side, and also the strengths of visiting Leverkusen after losing 2-1 to Robin Dutt's men on October 19 at BayArena.

"They have the capacity of being very offensive or very defensive. Since they go through with a tie they could be defensive in the beginning and be strong with that approach," he said.

"We have to know how to penetrate their defence if they decide to play like that and we have to be patient.

The match can change, they are also very good at counter-attacking, while on defence so at any moment if they want to score and win the match, they can be very offensive."

"We have to be smart enough to read this and play accordingly. It will be a long 90-minute game because the game can change drastically a few times.

"We are expecting everything because, if we think they are only going to do one thing, they can change and catch us unprepared.

"Valencia striker Roberto Soldado said his team-mates have been treating the match 'as if it were a final', and has every confidence they will succeed."Yes, it's true that tomorrow we can only play to win, as if it were a final.

That's how we've approached this match and we are conscious of its importance and we are sure that we are going to achieve a positive result," he said.

"We are very confident in our own ability, and we think that (Tuesday) will be a great day for us because we are convinced that we will achieve victory."

 

[Keisuke Honda]

Ramsey has Marseille in his sights

1 November 2011

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Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey says his side will take confidence from their win over Chelsea into their clash against Marseille.

Arsene Wenger's men recorded a 5-3 win at Stamford Bridge in the English Premier League on Saturday, moving into seventh.

They host Marseille in Group F of the Champions League on Tuesday, looking to make it six points from their two meetings against the French outfit.

Ramsey, 20, netted the winner when they met on October 19, and he said they entered the second meeting with confidence after beating Chelsea.

"I think it was a massive win for us. We played really well as a team, created lots of opportunities and we took a lot of them," he said on Monday.

"It was a massive win for us and we can take a lot out of that game."Wenger's men top the group by a point from Didier Deschamps' team thanks to Ramsey's 92nd-minute winner at Stade Velodrome.

Ramsey said nothing had changed in preparation for the game as Arsenal look to move closer to progress to the round of 16.

"I'm just going to go into the game as I do any other game and hopefully give my best and I'm sure the rest of the team will do the same," he said.

"If that means I score the winner then I'll be happy enough to take that. We'll just approach the game as we normally do and hopefully we will get the right result."

 

[Keisuke Honda]

Drogba to miss Genk trip

1 November 2011

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Didier Drogba will miss Chelsea's Champions League clash with Genk after undergoing surgery to remove screws from the arm he broke before last year's World Cup.

The Ivorian striker had surgery last year after the injury, and will miss the clash with Genk as well as the away clash to Blackburn, for which he was already suspended.

The 33-year-old was sent off against QPR for a lunge on Adel Taraabt which led to a three-game suspension, of which two have already been served.

This was the only team news revealed by Andre Villas-Boas in his pre-match press conference, however, as he maintained that there are still decisions he needs to make following their 5-3 Premier League defeat on Saturday at home to Arsenal.

A squad of 20 players travelled to Belgium in preparation for the game, with Nicolas Anelka among them after missing the weekend's game through injury.

Villas-Boas acknowledged that his side will not be in for an easy night, saying he struggled there while in charge of Porto last season."I was here last year and with Porto we had a difficult time here.

Genk can cause us problems," he said.The Blues go into the game off the back of a heavy defeat, with some questioning the manager's ability to organise a defence after a leaky start to the season.

"We play attacking football but we don't forget our defending responsibilities," Villas-Boas said, before adding, "nobody likes to watch negative football, but I like to be on the right end of the victories.

"He continued: "These patterns happen to the best teams in the world. It happened to Arsenal and what do we say about them now?

"Villas-Boas also maintained that Chelsea 'have the talent and the experience' to bounce back.

 

[Keisuke Honda]

Guardiola eyes last-16 berth

1 November 2011

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Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola is eyeing a place in the Champions League last 16, but knows his men will have to be resolute against Viktoria Plzen.

Guardiola will be taking his 200th game in charge of Barcelona and he wants to mark the occasion with a victory.However, he expects the Czech side to put on a hard-fought display on the pitch in Prague.

"A win would mean a place in the round of 16 and we would have nothing to worry about until February," Guardiola said.

"It would also mean the pressure would be off when we visit Milan [on matchday five] so we could give some other players a chance to impress and focus for a while on the league and the Copa del Rey.

"However, despite his forward vision, Guardiola knows navigating their way past Plzen will likely be tough, despite beating them 2-0 at Camp Nou."

[Plzen] are a strong, fast team; they defended very well against us," he said."It is easier once you have played against each other, but our most important task is to adapt our tactics to how Plzen defend.

"Guardiola continued: "I know it will be my 200th match in charge of this great team.""I did not expect to be Barcelona coach for such a long time."

"Not everything has been perfect during these four years, but we have won lots of trophies together, and that speaks for itself.""I am proud of the players I have and I think we have achieved good results together."

"They constantly improve and they push me forward as well. They have made me a better coach."Meanwhile Viktoria Plzen coach Pavel Vrba has backed his players to come good as they try to lift themselves off the bottom of Group H.

"What would be a good result for us? We want to get at least a point. We have a good home record. We want to win at home, although we are aware that in this case it will be extremely hard," he said.

"However, we want to show more than we did in Barcelona where we did not manage a single attempt on goal.""We must play aggressively, although we cannot play open football against them."

"I would be happy if we reproduced some of the good moments from our recent league matches. We want to please a full house in Prague."

"It will be a very special night for all of us to host such a great team.""I've showed the players our game in Barcelona and the things we did well, and the those that we could have done better.

"Plzen have just one point from three games so far.A loss will see hopes of making the next round end.

 

[Keisuke Honda]

BATE must lift to beat Milan

1 November 2011

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BATE Borisov coach Viktor Goncharenko says his players must be at their best to win their Champions League clash with AC Milan on Tuesday.

The Belarusians were beaten 2-0 in their last Group H meeting with Milan at the San Siro, but Goncharenko is confident that playing against such illustrious opponents at home will force BATE to raise their game in the return match.

"Matches against opponents like AC Milan can bring the best out of us," Goncharenko said."We have analysed them thoroughly and have to get the most useful things on board.

To win, even to score first, we have to keep cool heads at the back and play more aggressively in attack."

"Milan have won three consecutive games since our first match and will no doubt be targeting another.

We had a bad game in Minsk against Barcelona, but played some better football in Milan, and I want to believe we can play even better tomorrow.

"The BATE coach singled out full-back Ignazio Abate as the Serie A champions' key player."If I had to pick out Milan's three most dangerous players I would probably name their recent hat-trick heroes, (Kevin-Prince) Boateng and (Antonio) Nocerino.

But I see (Ignazio) Abate as the most dangerous man with his surging runs on the wing," he said."Of course, you can't forget about Zlatan Ibrahimovic."

 

[Keisuke Honda]

Ballack fit to face Valencia

1 November 2011

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Michael Ballack will be available for Bayer Leverkusen's Champions League clash with Valencia despite suffering a broken nose.

The influential midfielder will wear a mask to protect his face from the injury he sustained in Leverkusen's 1-0 win over Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Friday.

Ballack said he was comfortable with the mask and believed the risk would be too high to go into the match without it.

"It's a bit constricting, obviously the feeling without a mask is different. But it's perfectly made.

That's why I felt fine yesterday during training," Ballack said."The risk is too high and my doctor won't allow (me to play without it).

"Leverkusen sit second in Group E, a point behind leaders Chelsea and four points ahead of third-placed Valencia.

 

[Keisuke Honda]

Champions League Group A preview: City visit wounded Villarreal

1 November 2011

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Rampant Manchester City will head to El Madrigal to face a depleted Villarreal in Champions League Group A action on Wednesday.

La Liga side Villarreal have been struggling domestically with their second win of the campaign over Rayo Vallecano on Sunday lifting them out of the relegation zone, though the win came at a cost.

Already savaged with injuries with star striker Giuseppe Rossi ruled out for six months with a knee injury sustained against Real Madrid last week, Villarreal suffered further setbacks against Rayo.

Christian Zapata (knee) and Javier Camunas (leg) are two casualties to come out of the win while Nilmar (knee), Cani (knee), Marco Ruben (adductor) and midfielder Marcos Senna (hamstring) form part of an increasingly threadbare squad.

To add to their woes, Villarreal sit at the foot of the table in Group A, having lost all three of their opening fixtures to Bayern Munich, City and Napoli.

Meanwhile, City boss Roberto Mancini boasts a fully fit squad brimming with confidence after wins over bitter rivals Manchester United and back-to-back wins over Wolverhampton in the Carling Cup and English Premier League.

The Etihad Stadium outfit won the corresponding fixture with Villarreal 2-1 thanks to Sergio Aguero's late winner and will be expected to pick up the three points.

Bayern Munich vice-captain Bastian Schweinsteiger looks set to feature in the side's reverse fixture with Napoli after making a quick recovery from a hamstring injury sustained in a 4-0 win over Nuremberg in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Bayern are looking for their ninth straight win at the Allianz Arena while Napoli, who suffered a 2-1 defeat at Catania in the Serie A on Saturday, are without captain Paolo Cannavaro who is suspended for the trip north.

Bayern top the group, while a win for Napoli would see them leapfrog the Bundesliga leaders into first and could potentially put more pressure on third-placed City.

 

[Keisuke Honda]

Champions League Group B preview: Inter aim to put Serie A woes behind them

1 November 2011

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Inter Milan will be looking to build on their good form in the Champions League when they host Lille on Wednesday.

The Serie A giants have had a tumultuous league campaign, struggling in 17th place with just two wins from their opening nine outings.

But their form in Europe has been solid, sitting top of Group B after consecutive wins, including a 1-0 victory at Lille on October 18.

Inter held out after Giampaolo Pazzini gave them a 21st-minute lead, and they will close in on progress to the round of 16 with a win at the San Siro.

Claudio Ranieri will be without defender Maicon, who picked up a thigh injury in their 2-1 loss to Juventus on Saturday.

The Brazilian has been one of the better performers this campaign, but Ranieri will be confident of overcoming Lille despite his absence, particularly at home.

In contrast to Inter, Lille have enjoyed a fine start to Ligue 1, but have struggled in the Champions League.They are winless and bottom of the group, while they sit third in the league - behind Paris-Saint Germain and Montpellier.

Goals have been hard to come by for Rudi Garcia's men, with Senegalese striker Moussa Sow their best with just three goals in his last nine outings.

Lille desperately need maximum points if they are to keep their hopes of advancing to the round of 16 alive.In the other game, CSKA Moscow travel to Turkey to take on Trabzonspor.

The Russian outfit has been in excellent form recently, unbeaten in their last five outings, with three of those victories.

They have scored at will since the comfortable 3-0 win over Trabzonspor on October 18, netting nine goals in two matches.

Seydou Doumbia and Vagner Love have been vital in that run, although the latter was sent off in the 4-0 league win over Spartak Nalchik on Friday.

In his last three matches, Doumbia has struck a remarkable eight goals.Meanwhile, Trabzonspor have gone three matches unbeaten since losing to CSKA and will be hoping they can capitalise on their home advantage this time around.

 

[Keisuke Honda]

Champions League Group C preview: Win vital for under-fire United

1 November 2011

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Manchester United will go into their meeting with Otelul Galati in the Champions League on Wednesday as hot favourites.

Sir Alex Ferguson's men drew their opening two matches in Group C, but a win over the Romanians on October 18 helped them into second, behind Benfica.

It took a brace of Wayne Rooney penalties to record that 2-0 win, while captain Nemanja Vidic will miss the return meeting after being sent off.

After that win, United were embarrassed at Old Trafford, slumping to a 6-1 loss to fierce rivals Manchester City in the English Premier League.

But they have bounced back, thanks to a win in the Carling Cup and a 1-0 victory over Everton in the league on Saturday.

Ferguson could afford to leave Portuguese star Nani on the bench until the final half-hour at Goodison Park, while goalscorer Javier Hernandez came off towards the end of the contest.

Ferguson's team is two points behind Benfica in the group, and the Scot said he expected the November 22 meeting between the sides at Old Trafford to decide who finished top.

"I expect Benfica to beat Basel as they're in a bit of disarray with (manager) Thorsten Fink going to Hamburg," Ferguson told United's official website.

"We'll hopefully win our game and, when we play Benfica at home, it'll be the decider in our section."

The Romanian outfit are eighth in the league and have won three consecutive games since the loss to United, but manager Dorinel Munteanu will need a bit of luck if his team are to take anything out of the game at Old Trafford.

In the other game, Benfica will be out to extend their unbeaten run in Group B to four matches when they host Swiss outfit Basel.

The Portuguese side are also unbeaten in Liga Sagres and will be keen to record a win over Basel to maintain their advantage over United.

 

[Keisuke Honda]

Champions League Group D preview: Lyon face Madrid challenge

1 November 2011

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Real Madrid can seal their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League with a win over Lyon on Wednesday.

The in-form La Liga giants have been irresistible of late, leading Barcelona in the league thanks to their recent run, as well as topping Group D.

Jose Mourinho's men have won eight games in a row in all competitions, impressive in both attack and defence. In the run, they have netted 29 goals and conceded just three.

It includes a 4-0 thrashing of Lyon on October 18, a clash the Ligue 1 outfit struggled in and were always likely to lose.Mourinho has his array of talent combining well, with the midfield - led by Spaniard Xabi Alonso - pulling the strings for a star-studded attack.

Cristiano Ronaldo has continued to score, while strikers Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain have battled for a spot up front. Both Benzema and Higuain are scoring when called upon, and Mourinho is happy to have two in-form strikers at his disposal.

A win for Real at Stade de Gerland would see them wrap up a top-two spot, while Lyon would remain in the hunt even if they are beaten.

Remi Garde's team, who sit fourth in Ligue 1, will finish with fixtures against Ajax and struggling Dinamo Zagreb. Striker Bafetimbi Gomis (seven goals in 12 appearances) will again hold the key for Lyon, but he has failed to net in his last three matches.

In the other Group D game, Ajax will be keen to make it two wins from as many matches against Dinamo Zagreb.The Eredivisie champions sit second but a win, along with a Lyon loss, would move them three points clear of the French outfit.

Miralem Sulejmani (six goals) and Kolbeinn Sigthorsson (five) had done most of the damage up front for Frank de Boer's team.Dinamo Zagreb are still searching for their first point, but it will be a tough task at the Amsterdam Arena.

 

[Keisuke Honda]

Ferdinand to start for United

2 November 2011

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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says Rio Ferdinand will return to the starting line-up for the visit of Otelul Galati.

Ferguson also confirmed that midfielder Tom Cleverley will miss the Champions League clash at Old Trafford due to injury.

Ferdinand was dropped to the bench for United's 1-0 win against Everton over the weekend but will start in the absence of the suspended Nemanja Vidic.

Promising midfielder Cleverley only recently returned to the team following a long injury lay-off and picked up a knock against the Toffees.

Chris Smalling remains sidelined with a fractured foot, but long-term injury victim Rafael is back to boost last season's Champions League finalists' backline.

"Cleverley won't play tomorrow," Ferguson told reporters. "It's not serious but it's one of those injuries where he got a little tweak on it on Saturday."

"We'll look at the long view and make sure he's available for a long period rather than play him again and risk it coming back to haunt us.

I think he'll miss Saturday's game also.""Rafael is back but Chris Smalling and Ashley Young are still injured.

We've got a few niggling injuries about the place but hopefully they're on the mend, most of them.""We'll have to make one or two changes tomorrow but hopefully we'll be strong enough.

"United sit second in Group C behind Benfica.