Next Round of the Champions League! 3/21/2014.

With the quality sides in at this stage of the competition, there were always going to be some mouth-watering match-ups! This year did not disappoint as we will see Barcelona versus Atletico Madrid, and Real Madrid against Borussia Dortmund. Of these two ties, I would think Barca and Madrid would be the two sides making it into the Semi Finals. In the latter, I think that injuries alone will cause the Germans to rue what could have been. As for the showdown between Barca and Atletico, it will undoubtedly be much closer. While I would tip the Catalan side to claim victory, that isn't to say that Atletico will just roll over. In the same way as Juventus' match-ups in the Europa League with Fiorentina were a heated contest, only decided by an Andrea Pirlo free kick, I believe Barca will edge their domestic rivals. Moving on now, Paris Saint-Germain will be taking on Chelsea while Bayern Munich will face Manchester United. In the first game, I would love to see Chelsea lose to their French opponents and I think it is possible. If PSG can explode out of the gates in their opening home match, I think they have the goal-scoring talent and defensive consistency to show the Blues the way out. Having said that, if the team from London - the last English representatives at this stage of the tournament - can get the likes of Ashley Cole and David Luiz, and perhaps even Marco Van Ginkel, back into the squad, it will be a very tight affair. Bayern's match with Manchester United will depend heavily on whether or not United can make some magic at home in the first leg. If they perform with the same spirit they showed coming back from a 2-0 deficit in the first leg to win 3-0 over Olympiacos, they may very well head to Germany with their heads held high. I think Bayern might just have too much for the Red Devils though; particularly with the injury to Robin van Persie. Make sure to check back for updates on the matches!

Europa League Round of 16 - 3/13/2014

Scintillating performances throughout Europe today, let's begin with Porto - Napoli. Playing at home, the Portuguese were probably hoping for a lead to take into the second leg with a clean-sheet the best result defensively. Well, they got it! With slightly more possession and opportunities in front of goal, Porto played a tense first half with Napoli absorbing pressure though unable to successfully counter. Finally, in the 57th minute of the second half, Jackson Martinez slotted home for the Northern Portuguese side off of a corner kick to give his side a lead they retained (without adding to it) for the rest of the match. All the same, I would expect Napoli to show more tooth in the return fixture in front of their home fans. If Gonzalo Higuain is actually included in the squad for the game in Italy, I would think the side from Naples will claim victory. Gokhan Inler and Lorenzo Insigne will have to be on their games as well though, if Napoli are to progress much further in the competition. Porto on the other hand will hope that Helton in goal can maintain his record begun this game while coach Luis Castro will hope defender Eliaquim Mangala or veteran striker Ricardo Quaresma will be able to find the back of the net at least once each.

Next up? Basel versus Salzburg! If you thought the 1-0 result between Porto and Napoli was close, the showdown between the last Swiss and Austrian representatives was a nail-biter! A flurry of yellow cards midway through the fist half put the game off of its pace though the visitors did have the lions share of the opportunities. Nevertheless, the defensive stalwarts at Basel ensured their goal net did not bulge. At the same time, either Marco Streller or Valentin Stocker will have to score if the Swiss side want any chance at making it through to the next round. The second leg in Austria will be a tough one and I suspect Jonatan Soriano will be the decisive factor. The injury to Alan is obviously less than ideal for Salzburg, but with Peter Gulacsi in goal, Martin Hinteregger providing much needed energy in the defense, and Sadio Mane in the midfield, things are looking relatively good for the Austrians.

Turning now to my favorite dark horses, Bulgarian side Ludogorets, they appear to have been dealt a hand they cannot win in Valencia. A great deal rested on Ludogorets' home performance, though Valencia's away record is a formidable one. Frankly, the Spaniards just overwhelmed the Bulgarians. Antonio Barragan's 5th minute goal bloodied the hosts, though the sending off of Seydou Keita in the 24th minute did not prove the God-send Lodogorets needed: Roman Bezjak's penalty attempt was saved in the 26th minute while Fede Cartabia made it 0-2 in the 33rd minute. Going in for the half, the Bulgarians had every right to be disappointed in themselves. Sadly, that disappointment was not channeled in a constructive manner: Philippe Senderos made it 0-3 for Valencia in the 59th minute while Juninho Quixada was sent off in the 80th minute for Ludogorets to cap a terrible night for the hosts. Next week, the Bulgarians must support Bezjak better if they have any chance of fighting for pride in Spain - making it to the next round is probably out of their reach. With Juninho out, the likes of Virgil Misidjan and Hristo Zlatinski will have to step up alongside keeper Vladislav Stoyanov and his defense. Otherwise, I see no reason why Valencia shouldn't go ahead and book their ticket for the next round.

Up in England, Tottenham Hotspur really needed a good result against SL Benfica if they had any hope of turning what has been an underwhelming season around. They were unsuccessful in their attempt. Despite 10% less possession, the Portuguese had double the goal-scoring opportunities and almost three times as many efforts that actually tested Hugo Lloris in Spurs' goal. By the numbers, it was only a matter of time before one of those shots found their way in. Turns out, it was Rodrigo who gave Benfica a 0-1 lead at White Hart Lane in the 30th minute. Many of the home fans were probably happy to go in at the half just one down, however the second half quickly saw the English sides situation worsen: Benfica's captain and veteran defender Luisao struck home in the 58th minute to make it 0-2. Christian Eriksen did claw one back for Spurs, but 6 minutes before the end of the game Luisao struck again to bring him level with fellow-veteran Lima at the top of the club's scoring list for the year. Trouble is on the horizon for Tottenham if their performance doesn't improve on the road!

Welcoming Russian minnows Anji Makhachkala to the Netherlands was a positive start to the two-legged tie for Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, though they made it as difficult as possible for themselves. Despite 63% of possession, AZ could only score through Aron Johannsson's penalty in the 29th minute. Counter-intuitively, Anji were actually the side with more opportunities, roughly double the amount that the Netherlands' final representative in the Europa League tallied. Frankly, if there had been as many goals as there were cards handed out, it would have been a much better game in my opinion. Having said that, I hope Anji play with a similar style at home; they just might win it! If goalie Esteban isn't on form in Russia, I would hope the members of Anji's relatively unknown squad are able to connect and create something beautiful. A place in the next round may be asking a little much, but if the Russians can keep Johann Gudmundsson and Nick Viergever off of their games, anything is possible - they just need some goals.

French side Lyon's game with the Czech Republic's Viktoria Plzen was an understandably more one-sided affair: the gulf in class was just too great. Although Plzen did deliver a slap to the face with their 2nd minute goal through Tomas Horava, it was in all likelihood a fluke with Lyon going on to dominate possession with 62% of the ball and scoring a total of four times for a 4-1 final scoreline. Gueida Fofana equalized for the French in the 12th minute, a situation remained until 8 minutes after the half-time break. Then, it was Alexandre Lacazette who struck in the 53rd minute before Arnold Mvuemba tacked on a third in the 61st. Just to cement their commanding position, Fofana gave Lyon their fourth goal in the 70th minute to leave Plzen tangled in the ropes going into the second leg. A Czech comeback would probably require the return of Matus Kozacik though the aged back-line is not doing them any favors. It would be great to see some more goals from Milan Petrzela, Stanislav Tecl, Daniel Kolar, or even Tomas Horava, but I doubt any such goals would be anything more than a consolation prize.

Down in Spain, Sevilla versus Real Betis was a domestic encounter on the international stage that saw the hosts fall flat on their face. With 70% of possession, Sevilla lost their heads after Leo Baptistao's 15th minute goal gave the visitors the lead. The number of yellow cards that were accrued by Betis may cause them to be more cautious in the second leg, but a second goal from Salva Sevilla (yes, that is his name; Sevilla may well be kicked out courtesy of Sevilla) in the 77th minute ironed out who was on top. Honestly though, there is no reason why Sevilla (the club, not the player) should just bow out with a whimper. Kevin Gameiro, Vitolo, and Diego Perotti should produce something in the return fixture as Sevilla play regularly in league competition at home to Real Betis. Based solely on today's performance though, I would say Beto should perhaps be rested for the next match and replaced by Javier Varas in goal while I guess I don't see why Daniel Carrico wasn't started.

Finally, another domestic rivalry played out on the world stage: Juventus against Fiorentina! It was a story of two halves with hosts Juve dominating the first after Arturo Vidal gave them the lead in the 3rd minute of the match. Then the Chilean went on to miss what could well have been at least two more goals, providing the visitors with the half-time break to draw up a strategy to take the game to the Bianconeri. Surprisingly, it was Mario Gomez who struck for Fiorentina, in the 79th minute, to make it a 1-1 game as the final whistle blew 13 minutes later. Let's see if the German can make some more goals like that in Brazil! Nothing against the Fiorentina side, but Juventus should just have too much in the bag to get kicked out just like that. Expect an explosive return leg, perhaps an Andrea Pirlo assist, goals from either Pablo Osvaldo, Arturo Vidal or Fernando Llorente (if he plays). Without Giorgio Chiellini the back line does look somewhat less formidable, but with Gianluigi Buffon in goal and a number of talented defenders to call on, Juve are still in this. Have a great weekend!

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!

International Friendlies 3/5/2014!

Building up the excitement as we approach the 2014 World Cup, France have ended the Netherlands' run of 17 matches unbeaten in competition. Scoring through Karim Benzema and Blaise Matuidi, the 2-0 scoreline was well-deserved after a poor showing from the Dutch side. Meanwhile, Ukraine were able to keep a clean sheet against the United States in addition to scoring twice against the Americans. Courtesy of Andriy Yarmolenko and Marko Devic, the Ukrainians were able to put aside the troubles sweeping their nation for a time and provide a stunning performance in Cyprus against a quality - though defensively questionable - U.S. team. As for Argentina-Romania, the South Americans will be hoping that their performances improve in time for the tournament in Brazil: a 0-0 scoreline was a salute to the Eastern Europeans' defensive solidarity but left many doubts over the Argentine goal-getting capability. England's game with Denmark was a close affair though the British were finally able to get their noses in front through a phenomenal performance by Daniel Sturridge after Denmark's keeper, Kasper Schmeichel, had kept a clean sheet for much of the match single-handedly. Playing in Madrid, Spain were able to notch a 1-0 victory over Italy thanks to Pedro's 2nd half goal. One of the most riveting matches was arguably that between Portugal and Cameroon where the visitors performed admirably in the 1st half only to get clobbered in the 2nd. Vincent Aboubakar gave Cameroon the lead but Cristiano Ronaldo equalized accounts just before the half-time break. Ronaldo went on to score a second while Raul Meireles, Fabio Coentrao, and Edinho each contributed to the 5-1 final score. Two more games now. Germany's date with Chile was an awkward affair, the Europeans winning through with a solitary goal from Mario Gotze in the 1st half. I would like to note that the uniforms the Germans wore seemed a little strange to me, feel free to leave your own comment on them but I prefer the predominately white jersey. Last but not least, Belgium versus Ivory Coast! The hosts went into the half-time break leading due to Marouane Fellaini's goal though I would say the 2nd half is where the action really started. Belgium's midfielder Radja Nainggolan made it two for the Europeans while Didier Drogba reminded us why he is better than many of the younger players with a goal. Max Gradel also scored for the Ivorians making it a 2-2 final score. Great games all around, best of luck to the teams as they continue their preparations for Brazil!

World Cup Run-Up Friendlies!

Fascinating fixtures coming up soon with the contenders for the World Cup set to take the stage in a couple months. Spain are testing some new line-ups out in their match with Italy with Juan Mata and David Villa both benched to allow for Diego Costa's entrance into the side. As for the Azzuri, both Balotelli and De Rossi are out of contention due to injury and disciplinary issues respectively. Germany vs Chile should be another interesting encounter with the Europeans unknowns such as Pierre-Michel Lasogga, Shkodran Mustafi, Andre Hahn, and Matthias Ginter. Bastian Schweinsteiger should also appear. As for Chile, it would be great to see an attacking showing from the South Americans with the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Eduardo Vargas, and Arturo Vidal. I'll be returning to this subject later but I have to take off now, just keep the following on your radar: Belgium against the Ivory Coast, Portugal versus Cameroon, Mexico take on Nigeria, France fight the Netherlands, England hope for a win against Denmark, Austria stand against Uruguay, and the United States travels to take on Ukraine. If those line-ups don't make you salivate you are no soccer fan!

Domestic Round-up: Where the Leagues Stand After a Thrilling Weekend - 3/2/2014

Brilliant games around the world this week as most leaders continued their dominance, increasing their margins over their nearest rivals. Spain was a notable exception to this case as Real Madrid were only able to keep a one point cushion after Atletico Madrid - who sit in third with 61 points - were able to tie with their cross-town rivals 2-2. One point behind Real, in second place, are Barcelona who have 63 points after a 4-1 victory over Almeria this weekend. Besides these three though, the league title appears to be out of the reach of fourth position Athletic Club who have 50 points. Villarreal occupy fifth position with 44 points while Real Sociedad are hot on their heels and seventh position Sevilla have 38 to their name. Over to Portugal where, after many years of dominance by the northern side Porto, Benfica have claimed the top spot with 52 points. Their rivals Sporting Lisbon sit second with 47 while the dragons of Porto hold third with 43. Estoril is still in the title race with 39 points in fourth while it is a slightly longer shot that CD Nacional or Vitoria - in fifth and sixth respectively with 34 and 30 points - could challenge. North now to France where Paris Saint-Germain are eight points clear at the top of the table with 64 points to the good. Monaco are in second with 56 points while LOSC Lille are in third with a lot on their plate: Saint Etienne are in fourth with 48 while Marseille and Lyon have 43 and 42 respectively. Stade de Reims are in seventh with 42 meaning the next round or two of games will go a long way to determining who ends up having a chance at taking a swing at either PSG or Monaco. East now, in Germany, Bayern Munich are twenty points clear at the top of the Bundesliga. Dortmund are the side in second with 45 while Bayer Leverkusen are in third with 43. Schalke meanwhile, who have played a style of football that can only be described as abominable, somehow sit in fourth with Wolfsburg and Mainz particularly close to overtaking them. Down in Italy, Juventus are the side that are looking most likely to win Serie A this time around. While Bayern are without a doubt the team with the largest cushion, Juve have amassed an eleven point gap between themselves and closest pursuers Roma, who have 58 points. Napoli sit third with 52 while Fiorentina, Inter Milan, and Parma sit in the forties. Finally, to the north where England has seen Chelsea cement their position with 63 points. Both Liverpool and Arsenal have 59 while Manchester City have 57 and Spurs hold 53. United are in the top seven though, right under sixth place Everton who have 48 points from 27 matches played. Finally, and I know you are all concerned about this one, Celtic of Scotland have collected a grand total of 75 points from 28 games, losing just once and drawing thrice. Aberdeen and Motherwell are their closest competition - in second and third - though the bhoys should feel secure in their position. Dundee United and Inverness round out the top five with 44 each. Keep following and I hope you got to catch some of the games!