UEFA Champions League Results and Discussion Thread

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

Wednesday 5th November 2008
Venue: Emirates Stadium
Kick-off: 19:45

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has accused Stoke defenders Rory Delap and Ryan Shawcross of deliberately injuring

Theo Walcott and Emmanuel Adebayor.

Both were hurt by tackles during the Potters' 2-1 win at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday and will miss Wednesday night's Champions League clash against Fenerbahce at the Emirates Stadium.

Walcott has a chance of recovering from a shoulder injury in time for the visit of Manchester United on Saturday but Adebayor is unlikely to be able to face the champions.

Wenger said: "I read that my team were not brave.

"All I can say is they are brave and, for me, you need to have more courage to play football when you know that someone is tackling you from behind without any intention to play the ball.

"The only intention is to hurt you and I can show some tackles where I can prove what I say. The one who is tackling is not the brave one. For me the brave one is the player who is trying to play football.

"It happened at the weekend. Do you think Delap tried to play the ball when he tackled Walcott? Or that Shawcross tried to play the ball when he tackled Adebayor off the pitch. All the players have been injured deliberately.

"I am not ready to listen to things that are completely untrue and make people who are cowards, for me, look brave."

The Frenchman was also adamant it was not the first time opponents had hurt his players with reckless challenges, with the badly-broken leg Eduardo suffered against Birmingham last season the most notable example.

Defender Bacary Sagna was also hurt against Stoke and had been receiving treatment on an ankle injury in a bid to be fit for Wednesday.

Wenger added: "Do you want me to tell you the players we have lost here? Diaby, deliberate foul from behind, Rosicky, deliberate foul, Eduardo, deliberate foul. Now we lose Walcott, deliberate foul, and we have lost Sagna - deliberate foul on him."

Wenger's side sit top of Champions League Group G having beaten Fenerbahce 5-2 in Istanbul following a four-goal demolition of Porto in north London.

The Frenchman was keen to wrap up qualification to the next stage as quickly as possible so he could concentrate on keeping his best players ready for Premier League action.

He said: "I believe that once you qualify in the Champions League you can be completely focused and if needed, rest some players in the Champions League.

"That is why for us, it is important to qualify as quickly as possible, especially as we didn't win our last game. We had two bad experiences recently and that is why it is important to come back to winning ways and to qualify."

Captain William Gallas also misses out on Wednesday but could return from his hamstring injury in time for the United game. Emmanuel Eboue's knee problem makes him a less likely weekend returnee however.

In contrast to the Gunners, Luis Aragones' Fener lie bottom of Group G having collected only one point so far.

The visitors will have to do without Alex on Wednesday after the captain sustained a right thigh strain at the weekend.

Emre Belozoglu (hamstring) and Onder Turacy (ankle) also remain sidelined for the Turkish side.

Uruguay defender Diego Lugano and Turkey attacking midfielder Selcuk Sahin are a booking away from a suspension.

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

Wednesday 5th November 2008
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu
Kick-off: 19:45

Ruud van Nistelrooy will be available for Real Madrid when the Spanish outfit welcome Juventus to the Bernabeu.

Van Nistelrooy has been absent since picking up a knee injury in Madrid's 2-1 defeat to Juve in Turin a fortnight ago, but has been named in a 19-man squad for the Champions League Group H clash.

Madrid will be delighted to have the prolific Dutchman back in their ranks after suffering a string of indifferent results in recent weeks.

Since losing to Juve, Madrid have also suffered a shock Copa del Rey loss at the hands of third divisions Real Union and were also held to a 1-1 draw at Almeria at the weekend.

Their only victory in that time came with a narrow 3-2 home win against Athletic Bilbao, and the two-time reigning Spanish champions know they can ill afford another below-par performance when Juve come to town.

Juve had failed to win any of their previous five matches heading into the home meeting with Madrid, but they are now on a four-match winning streak in all competitions and sit top of Group H on seven points, one ahead of Wednesday's hosts.

Madrid coach Bernd Schuster said on Tuesday: "I think the Juventus match is going to be difficult. They showed how they can cause us problems in the first leg. We'll try not to make the same mistakes tomorrow and take a big step towards the next round.

"Their win over us helped put them on track and they are picking up good results and morale must be high."

He added: "We were hurt by the defeat because we had many chances to draw the game. It is a defeat which will help motivate us to gain revenge tomorrow and, above all, return to the top of the group."

With regards to Van Nistelrooy, Schuster admitted he has not yet decided whether the former Manchester United hitman will start the match.

"Ruud feels very good but we don't yet know what we are going to do," he said. "It is going to be a very tough match from the outset, so we don't know if he is going to start the match."

Veteran defender Michel Salgado also returns for Madrid but Javi Garcia, Christoph Metzelder, Jordi Codina and Miguel Torres are all out.

Midfielder Ruben de la Red is still absent as he continues his recovery after being hospitalised following his collapse during last Thursday's cup defeat.

Juventus star Amauri, who scored Juve's second in their last meeting, is hoping for a similar result on his first trip to the Bernabeu.

"We are on the up and about to go into a beautiful game," he said. "It won't be easy but in the past few games we have done well and we are ready to go play for victory even in the Bernabeu.

"It's my first time at the Bernabeu, for me it's an entirely new emotion. But I am sure that I won't feel any tension and I hope to do well.

"We want to repeat the first game, and to do so we have to go onto the pitch 100% focused and play as we have done in the past few games."

Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri has a selection headache with Gianluigi Buffon, Jorge Andrade, Jonathan Zebina, Cristiano Zanetti, David Trezeguet, Christian Poulsen, Hasan Salihamidzic, Dario Knezevic and Zdenek Grygera all injured.

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

Wednesday 5th November 2008
Venue: Artemio Franchi
Kick-off: 19:45

Fiorentina welcome back striker Alberto Gilardino for Wednesday's Champions League clash against Bayern Munich following his two-match suspension in Italy.

Gilardino's absence has hindered the Viola, who lost 1-0 at Siena at the weekend having previously held Internazionale to a goalless result in Florence.

But the 26-year-old is back for Wednesday's vital clash in Europe's premier club competition and will be looking to fire the Florence outfit to their first victory.

"This is a game we must win if we want to qualify," said Gilardino, whose team lies third in Group F having collected just two points from three matches.

"We need at least seven points in our next three games."

The Italian side are aware of the challenge they face against a Bayern team that beat them 3-0 in their last encounter two weeks ago and are five points clear of the Viola.

"Against Bayern we will need to play an almost perfect game," said Gilardino of the encounter against the pool leaders.

"We will need to show the same determination that we displayed in the second half against them in Munich."

Former Fiorentina frontman Luca Toni will miss the game with a rib injury, but Gilardino believes his absence will not hamper the Bundesliga giants.

"Luca is strong but Bayern have plenty of strong players," he said. "They have Miroslav Klose, Franck Ribery and Lukas Podolski, who are very dangerous."

Gilardino is set to lead Fiorentina's attack alongside Adrian Mutu, who has recovered from a knee injury in time for the encounter at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

"I saw an improved Adrian against Siena," said Gilardino. "He is determined to play against Bayern.

"I hope he will be 100% fit because he can make the difference."

The good news for the Viola is that defender Juan Vargas has recovered from a muscular injury and will be available for selection.

Bayern, though, will be focused on the prospect of booking their place in the last 16.

Should the Bavarians win in Florence and Lyon draw with or beat Steaua Bucharest, Jurgen Klinsmann's side will ensure their passage into the knockout phase of the Champions League with two games to spare.

Even a draw would leave them on the verge of qualification, but midfielder Franck Ribery does not intend to settle for a point.

"Fiorentina will be very engaged and aggressive in the game and so we have to do that too," said the France international, whose three goals in the past three Bundesliga games have moved Bayern up to third in the table.

"Even if a point is enough in Florence, we want to win."

Striker Lukas Podolski, whose days at the club appear to be numbered after he was left out of the starting XI for Bayern's 3-1 win over Arminia Bielefeld at the weekend, may be given another chance on Wednesday.

General manager Uli Hoeness confirmed in Kicker magazine that he has received enquiries for the 23-year-old, who he says "thinks about Cologne, Cologne, Cologne all of the time".

Philipp Lahm is out after having an operation on his foot.

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

Lyon 2-0 Steaua Bucuresti

Juninho 43:57
Reveillere 88:18

AaB 2-2 Villarreal

Curth 53:23
Due 80:29

Rossi 40:35
Franco 74:40

Fiorentina 1-1 Bayern Munich

Mutu 9:55

Borowski 77:25

Real Madrid 0-2 Juventus

Del Piero 16:41
Del Piero 66:15

Arsenal 0-0 Fenerbahce

Celtic 1-1 ManUtd

McDonald 12:59

Giggs 83:45

Tuesday 4th November 2008

Marseille 3-0 PSV

Kone 29:05
Niang 62:51
Niang 70:51

Anorthosis Famagusta 3-3 Inter Milan

Bardon 30:27
Bardon 45:00(0:54)
Frousos 49:05

Balotelli 13:10
Materazzi 44:07
Cruz 80:19

Barcelona 1-1 Basle

Messi 61:20

Derdiyok 82:04

Werder Bremen 0-3 Panathinaikos

Mantzios 57:31
Karagounis 69:36
Tziolis 82:22

Sporting 1-0 Shakhtar Donetsk

Derlei 72:31

Liverpool 1-1 Atletico Madrid

Gerrard 90:00(4:25)

Maxi 36:57

[

CFR Cluj-Napoca 1-2 Bordeaux

Dani 9:02

Gouffran 5:14

Wendell 37:19

Roma 3-1 Chelsea

Panucci 33:35
Vucinic 47:22
Vucinic 57:24

Terry 75:00

(RC)Deco 80:02

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

Rafael Benitez is ready to send captain Steven Gerrard back into the fray with his men looking sloppy at the weekend.

Benitez insisted Steven Gerrard's absence was not the reason Liverpool dropped two points at home to Fulham on Saturday.

Gerrard missed the goalless draw at Anfield with the groin problem which also kept him out of England's clash with Germany in midweek. However, he is expected to return for the midweek Champions League tie with Marseille.

After watching his side slip up against Fulham, Benitez insisted his players must take collective responsibility.

He said: "We will always miss a player of Stevie's ability, but we did not beat Fulham because five or so players were all off form together.

"You cannot win games when that happens. He would have made a difference, yes, but it should not be an excuse.

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"He is training now and I would expect that he would be fit to play against Marseille on Wednesday."

Full-back Fabio Aurelio agreed the Reds should be able to win without Gerrard.

"We have played for two months without Fernando Torres, and that is a big loss, but managed to win matches," he said.

"We were able to handle it. And we should be able to do the same without Steven.

"Of course he is a fine player. He is approaching 10 years since his debut and he is very important for us.

"I have only been with him at Liverpool for a couple of years, but I know full well what he means to the club.

"I see him working every day in training, I see him leading the side on the pitch, and he is very, very special.

"But again we should not use as an excuse the fact that he was not playing against Fulham. It is too easy a thing to say.

"We have won games without Steven before, and we have good enough players to come into the side when he is not playing and still be able to win games."

Aurelio added: "Any side in the world would miss a player of Steven's ability and leadership. That is obvious.

"But we are finding teams now coming to Anfield and playing like Fulham did. They did not really have many chances, but teams now defend deep and in numbers.

"It is difficult to break down, but we should be able to do that with the players we have, with or without Steven."


Reflecting on the performance, Benitez added: "It was a bad day, we did not have enough energy and we did not pass the ball well enough.

"We had a situation when maybe five players were well below their best. The players who had been away with their countries looked tired.

"I know the crowd were calling for Xabi Alonso to come on, but he had played 90 minutes for Spain and we needed fresh legs.

"When he did come on Fulham pressurised him straight away. One man does not make that much difference in such circumstances, when so many other players are off form you cannot expect one player to change things."

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris claims all the pressure is on Fiorentina ahead of their Champions League clash.

The seven-time defending Ligue 1 champions lead Group F on goals scored from Bayern Munich with both sides five points clear of Fiorentina with just two games remaining.

Lloris knows Fiorentina will be desperate to stay in the qualification race with a win at the Stadio Artemio Franchi tomorrow night and believes that could work in Les Gones' favour.

He told the club's official website, www.olweb.fr: "The Italians have their backs to the wall and it will be up to them to take the game to us.

"We are in a lovely situation although it's still up to us to play to the full and show the real Lyon.

"We have to be very solid and throw ourselves forwards very quickly, create chances for ourselves and try to be as efficient as possible. We have the weapons to win there."

Lloris knows it will not be easy against a team who are currently sixth in Serie A.

"They have a good team we have to be wary of," he added.

"We know the Italians are very clever. It's up to us to remain focused and do what needs to be done."

Lloris has established himself as the number one at the Stade Gerland following his summer switch from Nice and he is enjoying the hectic fixture schedule which comes with competing on a domestic and continental stage, although he is finding it physically demanding.

He said: "For me, who is still young and who is only really starting out at the top level, it's true that it's not easy.

"There's work on and off the pitch to be done. You have to therefore be very demanding with yourself.

"After that, there's nothing but happiness to be able to play high-intensity matches like this one.

"Sometimes there's a bit of tiredness, but when there are huge matches you make up for it with excitement."

Fiorentina skipper Dario Dainelli is aware of the importance of tomorrow's clash and hopes his side can build on Saturday's 4-2 defeat of Udinese.

He told www.violachannel.tv: "It is obviously a vital game for us.

"We want to gain qualification in the Champions League and carry on the form we showed at the weekend.

"We have much enthusiasm and a lot of will to demonstrate what a good side we are."

France striker Karim Benzema will lead the Lyon attack and he is a player admired by Dainelli, who added: "He has quality although we are not just thinking about one man.

"The outcome will depend largely on our approach to the game."

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

All eyes will be on midfielder Cesc Fabregas when Arsenal take on Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League Tuesday night.

The Spain international was today promoted to the role of Gunners captain in the wake of William Gallas' controversial outburst in the build-up to Saturday's loss to Manchester City, and will get his first test as Arsenal look to wrap up progression to the next stage.

Arsenal have looked "soft" of late, too often crumbling when things go against them, and the 21-year-old Fabregas will be shouldering a big responsibility in providing leadership on the field.

Manager Arsene Wenger has come under fire for his handling of the issue, noticeably comments over the weekend that he "does not believe in leadership", and the Frenchman is now simply hoping that the matter will go away.

"I do not think I have to especially explain why I make the decisions, but it is permanent," Wenger said of Fabregas' promotion before swiftly moving on.

"We have a strong belief in our ability and we have a good opportunity to show we care about the club and that we can qualify tomorrow," he said.

"The ideal way is to play well tomorrow, to show we are united and that we have the strength to deal with it."

Arsenal will go through with a win tomorrow night, while Wenger is refusing to listen to those who have written off his side's domestic chances.

"We can qualify tomorrow, and that is what we want to do. From then on, we have a massive game on Sunday against Chelsea," he said.

"We know for us to have a chance in the championship, we have to beat all the direct opponents.

"If we can do that, then we still have a good chance."

Dynamo head coach Yuriy Semin maintains any "problems" Arsenal may have are of no concern to his team as the Ukrainians look to dent the Gunners' Champions League ambitions.

However, Semin rejected any talk of facing a club in crisis and insists his men must focus on producing a performance themselves to build on an impressive 1-0 win in Porto last time out.

"The problems at Arsenal are their problems, it is not important to us," he said.

"What will only be good for us is to play the best game we can, and the players realise that themselves."

Former Russian coach Semin continued: "I think it will be a very difficult game.

"Our group is very difficult because everybody is gaining points and every point will be important when deciding who qualifies.

"We came here to fight, to gain access to the next round and we are prepared for that."

Arsenal have their fair share of injury concerns, with midfield pair Abou Diaby and Samir Nasri today joining the likes of Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor and England winger Theo Walcott in the treatment room.

Nevertheless, Semin has done his homework on just how to stop a side which when at their free-flowing best are more than a match for any in Europe.

"We have seen the games against Man City and Aston Villa," said Semin, whose side were denied an opening-match victory over Arsenal during September in Kiev following a late goal by, ironically, Gallas.

"Without a doubt we have a plan that we got after watching those games, but only the match itself will show what plan we have made from this information."

Kiev were not in action at the weekend, but remain three points clear at the top of the Ukrainian league with a game in hand on second-placed Metalist.

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[Kenpachi Zaraki]

Villarreal wants qualification from the group stages as they prepare to host Manchester Utd at the Estadio El Madrigal.
Tomorrow's result could determine who tops Group E with both sides level on eight points, but a draw would see both qualify for the knockout stages, and that would be enough for coach Manuel Pellegrini.

"It's clear that our first aim is to qualify then to be first," he said. "If we are, all the better, but if the draw qualifies us, I will be happy.

"Both teams want to be first and they're going out onto the pitch with that intention, but what's really important is to qualify which we will equally do if we are second.

"What's also certain is that if we remain first it will be a great advantage playing the second leg of the next round at home."

The last three meetings between these sides have ended in draws, but Pellegrini expects both teams to play to win.

"We're not going to go for a draw because that would be very dangerous against a side with Manchester United's potential," he continued.

"If at the end we draw and for that reason we qualify it will be a good result, but we're not thinking about that.

"I know that in the three previous meetings neither team have been capable of winning, but in this match there is an extra motivation, it will be different."

United have one foot in the next stage and manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes his squad are better equipped to try and retain crown than they were in 1999. They go into the match on the back of a 17-match unbeaten run.

He said: "We were very naive the next season. I think teams having watched us the previous season worked us out tactically.

"That took us by surprise. We should have changed but we did not and suffered.

"This season I think we have a better team and a better squad. So we can make changes tactically. I think we have improved on that score. Players grow up in Europe and become familiar with the change in the way the game is played."

Apart from Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal, Ferguson is convinced Barcelona will provide the main danger in the latter stages.

He said: "I place them alongside the English teams as possible winners. They have to be the big threat to everyone.

"Our experience of playing against them last season, they are a very difficult team to play against. They have changed their format this season.

"The English teams have established themselves as a consistent threat to all of the teams but Barcelona are a dangerous side."


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Dont Discount Real n Juve Fuckerson

[Black Widow]

Arsenal 2 Dynamo Kiev 1

Villarreal 1 Man Utd 0


thats how i think itll go

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

Wednesday 26th November 2008

Sporting 2-5 Barcelona

Veloso 64:15
Liedson 65:43
(RC)Rui Patricio

Henry 13:06
Pique 16:36
Messi 49:53
(RC)Caneira 66:56
Bojan 72:51

Shakhtar Donetsk 5-0 Basle

Jadson 31:41
Willian 49:43
Jadson 64:06
Jadson 72:01
Seleznyov 74:43

CFR Cluj-Napoca 1-3 Roma

Kone 29:14

Brighi 10:17
Totti 22:30
Brighi 63:19

Inter Milan 0-1 Panathinaikos

Sarriegi 68:36

Atletico Madrid 2-1 PSV

Simao 13:01
Maxi 27:41

Koevermans 46:32

Anorthosis Famagusta 2-2 Werder Bremen

Nicolaou 61:54
Savio 67:16

Diego 71:16
Hugo Almeida 86:56

Liverpool 1-0 Marseille

Gerrard 22:16

Bordeaux 1-1 Chelsea

Diarra 82:30

Anelka 59:35
(RC)Lampard 85:27

Tuesday 25th November 2008

Zenit St Petersburg 0-0 Juventus

BATE 0-1 Real Madrid

Raul 6:20

Villarreal 0-0 Man Utd

(RC)Capdevila 81:42

AaB 2-1 Celtic

Caca 72:22
(og)Caldwell 86:20

Robson 52:29

Bayern Munich 3-0 Steaua Bucuresti

Klose 56:22
Toni 60:29
Klose 70:41

Fenerbahce 1-2 FC Porto

Kazim-Richards 63:14

Emre 25:06

Lopez 17:59
Lopez 27:41

Arsenal 1-0 Dynamo Kiev

Bendtner 86:07

(RC)Aliev 88:09

Fiorentina 1-2 Lyon

Gilardino 44:33

Dainelli 45:00(0:21)

Makoun 14:15
Benzema 26:06