Champions League 11/5/2013

Some delightful matches taking place today as Plzen host Bayern Munich; Juventus v.s. Real Madrid; Kobenhavn take on Galatasaray; Paris St. Germain against Anderlecht; Shakhtar Donetsk face-off against Bayer Leverkusen; Olympiacos greet Benfica; Real Sociedad invite Manchester United to Spain; and Manchester City welcome CSKA Moskva to Northern England. I predict that Bayern will seize victory in the Czech Republic while Juve may meet their match in Real Madrid - it'll be a close game but the Spaniards might just have too much fire-power. Kobenhavn - Galatasaray will likely be a tight affair though the Turkish side should claim victory despite the home field advantage of the Danish hosts. PSG v.s. Anderlecht should be a straightforward match with the French side outgunning and outmaneuvering their guests. Shakhtar Donetsk's game with Bayer Leverkusen will be close, I could see the two sides ending level though there should be at least one goal. As Olympiacos face Portuguese side Benfica, they will likely miss the presence of Michael Olaitan up top though their defensive stalwarts remain in place to squeak out a tense draw with the visiting Portuguese club. The fact that Olympiacos is the make-or-break point on Benfica's title hopes was not lost on their players - the two sides are level on 4 points with PSG well clear in the group. The game-changer will arguably be Kostas Mitroglou: if he can add to his goal tally, the Greeks may very well pull clear. On the other hand, if the Portuguese can shut him down and get their strikers in order, it may be a feeding frenzy. Manchester United should secure an additional three points in their game at Real Sociedad despite the long list of injuries for the Red Devils. Last but certainly not least, Manchester City's game against CSKA Moskva should be another instance in which a Manchester side delivers the three points. The number of injuries on both sides suggest that the team with the greater depth will move forward. At the same time, I would love to see Rasmus Elm turn-on for the Russian side. Enjoy the games!