Champion's League Semifinal Preview

This week marks the start of the Champion's League semi finals. 3 of 4 of the teams I predicted to be here have made it with the only exception being Manchester United (not complaining at all). On Wednesday, Bayern Munich play host to Lyon and on Tuesday Barcelona will play Inter Milan at the San Siro.

Barcelona have been forced to travel by bus to Italy due to the volcanic ash from Iceland. I don't really see this as being a problem and I know Barca will not use it as an excuse. That being said it does give Inter a slight advantage. That aside, Barca will be with out Iniesta through injury and Abidal has not been given the all clear to play though he is traveling with the team. I expect the Barca line up to be Valdes in goal; Maxwell, Puyol or Milito, Pique, and Alves on the back line; Xavi, Busquests, and either Toure for a more defensive approach or Kieta in the mid; and Messi, Ibra, and Pedro up top. Expect Barca to try to maintain possession and limit opportunities for Inter. Inter would love a 0-0 draw or a 1-0 win but Barca will push for that precious away goal and would not be upset with any scoring draw or a one goal loss (2-1, 3-2, etc). Obviously a win would be very welcomed but seems unlikely. Inter will play with Diego Milito up top (yes, brother to Gabi Milito of Barcelona) with Eto'o, Sniejder, and Pandev in an attacking mid role to try to counter. I think Barca will push the whole game like they always do and Inter will try to counter attack. I see this one very tight and would not be surprised with a low scoring draw or Inter win.

Lyon take on Bayern in the other semi. Bayern will probably be slight favorites in this tie though my prediction is for Lyon to get through. With Ribery and Robben on the wings, Bayern will be hard to stop but they also showed they can have give up a fair few goals themselves. This game should also be very tight and I expect Bayern to win but not by much. Lyon with the help of Hugo Lloris in goal will stay close. Lisandro Lopez has served his suspension and will be back ready to go. I think this one could end up 2-1 Bayern.

Hope you enjoy the games tomorrow and wednesday!

When is it bad to Win???

When you don't win by enough, thats the answer. Both Man U and Bordeaux won yesterday in the second leg of their quarterfinals ties but didn't do enough to advance. Bordeaux scored late in the first half through Chamakh but couldn't find the net again and won the game 1-0 but lost the tie 3-2 on aggregate which sees Lyon move on. Man U, down 2-1 on aggregate after the first leg, scored 2 early goals and then scored a third late in the first half and seemed to be cruising and in complete control. Up 4-2 on aggregate, Man U would have to allow 2 goals for Bayern to get back in the match. Well 2 minutes after Nani's second goal and Man U being up 3-0 and me thinking it was all over, Olic scored from a seemingly innocent play. However, United, thinking they had this in the bag, let down and Olic out muscled a defender and then beat Van der Sar to give the Germans hope. Early in the second half the Germans got another bit of hope and Rafael was sent off for his second yellow. Both fouls were definite cardable offenses and were both stupid fouls. Up a man, Bayern got more adventurous and pushed forward getting more pressure on the United goal. Finally in the 74th minute Ribery hit a floated corner perfectly to the back edge of the box where Arjen Robben was waiting. Robben hit the ball on the full volley into the lower corner and Van der Sar had no chance. Bayern held on and lost the game 3-2 but the aggregate was now 4-4 and due to the away goals rule Bayern move on and Man U lose out meaning there will be no English sides in the semis.

I waited to write this because I wanted to hear what the United people would say first and then respond to it. Well I was right and the United people, like always, complained about the loss and the ref and the Bayern players. Sir Alex Ferguson called the Bayern players "typically German" saying that they persuaded the ref to give the second yellow and that they deliberately fouled Rooney. Well Fergie, you are being your "typical" self and blaming everyone but yourself, you Scottish prick. Your tactics and your teams inability to hold a lead is the problem. Yes the Bayern players did surround the ref after Rafael's second foul but he deserved the yellow as he pulled Ribery back after he had be beaten. This foul wouldn't have been so bad had Rafael not retaliated STUPIDLY in the first half and got a stupid first yellow. Blame your own player or the fact that you didn't take him out Fergie, not the ref. Next he said that the Bayern players deliberately fouled Rooney. Well first off Rooney should not have been on the field a week after a bad ankle sprain. Secondly, yes the Bayern players kicked his ankle a few times... WHEN HE HAD THE FUCKING BALL. It just so happens that the other team will try to tackle the ball away from your team Fergie, and Rooney's ankle is near the ball so yes it will get hit. And finally, of course you test his ankle if you are a Bayern player and we all know your tactics and you would have done the exact same thing if the positions were reversed Fergie. The people to blame are yourself, for not having the right tactics and not make the right substitutions, and your players, for not holding onto a lead IN EITHER GAME. So mister Sir Alex Ferguson, step up and be a man and take the loss like a man and take the blame you deserve... oh and GO FUCK YOURSELF you hypocritical prick

Messi Master Class sees Barca meet Inter in the semi's

Leo Messi scored 3 goals in 21 minutes in the first half to end Arsenal's Champion's League dream this year. To be honest, Barca were poor in the first half and Arsenal rightly took the lead in the 18th minute. Barca seemed uninterested and lazy at first but Messi saved them. To be fair, Arsenal were unlucky on Messi's first two goals as the ball didn't bounce their way but the class with which Messi finished was second to none. The first bounced around the top of the box, landed on his left foot and then was rocketed into the back of the net. The second came a few minutes later as Messi played Abidal in on the left who then crossed, poorly, into the box. The ball was deflected then nudged back by Pedro to Messi who took one touch around a defender then finished cooly with his right. Arsenal continued to press and, though having less possession they looked the more controlled side. However, Vermaelen went for a header he shouldn't have as there was no cover behind him. The ball fell to Keita who headed Messi into space. Messi then performed his best finish as he cheekily chipped Almunia for his third and for a 3-1 Barcelona lead. The second half showed a more controlled Barca as they held the lead and kept Arsenal from having any real threat on goal. Then with 2 minutes left Xavi played Messi through again, and then he beat 2 defenders before having his first shot saved right back to him and then put it between Almunia's legs for his fourth. I would have preferred to see him play Keita through on this play but it is the strikers perogative to go to goal as he did. Barcelona will face Inter in the next round as Jose Mourinho's men won 1-0 in Moscow through a Wesley Sneijder goal (I believe Real Madrid are wishing they had not sold him).

Previewing the Second Leg of the Quarters

This week gives us the return legs of the quarter finals of this years Champion's League. We will see who the top 4 teams in Europe are this year and who will meet in the semi's.

Inter Milan @ CSKA Moscow... Inter held serve at home with a 1-0 winner through Diego Milito's second half goal. A 1-0 lead means this tie is very much in doubt, but it should be noted that Italian sides are famous for winning 1-0 at home and holding on to a nil-nil draw on the road to advance. These teams usually "park the bus" and have 10 men behind the ball at all times, but I do not see Inter or Jose Mourinho taking this tactic. I expect to see Inter play just like they did on the road against Chelsea and push forward in attack and defend strongly when needed. CSKA will be able to play at home in the second leg and many European teams have trouble traveling to Russia in the Champion's League. CSKA also didn't "park the bus" at the San Siro and looked dangerous at times in the attack. They had a few chances and could have scored that important away goal but just didn't manage it. With Necid, Honda, Krasic, and Mamaev in attack, this team can score goals. They also move the ball very well and pass and keep the ball well in very tight quarters. Their one touch passing can open up quick spacing for them and give them opportunities to score. In the end I see this game ending 1-1 with CSKA opening the scoring, Inter leveling early in the second half and then fighting furiously at the end to get the other goals necessary to move on but only getting 1.

Arsenal @ Barcelona... Barca saw a late come back from Arsenal mean they only got a draw at the Emirates stadium in London. The big news in this return leg are the players who will miss out. Barcelona saw Pique and Puyol, their two first choice center backs, get suspended for this game which means Gabi Milito will pair along side either Rafa Marquez, most likely, or Dmytro Chigrynskiy. Eric Abidal is back healthy and may play but Andres Iniesta is still out thru injury and goal scorer, Zlatan Ibrahmiavic, will also miss out with a calf problem. Arsenal will be without captain Cesc Fabregas through suspension and injury while Gallas, Arshavin, and Song will all miss thru injury. Arsenal, who were already having problems in defense against Barca, will be without 2 center backs and will most likely have to start Sol Campbell who isn't preferred because of his age and speed. In the game, Arsenal must score at the Camp Nou and they must win. A draw of 3-3 or more will send Arsenal through as well. A 1-0 victory is what Arsenal will be playing for but that means they must keep Barca from scoring which does not seem likely. I expect Arsenal to look for a goal on the counter attack in the first half and if they don't get then they will start to push forward later. In the end I see Barca taking this game and this tie. and 2-1 victory or more seems likely as Barca looked great at the weekend while playing a lot of younger non-starters and Arsenal need a late goal to win over a 10 man side.

Bayern Munich @ Manchester United.. The big news in this game is that Wayne Rooney may not make a surprise return to the lineup, though I don't see that happening. With Wayne Rooney out, Man U lost at the weekend to Chelsea and may have lost the Premier league title as well. Man U lost 2-1 at Bayern which means they must score at least once and with Rooney out this could be difficult. Berbatov just hasn't seemed like scoring in any game I have seen but hopefully for Man U he can. Bayern will get Arjen Robben and Bastian Schweinstiger back for the game which will make them even more potent in attack. I honestly think that Bayern will be able to get a 1-1 draw at Man U and move on to the semi's. The only real reason for this is because of Rooney being out and I see Man U having a hard time scoring.

Lyon @ Bordeaux... This was the second most exciting game last week and saw Lyon take a 3-1 advantage at home. Bordeaux could easily have scored more but didn't manage to and now need a minimum of 2-0 victory to move on. Give the poor play in defense for both sides this outcome could easily happen but I see more goals than this. A possible 4-2 game is likely which would see Lyon move on but I personally see it ending 3-2 and Lyon moving on. No major players will be missing out in this game and it should be fun to watch again.

If these results do happen then we would see a Lyon-Bayern Munich and an Inter-Barcelona semi finals.

Arsenal Grab 2 Late Goals to Square the Tie

Barcelona and Arsenal played to a 2-2 draw in the first leg of the Champion's League Quarterfinal. Barcelona came out from the start pressing hard and nearly scoring within the first minute. Almunia had four great reaction saves to keep Barcelona out. Barcelona had 70% of the possession in the first half and should have been 3 up at half. However, the half ended nil-nil. William Gallas and Andrey Arshavin were both forced out in the second half thru injury and Gallas definitely looks like he had the more serious one and wont be playing in the second leg. The other big story was Cesc picking up a yellow for a silly challenge though it was a harsh yellow which will see him miss the next leg.

The second half start brilliantly for Barcelona with Xavi finding Zlatan Ibrahimavic in acres of space and Ibra cooly floating the ball over Almunia into the net. Almunia can definitely be blamed for this one as he started to come out then decided to stay in and was caught in between but it was a brilliant finish from the Swede. Barcelona continued to control and Xavi found Ibra in space again in a nearly identical play with Ibra finishing in the top netting for his double and a Barcelona 2-0 lead. The game and entire tie seemed over as Barcelona had the 2 away goals. However, Theo Walcott was introduced and had an immediate impact causing problems down the right and finally finishing to get Arsenal back in the game. Arsenal started to gain confidence and took control and leveled the game at two after Cesc was brought down in the box by Puyol. The cross came in from Walcott and was deflected to Bedtner who headed to Cesc who was then impeded by Puyol. Puyol received a straight red for this and will miss the return leg as well. Pique will also miss the next leg due to his yellow which also looked harsh. Cesc finished the penalty and looked to hurt his knee. He hobbled on the rest of the way but will be out for a while it looks like.

Personally I would have to say Barca deserved better but in the end didn't finish well enough to get the win. This tie could have been over 20 minutes into the game if not for Almunia. Arsenal took their chances well and finished them.

The return leg will be on Tuesday at the Camp Nou. I fully expect Barcelona to move on since Arsenal have to win or score at least 2 in the Nou Camp which is difficult to do. However, both Pique and Puyol will miss out and Iniesta looks to miss the next match as well. Cesc and Gallas will both be missing for Arsenal and Arshavin may miss as well. Seeing how much Barcelona dominated the game and controlled the game I expect more of the same.

I do want to say that I am disappointed in Messi. He looked uninterested most of the game and only had 2 good chances both in the first 20 minutes. After that he had touches but nothing that looked dangerous. I expect better from him in the second leg. I also have to say that Barcelona would have much preferred this game to end 2-0 for more reasons than advancing but also because they play Real Madrid on the 11th. Winning 2-0 at the Emirates would have allowed Barcelona to possibly rest some players before that clash.

In other news, Wayne Rooney has a sprained ankle and will with next weeks game against Bayern Munich

Bayern and Lyon Grab Advantage

A couple really fun and exciting games to watch today. Lyon beat Bordeaux 3-1 and Bayern scored a injury time goal to beat the Red Devils 2-1. I applaud both away teams for trying to get forward and attack instead of playing like Chelsea and "parking the bus".

I saw the Lyon-Bordeaux game first and what a game it was. To the neutral observer this was a fun game to watch. An early goal from Lisandro Lopez gave Lyon the lead which was nullified 4 minutes later by Marouane Chamakh heading home. It looked like he might have pushed off on Cris to gain the advantage but there was no call and the match was square. Both teams, who have had strong defensive records coming into the game, gave up many opportunities. The goals were more due to poor defending than great attacking. The second Lyon goal came from Michel Bastos. A Bordeaux player missed a clearing header, Bastos took the ball, moved it to his left boot and then laced one into the corner. The attacking and chances continued for both teams. Chamakh had another chance with his head that he should have scored and Lyon could have put another couple in the net but failed to do so. The final goal came by way of a penalty. Lopez finished for his second of the game and gave Lyon the 3-1 advantage going into the second leg at Bordeaux. The tie is not over at all but Bordeaux must win by 2 at a minimum. I expect Bordeaux to come out attacking which could lead the space behind the mid and defense and to a Lyon goal which could really mess things up for Bordeaux. Lyon looks tough.

In the second game Bayern scored two late goals to pull a reverse of 1999 and the 2-1 win. Rooney scored within the first minute as he left his defender on a free kick and tapped in from close range. Man U also came out and attacked and made the game very open and fun to watch. Bayern controlled possession most of the game but couldn't score until Ribery scored off a deflected free kick. United didn't look great but still managed to get forward and create chances. Olic scored the final goal as he found Ferdinand and Vidic not paying attention and took it off them and then finished cooly to give Bayern the win. This gives Bayern the slight advantage in the tie and a nil-nil game in Manchester would give Bayern the tie. But holding United from scoring is hard to do. However, Rooney limped off at the end of the game with an ankle injury. There is no word on the extent of the injury but seeing as the game is in 8 days and how his ankle rolled I don't think he will be 100% fit. That being said, Rooney is tough and will try to get in the game if he can. Him not being fully fit though can cause problems as he seems to be the only United player who can score. The tie is very much still up in the air.

Tomorrow Barcelona travel to London to play Arsenal while CSKA Moscow travel to Milan to take on Inter Milan.

Mourinho defeats former team as Moscow moves into the quarters

Jose Mourinho led Inter Milan against his former team, Chelsea, in the round of 16 clash. Mourinho says he never loses at Stanford Bridge and he was right in this case as Samuel Eto'o scored late to give the win and round tie to Inter. Chelsea were unable to reverse the first leg 2-1 defeat at the San Siro. All they needed was to score and keep Inter out of the net and they would have moved on. However, they were unable to find the back of the net and can now only focus on the Premiership.

Chelsea never really looked like scoring the entire game and seemed to be on the back foot to a surprisingly attacking Inter. Italian teams are well known for taking a lead into the second leg of the tie and then sitting back and "parking the bus" to win the tie. Mourinho, however, isn't a manager who likes to sit back and started an attacking team with the intention of playing to win. I applaud Mourinho for this action as it leads to more positive soccer and more enjoyable soccer. And I am especially happy to see this done against Chelsea who are known for their "anti-football" defensive style that they displayed last year against Barcelona.

Inter came close a few times but finally found the mark in the 79th minute with a great thru ball from Sneijder to Eto'o who brought the down perfectly and then slotted the ball in the near post with his next touch. A great goal from a great goal-scorer who didn't have a particularly good game up to that point. Sneijder was great the entire game and who the orchestrator of everything that Inter did.

Drogba once again ended a Champion's League season in shame as he was sent off for a second yellow cardable offense late. Last year he along with Ballack were shamed for their actions after being ousted in the semi's. Drogba's second offense didn't look as bad but I can understand where the ref was coming from.

In the other game, CSKA Moscow defeated Sevilla 2-1 on the road to secure a quarterfinal spot. Sevilla seemed to be in control of the tie after drawing 1-1 in Moscow and grabbing that all, and seemingly, important away goal. However, CSKA Moscow opened the scoring with a clinical finish by Necid. Sevilla equalized almost immediately thru Perotti. This 1-1 scoreline would have lead to extra time but early in the second half Moscow scored again from a freekick. Honda, the played not the car, ripped a free kick that should have been punched away but the keeper fumbled it and it bounced off his hands into his own net. Sevilla was unable to find a good attack in the last half hour now needing two goals to move to the quarters. They brought on all their attacking options but couldn't score.

In the end, Moscow got pretty dirty making very late tackles and were rightly shown many yellow cards. I don't like this tactic as it is bad for soccer and could lead to injuries but it worked. It was a sloppy game the whole time but worked out in the end for Moscow. They join Inter, Man U, Lyon, Arsenal, and Bayern in the quarters.

The last two games are Stuttgart at Barcelona and Olympiacos at Bordeaux. The draw to see who plays who in the next rounds will be held on friday.