Champions League Update: 4/3/2014

After the first round of games, you could be forgiven for being underwhelmed by the teams left at this stage. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid finished level 1-1 as did Manchester United and Bayern Munich. However, they were well-played matches all around with serious implications for the respective second legs. In the first match-up, despite having more than four times as many opportunities as their opponents from Madrid, Barca only scored through Neymar in the 71st minute - trailing for a good fifteen minutes after Diego struck Atletico ahead early on in the first half. Despite the number of yellow cards, Atletico may well feel optimistic about welcoming the Catalan side on April 9th as their home performance against AC Milan in the last round demonstrated: a 4-1 victory over anyone at this level of competition should raise some eyebrows. At the same time, Barcelona have traveled decently in the competition, winning 0-2 away at Manchester City. In the other pairing, United will be happy about salvaging a draw though they really should have scored at least a second. Bayern meanwhile were not on their game at Old Trafford, but still managed to draw even through Bastian Schweinsteiger in the 67th minute after Nemanja Vidic gave the English a lead in the 58th minute. The loss of Schweinsteiger will be hard felt in the German camp after he was sent off, but they are the kind of quality side that can persevere through such obstacles.

Yesterday we saw another kind of game. Paris Saint-Germain trounced Chelsea, though PSG may rue conceding the 27th penalty which Eden Hazard converted. Zlatan Ibrahimovic's injury may prove problematic, however Ezequiel Lavezzi and Javier Pastore should prove enough to counter anything the Blues throw at the French side. David Luiz's own goal in the 61st minute surely helped the French side, suffering from a lack of confidence as Chelsea's counter-attacking style proved deadly. Hopefully Salvatore Sirigu can continue his good form in goal and his defense stays strong against a talented Chelsea side. In Spain, Real Madrid were dominant to no one's surprise as Borussia Dortmund were without significant players and clearly unable to cope. Gareth Bale got the ball rolling for the Spaniards, striking in the 3rd minute to shatter the Germans' concentration. Midfielder Isco performed admirably, tacking on a second goal in the 27th minute to put Madrid in a great mood going into the break. If Dortmund had perhaps focused more on goal scoring and less on card collection, they may have performed better with 42 % of possession and a decent 14 attempts against Iker Casillas. Cristiano Ronaldo struck in the 57th minute to make it 3-0 and essentially hammer in the final nail of the Dortmund coffin. I don't expect the Spanish to surrender their lead, even if Dortmund get all of their players at 100% fitness. Have a great weekend and expect a Europa League update in the near future!

Champions League - Rounding out the week! 3/12/2014

Two more teams have progressed to the next round of the Champions League this year with Barcelona scoring on either side of Manchester City's 89th minute goal from Vincent Kompany. Lionel Messi gave the hosts the lead in the 67th minute of the match after a tense first half with three red cards for City players and Barcelona having the best of chances though failing to convert them. After the halftime, Barca's Cesc Fabregas received a yellow in the 53rd minute. Interestingly, I thought City looked best after Pablo Zabaleta had been sent off in the 77th minute and the English side were down to ten men. Kompany's goal triumph was short-lived as Daniel Alves tacked on Barcelona's second of the night in the 1st minute of added time in the second half to make it a 4-1 aggregate victory for the Spaniards. Up in France meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen came out of the gates with all guns blazing against PSG, scoring in the 6th minute courtesy of Sidney Sam. While the French outfit equalized through Marquinhos in the 13th minute, Simon Rolfes' shot was miraculously saved by Salvatore Sirigu - PSG's keeper who really was the only reason the hosts did not lose at home. For the Germans, ending the half level was relatively decent, Paris Saint Germain had some opportunities but so did Leverkusen. Going into the second half though, Bayer saw two yellows in quick succession followed closely by a goal from Ezequiel Lavezzi in the 53rd minute. Emre Can's sending off in the 68th minute was the final nail in the coffin for the Germans, as PSG went on to dominate the game - though they were unable to score any more goals! Thus, the tie ended 6-1 in favor of PSG. Check back next week for the latest on the match-ups that will determine the last four teams that will compete in the Quarter Finals. Have a great weekend!

Champions League - 3/12/2014

The Round of 16 is slowly progressing towards its conclusion with defending champions Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid making it through to the next round! For the Germans, they were able to coolly manage their second leg encounter in Munich against Arsenal with a 1-1 draw after claiming a 0-2 lead in England. Germans were the goal-scorers as Bastian Schweinsteiger struck for the home side in the 55th minute. Just two minutes later though, Lukas Podolski leveled the affair. And that is really how the game ended, Bayern proceed with a 3-1 aggregate score while Arsenal are left to rue what might have been and concentrate on their lackluster domestic performances of late. Over in Spain meanwhile, relative minnows Atletico Madrid maintained their impressive run of form with a comprehensive 4-1 victory over AC Milan. Diego Costa struck the first and last goals of the match, in the 3rd and 85th minutes respectively, while Arda Turan and Raul Garcia tacked on goals after Kaka equalized for the Italians in the 27th minute of the 1st half. The fact that the Spaniards were able to go away from the San Siro with a 0-1 victory in the first leg was probably a sign that they were going through as the Italians never really looked like winners. Up next? Barcelona host Manchester City while Paris Saint Germain greet Leverkusen. At the risk of stating the obvious, the Germans will have a rough time of it in the latter fixture: they lost 0-4 at home and cannot be expecting much better travelling to Paris. With that fixture done and dusted, I would expect PSG to play an exacting game, defending any lead they earn and generally killing the match. As for the Barca-City encounter, both sides are coming off of truly embarrassing losses so don't be surprised if they play to win. City know they have to claim victory with a considerable advantage - preferably without conceding any goals - while Barcelona will have their eyes transfixed on the next round so a possession game is likely. Enjoy the games and make sure to drop a comment!

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!

Champions League highlights.

Well we are up and running again with international club football as there were some huge surprises in the opening round of fixtures! Playing at home to Chelsea in England, one would be forgiven for assuming that the Blues would crush the Swiss competition put on by FC Basel. You'd be wrong of course as the minnows - though Europa League semi-finalists last year - stunned the home side with a 2-1 margin. The almost unknown talents of Mohamed Salah and Marco Streller put the Swiss side on the right road despite the fact that the London side had scored the only goal of the 1st half through Emboaba Oscar with a clean right-footed strike. Elsewhere, Swedish-born Johan Wiland arguably had the best game of his career as Danish side Kobenhavn managed to salvage a point from their match-up against Italian giants Juventus. Thanks to Nicolai Jorgensen's 14th minute goal the Danes got off to a fantastic start though they eventually succumbed to Fabio Quagliarella's deadly foot in the 54th minute. Over in Greece Olympiacos were thrashed badly by their French opponents PSG though they did not go quietly. While the phenomenal Edison Cavani got the scoring started in the 19th minute, Vladimir Weiss' equalizer for the Greeks in the 25th minute was a thing of pure beauty. Bypassing two defending players on his way to goal, his eventual strike was just about as sweet as the build-up to it. Nevertheless, PSG had shaken off their shock by the 2nd half as Thiago Motta struck twice - in the 68th and 73rd minutes - before Marquinhos tacked on a 4th in the 86th minute of play. While not a 4-1 victory, Manchester United's 4-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen was also entertaining besides the fact that it was the game where Wayne Rooney struck his 200th goal. It took 22 minutes for the goal tab to be broken but finally it was with Rooney volleying through off of a nice cross from Patrice Evra. Capitalizing on United's failure only moments before, Leverkusen managed to equalize in the 54th minute through Simon Rolfes after a sweet layoff from Son Heung-Min. 5 minutes later the red devils were again on a high though as Robin Van Persie sliced home from a golden opportunity courtesy of Antonio Valencia. By the 70th minute things were looking even rosier for United as Rooney struck once more following a long goal kick from De Gea and an interesting header from Emir Spahic. Only to rub salt in the wounds, Valencia proceeded to make it 4 for the good in the 79th minute after an amazing breakthrough with pace. For Leverkusen's pride, defender Omer Toprak did get them a 2nd in the 88th minute following lousy defending on United's part.

Exhilarating domestic action!

Well, if you thought the European championships are the only interesting thing still happening in soccer, you'd be completely wrong! Yesterday we had the likes of Barcelona edging Levante 1-0, Real Madrid managing Real Betis 3-1, and Valencia obliterating Malaga by a 5-1 scoreline. Elsewhere, Fulham had a fierce match against visiting Arsenal which ended with the Gunners eking through by a 0-1 score. Over in Germany, Leverkusen absolutely destroyed Hoffenheim with 5 goals to the good as Bayern humiliated their hosts Hannover by a 1-6 scoring deficit. As Dortmund beat Mainz 2-0, Schalke were upset by their hosts Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0. Last but not least, Porto defeated Moreirense 0-3 away from home to stay within a point of 1st place Benfica. As for the action of today, Espanyol were able to score 2 against Getafe in Spain while the real thrillers came in England. After all, with the line-ups of Tottenham v.s. Manchester City and Liverpool v.s. Chelsea - today was always going to be exciting. While the greater result has turned out to be Spur's 3-1 victory over visiting City; Liverpool have an exciting game on their hands as they stand at a 1-2 deficit to the Blues. Over in Germany, Stuttgart were able to get a goal over visiting Freiburg in a 2-1 victory as Fiorentina scored 4 to Torino's 3 to earn three points in Italy. Over in Naples, Napoli got the three points from Cagliari in a 3-2 thriller as Sochaux and Bordeaux finished 2-2. As fun as these games have been though, make sure to keep an eye on these games too: Benfica v.s. Sporting - the Lisbon grudge-match - PSG v.s. Nice, Juventus against Milan which poses two of the arguably most quality Italian sides against one another today, and Sevilla take on Atletico. Hope you keep enjoying the games!

What has happened in the Champions League and what will be taking place in the Europa League

I'd like to start with the Champions League where Dortmund were able to edge Malaga in a white-knuckle thriller that had us all guessing until the final whistle. Despite the fact that the Spanish side were able to get themselves into a strong position for much of the 1st half following Joaquin's 25th minute goal and a strong showing through-out the pitch; the half ended 1-1 following Robert Lewandowski's equalizer in the 45th minute. While many may have thought that Dortmund would then go to work as the 2nd half began, the reality was that Malaga continued to dominate the game for all intents and purposes though failing to convert. Finally, Eliseu slotted home for Malaga in the 82nd minute - providing them with a lead that would have been golden against just about any other team. Not Dortmund though. Not only did Marco Reus level the score at 2-2 in the 1st minute of extra time but Felipe Santana struck a beauty in the 3rd minute that wrapped things up for the Germans as the full-time whistle blew only moments later.

Over in Turkey Real Madrid were able to make things work by the skin of their teeth against a Galatasaray side that for a few minutes looked like they might be able to overturn a crushing deficit. Though Cristiano Ronaldo got things off to a great start in the 7th minute, the game settled into a lull with the Spaniards defending with sporadic forays up the field. It was in the 2nd half when things really turned on for the Turkish side as Emmanuel Eboue brought Galatasary level on the night in the 57th minute. Then, in the 70th and 72nd minutes respectively Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba gave the Spaniards both barrels with a goal apiece. Unfortunately, Madrid managed the game until Ronaldo scored his second in the 2nd minute of extra time in the 2nd half. Though it was 3-2 on the night the aggregate score was a 5-3 affair!

Yesterday, Barcelona and PSG faced off in what was really an enthralling fixture as the visiting French side grabbed the lead early in the 2nd half through Javier Pastore. While this prompted Lionel Messi's introduction to the game, it should be noted that the Catalans peppered the PSG goal for much of the game without success. Then, in the 71st minute, magic happened. While the finishing shot came from the foot of Pedro Rodriquez, the play began as Messi surgically incised himself into the PSG defense. Laying off to David Villa, the striker passed to Pedro who punished the PSG players with a left-footed effort into the back of the net. Thanks to the 2-2 result in the previous leg, Barca went on to advance by the away goals rule.

As for the last of the Champions League games of the Quarter-Final round, Juventus greeted Bayern Munich in Turin to a match that was remarkably similar to the 1st leg. While both goals came in the 2nd half, Bayern held a significant amount of possession in addition to a modest advantage in chances. Of crucial importance was the fact that they converted their opportunities as Juve actually had a comparable chance tally. Of course, when Mario Mandzukic dove for his header in the 64th minute, the tie may well have been decided. Though Juventus goalie Gianluigi Buffon made a great first save, the ensuing goal sums up the story of his game: he played to the best of his ability but defensive deficiencies in front of him left him vulnerable to Bayern's lethal strikers.

Turning now to the Europa League, Rubin Kazan will host Chelsea in a 2nd leg that comes off of a 3-1 victory for the English side. While the Russians should do better at home, I cannot see them undoing the London side's lead. Their only chance will be if goal-tender Sergei Ryzhikov plays an unbelievable game and the likes of Jose Rondon, Vladimir Dyadyun, and Gokdeniz Karadeniz score at least one each. Otherwise, I anticipate a victory for Chelsea.

Up in England, Newcastle v.s. Benfica will be the game I will be watching as the English side hope to make right a 3-1 deficit. While the home field advantage will certainly assist the Magpies, the important thing will be whether they can score a lot of goals. Papiss Cisse and Shola Ameobi will be the go-to figures for those requirements. My prediction would be that defensive failings on the side of the home team will make it too easy for Benfica to score - putting the game out of the grasp of Newcastle.

As for the Swiss encounter between Basel and Tottenham, if the home side can get even a goal against the English opposition then the odds will increase exponentially in their favor. A great deal of stress will be placed on the Basel defense as a break-out performance by Tann Sommer will translate to attacking efforts from talent such as Marco Streller, Valentin Stocker, and Fabian Schar. Of course, there is also the view that the team from Switzerland gave their best in England and will go down to Spurs having played all of their tricks. This will obviously rely on Hugo Lloris (or Brad Friedel) standing tall in goal - a completely viable option. Then, it will be the responsibility of characters such as Gareth Bale, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Emmanuel Adebayor, and Jermain Defoe to score and keep doing so until the game ends.

Last but not least, Lazio v.s. Fenerbahce will demonstrate whether or not Lazio are just terrible travelers or legitimately poor. In Turkey, down to 10 men, it was understandable that the Italians get hit at some point or another. Having said that, Lazio know where the goal is and in front of a home crowd they should have the nerve to at least challenge the Turkish side. The pedigree of the Lazio side up to this point should not be discounted as they had not lost in Europe until the 10 man debacle. Additionally, they do remain undefeated at home. Fenerbahce's form also shouldn't be discounted, though, as the Turks have proved themselves formidable adversaries away from home. I'd give my vote to Fenerbahce but that is with the understanding that the Turkish side will give it their all and not take their feet off of the gas. Otherwise, giving Lazio the room to develop will spell disaster for the visitors. Hope you enjoy the games!

The Latest from the Champions League

Well, we've already had half of the first legs with the second half coming later today. With PSG tying Barcelona in literally the dying seconds of their fixture in Paris, I was correct in suggesting Barca would tie abroad though I honestly did not expect such a close encounter. For the early portions of the game, PSG actually looked dominant. While many were not surprised by both Messi and Ibrahimovic converting, the goals from Xavi Hernandez and Blaise Matuidi were both special. Before coming off at the half due to what should be a minor injury, Messi ran onto a beautiful chip from Daniel Alves and struck it home low in the 39th. 40 minutes later, Zlatan Ibrahimovic put away an easy shot after Thiago Silva's header bounced back into play. While some might question whether or not he was off-sides, it appeared as though Ibrahimovic was on as the play developed and simply positioned himself correctly as the ball deflected off the crossbar. Following PSG's keeper taking Alexis Sanchez's legs out from under him, Xavi Hernandez converted his penalty opportunity in the 89th minute - seemingly winning the game for Barca. However, Blaise Matuidi took a strike that some would have considered to have no chance. Though Barecelona's keeper Valdes followed the initial trajectory well, the shot took a deflection off of Marc Bartra leaving the Catalans wrong-footed and level as they await the return leg in Spain. Though PSG are rightly on a high after this result, I would predict that Barcelona come out in Spain strong once more with Messi leading the charge.

As for the fixture between Bayern and Juventus, the 1st minute goal from David Alaba really set the tone for the remainder of the match as Bayern finally showed their home form in a 2-0 victory. While possession may have been considered even, the Bavarians simply dominated the opportunities count. Thomas Muller's 63rd minute goal was really icing on the cake as the team mentality was on full display with Mario Mandzukic giving Muller one of the easiest shots in the tournament this year. While Juve will undoubtedly fare better at home in Turin, the chances of them overturning this deficit if Bayern bring the same form is remarkably low. If Toni Kroos is absent for the 2nd leg, Bayern will miss him but do have replacements as Arjen Robben convincingly reminded us with no goals but great plays.

As for today's action, Malaga's encounter with Borussia Dortmund returns the spotlight to the celebrated Spanish giant-slayers. Though both sides are missing valuable players, everyone involved is building up what should be a promising game. The deciding factor will arguably be whether or not Malaga's defense can hold Dortmund vicious assault. Away goals are a critical aspect of the tournament at this stage and Malaga cannot afford to run their match-up with Dortmund as closely as they did against Porto. Starting at home may be a plus for the Spaniards but the Germans have proven themselves worthy opponents both at home and away. Final verdict? Dortmund may just be the straw that breaks the camel's back here. Even if Jakub Blaszczykowski is out, the German side have the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Marco Reus, and Mario Gotze who have performed well this year. Malaga's reliance on midfield goalscoring may be undone as Isco, Eliseu, Joaquin, and Duda may be worn thin.

Last but not least, Real Madrid will greet Turkish side Galatasaray at home in Spain for what many are predicting will be a one-sided affair. While it is true that Madrid have tended to have double the opportunities than their opponents, the scoring between the two sides has been quite close - 18 for the Spaniards and 11 for the Turks. If Raphael Varane, Fabio Coentrao, and Iker Casillas all miss out on the squad, Madrid's defense looks significantly weaker. At the same time, two midfield blows in missing Aydin Yilmaz and Engin Baytar shouldn't be that big of a deal for Galatasaray as the talents of Hamit Altintop, Wesley Sneijder, Johan Elmander, Didier Drogba, Burak Yilmaz, and Umut Bulut are all accounted for. While the Bernabeu will give Madrid the edge here, I would not say that Galatasaray are going to just roll over. They definitely have everything to play for in the 2nd leg if they can hold on here.
 Enjoy the games!