Olympiakos FC vs Paris St Germain 17.09.2013 uefa champions league

Olympiakos FC vs Paris St Germain

Uefa Champions League

Date 17.09.2013 GMT 19:45

 

The Greek champions were eliminated at the group stage in the 2012/13 competition, just one point adrift of second-placed Arsenal, despite claiming three victories in their six games.

This year presents a good opportunity for Olympiakos to progress because, while PSG are the stand-out team in Group B, Benfica and Anderlecht are beatable opposition.

Striker Javier Saviola joined Olympiakos in July and he knows the magnitude of the challenge they will face on Tuesday.

He told the club's official website: "It will be a very difficult game.

"Paris is a team that always wants to win, they are very strong offensively, playing attacking football with high-level players.

"But I believe that we have the right weapons to tackle a difficult and important game.

"I think we are well prepared and what remains is to be psychologically ready to deal with a team of the quality of PSG."

While Saviola has plenty of European experience, it will be his first Champions League game at the Karaiskakis.

"I do not know exactly what to expect," he said. "I know it will be a very special night.

"Olympiakos is known for a world that always tries to impart strength and support the team."

PSG arrive in Piraeus third in their domestic league and on the back of three straight wins.

They were agonisingly close to qualifying for the Champions League semi-finals last season, going out to Barcelona on away goals in the last eight after both games were drawn.

Lucas Moura scored the second in PSG's win against Bordeaux at the weekend and, although he acknowledged his side are perceived to be favourites, the Brazil forward was taking nothing for granted.

He told the club's official website: "There are no easy teams in the Champions League, even if we face teams assumed to be weaker than us.

"We cannot assume that it will be easy because everyone wants to win the Champions League.

"We will play every game like a final and climb the steps one by one...we will fight to be champions of Europe. "

 

LINK MATCH LIVE HERE

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Galatasaray v Real Madrid 17.09.2013 uefa champions league

Galatasaray v Real Madrid

Uefa Champions league

Date 17.09.2013 GMT 19;45

Real Madrid have been drawn in Uefa Champions League Group B and they begin their campaign with a visit to Galatasaray on Tuesday night.

 

This is another competitive looking group with Juventus also involved. Juve travel to FC Copenhagen on Tuesday night but our focus is on the game in Istanbul.

 

Galatasaray Update

Gala are unbeaten in their domestic league although after winning their opening game they have had to settle for a point in low scoring draws in their three subsequent outings. They spent upwards of Euro 20m in pre-season with Bruma from Sporting Lisbon the most expensive recruit. Drogba and Yilmaz again provide the strike power.

 

Real Madrid Update

Real are also unbeaten in the Spanish league season, winning their first matches before being held 2-2 at Villarreal at the weekend. Gareth Bale debuted on Saturday and opened the scoring, Ronaldo was also on target.

 

Champions League Pointers

Galatasaray were runners up to Manchester United in the group stage last season, recovering from a slow start with three wins in their final three group matches

 

Galatasaray reached the UCL quarter finals last season where they lost to their opponents here.

 

Real Madrid were runners up to Dortmund in the group stage last season with Manchester City and Ajax missing out from what was dubbed the “Group of Champions”.

 

Real Madrid went all the way to the semi finals of this competition last season where they lost 4-3 on aggregate to Dortmund.

 

Head to Head Form

The teams met in the quarter finals of this competition last season. Real were in total control after winning the first leg 3-0 but they were given a working over in Istanbul, eventually losing 3-2.

 

Ronaldo scored three times against Galatasaray in this competition last season

 

match live here

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FC Copenhagen vs Juventus 16.09.2013 uefa champions league

FC Copenhagen vs Juventus

UEFA Champions League 

DATE 17.09.2013 GMT 19:45

Well it’s what the professional football is all about. You have to be always on the move and get ready to face the next challenges forgetting the success or the defeat of the previous encounter. That’s how the modern football in the ultra professional world has evolved over the years. Well the reason for all this mini lecture series is because Juventus will be up against FC Copenhagen as spelled in English.

Juventus has just come off a match against the hard fighting other titans of the Italian Serie A “InterMilan” where they have performed really well and need to carry on their good effort in this match against the lesser fancied opponents from Denmark. Don’t get me wrong here as they are no mere pushovers and are definitely the highest ranked team in the terms of Scandinavian football teams being represented. They had surprised everybody when they reached the knockout stage of the Champions league for the first time. Therefore they have taste of playing with the big boys and though they would face the Italian might it would be fool hardy on the part of Juventus to take them lightly which they would presumably not.

When it comes to the team there is a lot of difference in the quality which is obvious to many however surprises are always there when it comes to the champion’s league. The team of FC Copenhagen is more of a natural quality oriented team that is more of an indigenous squad in nature. In the back of the defense the team is lead by their Danish player and leader alike Lars Jacobsen with the goalie Kim Christensen. Jacobsen has plenty of experience in playing in abroad and better league and clubs in the form of representing Rovers, Hammers (West Ham) team stripes.

The strike force comprises of theirs in the form of Fernando Adi and Vetokele who bring in the African flair in their striking prowess. However it would be a mouth watering battle when it comes to the clash against the quality Italian defense in the form of Chiellini and the modern great goalkeeper “Buffon”

As for their midfield prowess the form of Vidal and Asamoah linking up in the defense and as well the attacking capabilities will keep “Conte” very happy. The brilliant intermixing play with ball possession and counter attacking abilities is the prime weapon of Juventus which they will definitely like to use against the Danish side.

The attack of Juventus with Vucinic and Tevez looks solid and certainly menacing on paper. It has definitely got a lot of options as well with Llorente in the ranks as well and the Italian Giovinco.  However as for the side of Copenhagen they definitely have certain unknown aspects that will make things more interesting in the upcoming clash. It’s the home game for F.C. Copenhagen and the manger Solbakken will definitely have the ace up his sleeves. So the football fanatics just enjoy the game that is one the cards!

 

MATCH LIVE HERE

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Inter Milan vs Juventus 14.09.2013 serie a

Inter Milan vs Juventus
Football: Italian Serie A
Match date: 14 September 2013
Kick Off Time: 17:00 UK (BST) - 16:00 GMT - 12:00 PM EDT
Stadium: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milano 

 

Two of Serie A's early pacesetters meet on Sunday afternoon when Inter Milan play Juventus.

Inter sit second in the table after winning both of their opening games, including a 3-0 success at Catania before the international break.

Juventus have also enjoyed a perfect start to the campaign, beating Sampdoria on the opening day before comfortably seeing off Lazio 4-1 last time out.

Inter coach Walter Mazzarri is expected to retain the same XI that beat Catania, with Rodrigo Palacio in attack.

Juventus defender Martin Caceres will miss the game after being ruled out for a month with a knee injury that he picked up while on international duty with Uruguay.

Mirko Vucinic and Carlos Tevez are expected to keep their places up front after both netted in the win against Lazio.

Possible starting lineups

Inter Milan: Handanovic; Juan Jesus, Ranocchia, Campagnaro, Jonathan; Guarin, Kovacic, Cambiasso, Nagatomo; R Alvarez; Palacio

Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Pirlo, Pogba, Asamoah; Tevez, Vucinic

 

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Armenia vs Denmark 10.09.2013 Fifa World Cup 2014 - Qualifying

 

Armenia vs Denmark

Match date: 10 Sep

 

I've already been bitten twice by Armenia but I am willing to take one last chance. A look at their first eleven against Czech Republic shows that apart from Mkhitaryan and Movsisyan all other players either play in lower level leagues or are fringe players in Russia. They have however earned wins in Denmark and last weekend in Czech Republic which have given them an outside chance of getting to the playoffs. Their home form has been dismal and lost all 3 matches including a 1-0 defeat against low rated Malta.

 

Denmark were lucky to get 3 points against Malta but know that a win against Armenia will increase their playoff chances notwithstanding the fact that they still need to host Italy. Denmark has more players featuring in top European Leagues and as I did in my previous tips involving Armenia, I expect that experience will play a part towards a Denmark win.

 

I just can't see Armenia get 3 positive results in a row. I may be wrong, but having seen their defeat to Malta match I truly believe that they are a tad over-rated. Denmark are over evens to win and I am going at full stakes on this one.

 

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Scotland v Belgium 06.09.2013 World Cup Qualifier

  Scotland v Belgium
Football: World Cup Qualifier
Friday 6 September 2013 - Kick Off 8pm

Scotland

There was rightfully a lot of praise sent in the direction of Scotland after an impressive performance against England last month at Wembley, but I still believe Gordon Strachan needs more recognition for the 0-1 win in Croatia in June. It has been a long time since Scotland have qualified for a major tournament and while that won't be the case this season, Strachan will look for a high finish in the section with the hope they can have an improved draw for Euro 2016

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It was a tough start to the section that cost Craig Levein his job as the Scottish FA decided they needed a fresh approach to their team. If the team had held on to 1-0 leads in both games against Wales, they could have been comfortably in 3rd place in the Group, but those defeats leave them 5th. Scotland are 0-2-1 in their 3 home games in the Group, but they can still have a big say in the section as they host the top two teams in the last month of qualifiers

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Despite some of the positives in performances, Scotland have lost 3 of their last 4 games, although they have continued to be a very tough side to play at Hampden Park in front of their own fans. Scotland had been unbeaten in their last 8 home games before the defeat to Wales and they have only lost 5 of their last 27 games here. Aside from Wales, it has been the likes of Italy, Argentina, Netherlands and Spain that have won here in that time, and none of those teams found it easy.

David Marshall will start in goal, while George Boyd, Graham Dorrans, James Morrison, Gary Caldwell and Darren Fletcher are all missing. Kenny Miller announced his retirement last month and is also no longer available

Belgium

There would have been a sense of joy in Belgium as well as Scotland when the latter won their first game in the Group in Croatia as that leaves the former in control of the Group. There has been a lot of people tipping Belgium as a team that could potentially surprise at the next World Cup or European Championships, but they still have work to do to book their place in Brazil for next summer

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Thanks to Scotland's win in Croatia, Belgium have a three point lead in this Group, although with a big trip to Croatia still to come. The Belgians will be hoping for another favour from Serbia, who play Croatia on Friday too, to give them a little more breathing room, although the initial concern will be to keep winning their games. Belgium have won 6 of their 7 qualifiers and remain unbeaten in the section, and they have won all 3 away qualifiers without conceding a goal.

Belgium are unbeaten in their last 6 games and they have won 5 of those before a goalless draw with France last month. They have won 4 of their last 5 away games, although the other result saw them defeated by Romania

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Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelan are both ruled out for Belgium, but Jan Vertonghen is available. Fans of the Premier League in England will recognise many of the names that will likely start for Belgium on Friday.

MATCH LIVE HERE 

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Schalke beat Leverkusen for season's first win

Schalke 04 beat fellow Champions League contenders Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 on Saturday to notch their first win of the season and end their opponents' three-game winning streak.

Schalke, with this week's new signings Kevin-Prince Boateng and Dennis Aogo in the lineup, took the lead on the half-hour with Marco Hoeger's glancing header from a Jefferson Farfan free kick.

Buoyed by their midweek qualification for the Champions League group stage, Schalke were more aggressive and Boateng could have grabbed a goal on his debut but Leverkusen keeper Bernd Leno saved his header from point-blank range.

Despite controlling the game against a surprisingly toothless Leverkusen, who had won eight straight league games stretching back to last season, Schalke had to wait until the 83rd minute to seal victory.

Peru international Farfan converted a penalty after he was brought down by Emir Spahic to end any Leverkusen hopes of an equaliser.

The win lifted Schalke into 13th place on four points, with Leverkusen third on nine.

Hanover 96 came from a goal down to crush Mainz 05 4-1, while Hamburg SV demolished promoted Eintracht Braunschweig 4-0 for their first win of the campaign.

Mainz's Nicolai Mueller scored his fifth goal in four games but hosts Hanover struck twice late in the first and second halves to climb up to fourth place on nine points, ahead of the visitors on goal difference.

Hamburg SV celebrated their first victory of the season by beating Braunschweig with two early goals from Rafael van der Vaart and Jacques Zoua.

Hakan Calhanoglou, who came on in the 79th minute, still had time to grab two goals for himself and lift Hamburg to 12th place on four points, easing some of the pressure on coach Thorsten Fink.

Borussia Moenchengladbach scored five times, including a Havard Nordtveidt own goal, to ease past Werder Bremen 4-1 and move up to seventh.

Bayern Munich top the table with 10 points after their 1-1 draw at Freiburg on Tuesday.

Last season's runners-up, Borussia Dortmund, on nine points, travel to Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday and will go top if they win their fourth successive league game

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Olympique Marseille AS Monaco 01.09.2013

Monaco make the journey to the Stade Vélodrome on Sunday where they will play an Olympique Marseille side that sees themselves at the top of the Ligue 1 table after taking all nine points from their opening three Ligue 1 matches. AS Monaco aren’t far behind in second place after winning their opening two matches before drawing 0-0 to Toulouse last Friday.

 

Marseille’s chances against newly promoted Monaco will be boosted with the arrivals of right wing Dimitri Payet from OSC Lille and Giannelli Imbula from EA Guingamp. However, Marseille’s summer transfer business has nothing on that of Monaco who, after a group led by Russian Billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev purchased a two-third share of the club in December 2011, signed Radamel Falcao from Atletico Madrid for £53m, and winger James Rodriguez and midfielder Joao Moutinho from Porto for £40m and £22m respectively.

 

Despite Monaco’s big bucks and their subsequent spending, we believe Marseille will win on Sunday

 

match live here

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AC Milan vs. Cagliari 01.09.2013 serie a

AC Milan will be looking to bounce back from their shock defeat on the opening day of the season against Cagliari on Sunday.

The Rossoneri went down 2-1 at Hellas Verona in their first Serie A game despite taking the lead, thanks to a double from Luca Toni.

However, Massimiliano Allegri's side have since returned to winning ways, getting the better of PSV Eindhoven 3-0 at home to reach the group stage of the Champions League.

On the other hand, Cagliari began their Serie A campaign with a 2-1 home triumph over Atalanta and will head to the San Siro in Milan with confidence.

Neither Milan nor Cagliari are expected to make any change to their respective lineups.

Recent form

Milan: L

Cagliari: W

Possible starting lineups

Milan: Abbiati; Abate, Zapate, Mexes, Constant; Poli, Montolivo, Nocerino; Niang, Balotelli, El Shaarawy

Cagliari: Agazzi; Dessena, Rossettini, Ariaudo, Murru; Conti; Cabera, Nainggolan; Ekdal, Pinilla, Sau

Sports Mole says: 2-0

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Bayern beat Chelsea in Super Cup shootout

Bayern Munich gained some revenge for the 2012 Champions League final defeat by Chelsea when they beat the Premier League club 5-4 on penalties after a thrilling UEFA Super Cup ended 2-2 at the end of extra-time on Friday.

Nine penalties in a row were scored before Chelsea substitute Romelu Lukaku had a tame effort saved by keeper Manuel Neuer to give the Champions League winners victory over the Europa League holders.

Earlier, Fernando Torres put the Londoners ahead with a sublime first-time finish from a cross by Andre Schuerrle in the eighth minute and Franck Ribery equalised with a 25-metre drive that eluded a diving Petr Cech in the 47th.

Chelsea had Brazil midfielder Ramires sent off in the 85th minute for a second bookable offence but Jose Mourinho's 10 men went back in front three minutes into extra-time.

Eden Hazard picked the ball up on the left flank and cut inside past two defenders to unleash a venemous right-foot strike that went straight through Neuer's hands.

Pep Guardiola's Bayern continued to dominate possession, much like they did under Jupp Heynckes in the Champions League final 15 months ago, but they were thwarted by an outstanding performance from Cech who pulled off a string of excellent saves.

It seemed as though Chelsea, who also looked dangerous on the counter attack, would hold on for victory until substitute Javi Martinez dramatically levelled for Bayern from close range with the last kick of extra-time.

"They take the cup but the best team lost," coach Mourinho told Sky Sports. "For me we were by far the best team.

"They had 15 minutes in the second half which they dominated but even with 10 men we played fantastically."

 

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Bayern Munich vs Chelsea 08/30/2013 UEFA Super Cup

 Pep Guardiola inherited a wonderful Bayern Munich team that won the treble last year, a team that basically won every competition of importance that they played in last season and, therefore, there is only one place that Bayern can go from that, down! It was always going to be a tough job to come in and take over Bayern Munich with the lofty expectations that accompany a manager like Guardiola, considering the success he has already had at Barcelona. But to come to Bayern after Jupp Heynckes had led them to the promised land of the Champions League, Cup and League treble, well that is just a really difficult act to follow. Munich as a team have some wonderful footballers, with Robben, Ribery, Mandzukich, Muller, Schweinsteiger among the best at their positions in the world. The off-season additions of Goetze and Thiago have already strenghtened a strong hand, although the later was hurt at the weekend and will miss 6-8weeks. Munich have started the season well, winning three of four and only conceding 2 goals along the way, and will look at this game as a good chance to test themselves against one of Europe's best. In fact, the team that beat Munich in the 2012 Champions League final in Bayern's home ground, I'm sure there will still be some soreness attached to Bayern for that defeat

 

 

 

 Chelsea went out and got themselves a manager in the off season, "the Special one" has returned and has brought his own style back to England, which has been sorely missed in the time he has been away. Jose Mourhino, while in Spain, had a running feud with Pep Guardiola, who was manager of Barcelona so it will be interesting to see how both managers approach this game. Neither will want to lose to the other and that is for certain. Chelsea come into this game on the back of a good draw away to Manchester United, but overall the start to the Premier League season has not been all that impressive for Chelsea. The team look disjointed and are playing with no realy fluidity and seem to lack a focal point up front, with Mourhino prefering to play no real striker against United last weekend. With a panel of superstars in Torres, Mata, Hazard, Lampard and Terry, along with new additions Schurrle, Willian and possibly ex-Barcelona striker Samuel Eto (who is rumoured to be close to agreeing terms with Chelsea), there is no shortage of talent in this squad of players, but there is more chance that their manager will employ a defensive approach than go out all guns blazing

 

 

 

 

  Every year, this game see's the winner of the Champions League face-off against the winner of the Europa League, but there is so much more to this years game, we have the two teams that contested the 2012 Champions League final, in which Chelsea won the trophy on Bayern Munich's home ground, and we have two managers, Guardiola and Mourhino, who dont like each other and are new in their respective positions. It all points to a really interesting affair. This one is a tough call, but I'm going to take Chelsea with a goal headstart. I think this one should be a coinflip and the bookies make Bayern favourites, but I have a feeling this one ends in a draw , I'm taking Chelsea +1, though, as I feel the blues will make it extremely hard for Bayern to break them down and Chelsea are experts at playing on the break

 

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Milan survive PSV test to reach group stage

Kevin-Prince Boateng scored twice for AC Milan as they survived a stern test from PSV Eindhoven's young team to reach the Champions League group stage on Wednesday.

Mario Balotelli also struck his first European goal for Milan in a flattering 3-0 second-leg win which took them through 4-1 on aggregate in the qualifying tie.

Seven-times European champions Milan, forced into the playoffs after finishing third in Serie A last season, were under huge pressure to reach the group stage and survived several scares from the Dutch side in the first half.

PSV, with an average age of just over 22 and four teenagers in the starting line-up, were unfazed by the imposing San Siro as they enjoyed more possession.

They nearly went ahead in the eighth minute when Tim Matavz's header was clawed away by goalkeeper Christian Abbiati and Milan took the lead with a low 25-metre shot from Boateng one minute later.

Abbiati made another important save to turn away Adam Maher's 30-metre volley and the visitors had two more chances just before halftime as Jetro Willems' looping cross hit the crossbar before Abbiati scrambled away another Matavz effort.

In between, Milan forward Stephan El Shaarawy rifled a shot against the underside of the crossbar before the ball bounced back into play.

Balotelli, Cup-tied from Milan's Champions League matches last season after his move from Manchester City in January, made the game safe in the 55th minute, diverting Philippe Mexes's flick into the roof of the net from close range.

PSV continued to play good football, only for Boateng to power into the penalty area and add a third with an angled shot in the 77th minute.


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Inter Milan - Genoa 25.08.2013 serie a

Inter Milan - Genoa
Football : Italy : Serie A
Sunday 25th August - Kickoff 5:00pm

 

Inter Milan

 

Inter Milan will be looking to bounce back this season following their 9th placed finish last season. Injuries and the Europa League commitment really hurt the side and their 33 points gap to Juventus really angered a lot of the fans.

In the summer Mazzarri brought in Icardi, Campagnaro and Andreolli whilst letting a few "squad" players go the other way. Inter are in somewhat of a transitional period right now with long time owner Moratti likely to pass over ownership of the club.

The Nerazzurri have some injury problems ahead of this game with Zanetti, Chivu, Milito and Samuel missing. The club is probably a signing or 2 short at the moment but with the fans expectant, they can't afford to drop points early on.

Genoa

 

Genoa finished 17th in Serie A last season and survived relegation by 6 points. Once again the pressure will be on to remain in the top flight of Italian football and they haven't been given a great start.

Liverani was made first team coach this summer and the ex-Italian international has no experience managing at this level. His first game away at the San Siro looks a daunting one and it's no shock to see Genoa as outsiders.

Matuzalem, Biondini and Marchese miss out leaving a few options short in midfield. However up front ex Milan striker Gilardino needs no motivation and as ever the side is dependent on his goals. Newly signed loanee Gamberini is likely to start on the bench but over the season he should boost this leaky defence

 

match live here.

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Fenerbache v Arsenal 21.08.2013 uefa champions league

Fenerbache v Arsenal
Football: European Champions League Final Qualifying Round
Wednesday 21 August 2013 - Kick Off 7:45pm

Fenerbache

There is still a cloud hanging over Fenerbache's participation in the Champions League this season, although they have to clear their minds and focus on the task at hand. Match fixing allegations means Fenerbache were banned from European competition, but they have appealed that ban although won't have their case heard until this two-legged tie is completed.

It hasn't affected the Turkish side so far as they have come through against Salzburg in the last round of qualifiers. However, Fenerbache found themselves coming up short against Spartak Moscow at this same stage last year, only drawing 1-1 at home after losing 2-1 in Russia. Fenerbache had failed to win their last 6 home games in the Champions League before the win over Salzburg and they were 4-2-1 in the Europa League last season at home during their run to the Semi Finals.

While the talk in England is about Fenerbache's opponents and their surprise loss last weekend, Fenerbache were blowing a 0-2 lead at Konyaspor in a game they eventually lost 3-2. However, Fenerbache have won 7 games in a row at home in all competitions going back to last season, including their 3 of their last 4 home games in European competition.

Erten Ersu has been ruled out, although the home side could have Gonul Gokhan available for selection.

 

Arsenal

 

The pressure was certainly increased on Arsene Wenger by the weekend 1-3 loss to Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium and it does feel the fans have lost faith with a manager that has brought so much success to the club. The big signings that were promised have failed to materialise and eight years have surpassed since Arsenal last won a trophy and the natives are restless in this part of North London.

It has become tougher for Arsenal fans as they have seen local rivals Tottenham Hotspur strengthening for an assault on a top four finish this season. Arsenal have been a feature in the Champions League during the Wenger era, but the manager's contract is up at the end of this season and it does seem like there is a fracture in relations between Wenger and the fans.

Arsenal have won just 2 of their last 6 away games in the Champions League, although the last of those came in their last match at Bayern Munich. The Gunners have also won their last 4 away games in this competition at this qualifying stage, while they have won their last 6 away games in all competition coming into this season.

Injuries are taking their toll on this squad and the likes of Mikel Arteta, Thomas Vermaelan, Nacho Monreal, Kieran Gibbs, Bacary Sagna and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could all be missing. Laurent Koscielny is available in European competition despite the sending off on Saturday.

match live here

 

 

 

 

 

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SV Eindhoven v AC Milan 20.08.2013 uefa champions league

SV Eindhoven v AC Milan
Football : Champions League : Qualifier
Tuesday 20th August - Kickoff 7:45pm

 

PSV Eindhoven

PSV Eindhoven (PSV) host AC Milan on Tuesday night in the first leg of their Champions League Qualifier. With a tough trip to the San Siro next week, PSV really need to win this first leg at the Phillips Stadium and that won't be an easy task.

Cocu's side lost out to Ajax last season in the Dutch Eredivisie and as a result have to qualifyg via the playoffs. In the summer PSV spent £2.5m on Bruma from Chelsea as well as former player Park on loan, however they also lost a lot of talent in Pieters, Mertens and Strootman.

Domestically PSV have an advantage, they are 3 games into their season whilst Milan are still in pre season. PSV have also won all 3 games, 2 to nil and scoring a huge 11 goals in the process.

AC Milan

Italian giants Milan finished third in their domestic campaign last season behind Napoli and Champions Juventus. Italian football has been in a decline in recent years since rival Inter's Champions League win and the thought of Milan not qualifying for the group stage is unthinkable.

Allegri has bought in Poli into the midfield during the summer and he needs to play well along side Montolivo. Team news from Milan is that Robinho and De Sciglio both miss out but Balotelli should start despite a few fitness doubts from last week.

Milan have won just 2 of their last 6 away Champions League games losing the other 4. I must add that the sides to beat them were Barcelona (x2), Arsenal and Malaga all sides that were stronger than this year's PSV.

 

 

match live here

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Paris Saint-Germain v AC Ajaccio 18.08.2013 Ligue 1

Paris Saint-Germain v AC Ajaccio
Football : French : Ligue 1
Sunday 18th August - Kickoff 8:00pm

 

Paris Saint-Germain

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) failed to beat 10 men Montpellier last weekend as they were held to a 1-1 draw. The champions can put that right this weekend as they close the round 2 weekend fixtures as they host Ajaccio at the Parc des Princes.

Blanc has further strengthened his already excellent squad by adding Cavani and Marquinho for a combined £82m! With Verratti, Lavezzi, Thaigo Silva, Ibrahimovic and van der Wiel all signing last season this team will take some beating in Ligue 1.

Despite drawing last weekend PSG had 70% possession on their travels but conceding a goal with Montpelier's only shot on target was frustrating.

Team news is that Menez and Thiago Motta miss out but with such a big squad there's plenty of cover. Cavani started on the bench last week but he's likely to replace Lavezzi and partner Ibrahimovic in a fearsome front 2.

 

AC Ajaccio

 

Ajaccio lost their home opening last weekend to leave them in 14th place ahead of the most daunting fixture on their calender away to PSG.

Juventus legend Ravanelli may be an inexperienced manager but he will know Blanc's side give his connections with fellow Italian and ex-manager Ancelotti. Whether that's good enough to avoid defeat remains to be seen as there is a huge gulf in class between the 2 sides.

The visitors bought in 7 players in the Summer with 5 going the other way all for no fee and this team is likely to be in the relegation mix all season.

In the 0-1 loss to Saint Etienne Andre got himself sent off in the closing stages and he misses out in this game. Just 7 shots at home with 1 on target is worrying for Ravenelli's side and as ever the dependence on the declining Mutu for goals is forever growing.

 

match live here

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ONDERJYSKE v VESTSJAELLAND 12.08.2013 Denmark – Superleague

ONDERJYSKE v VESTSJAELLAND
Football – Denmark – Superleague
Monday 12th August 2013 – Kickoff: 1900hrs

 

SONDERJYSKE

The relatively obscure Haderslev in Denmark is my next location as hosts Sonderjyske take on Vestsjaelland in a mid-table tussle in the Danish Superleague on Monday night, the winner of which could jump into an early third place position.

Sonderjyske seem to have turned their home form around lately following a miserable run of home form that had previously extended to twelve matches without a league win on home soil. But towards the end of last season, the home side racked up a much-needed run of four wins on the trot beating Esbjerg 3-1, OB Odense 4-1, Aalborg 1-0 and Horsens 4-2. They continued in similar vein in their first home match of this season beating Bronsby 1-0.

Sonderjyske also took a point off OB Odense in a 1-1 draw in the season opener, but just lost out 1-2 to second placed Midtjylland last weekend. Midfielder Madsen (3 goals) is Sonderjyske’s leading goalscorer and it’s worth considering that Sonderjyske have beaten tonight’s opponents in their last three encounters (all club friendlies by the way); 1-0 at home and 3-1 and 3-2 away from home.

VESTSJAELLAND

Visitors Vestsjaelland are just one place behind their hosts tonight and level on four points as they look to consolidate their Superleague status after having been promoted from the 1st Division at the end of last season.

It’s been a mixed bag of results so far for the new-boys with a 1-1 draw at Brondby, followed by a 0-2 loss at home to AGF, but then sprung a surprise in their next home match against Aalborg, winning 2-1. They may well be depending on their home form to keep them up this season as they make the transition up in level, and they may be thinking about their previous losses to Sonderjyske ever so slightly in the backs of their minds tonight.

 

match live here

 

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RKC Waalwijk v Vitesse Arnhem 11.08.2013 Netherlands Eredivisie

RKC Waalwijk v Vitesse Arnhem
Football : Netherlands : Eredivisie - League
Date: Sunday 11 August 2013 Kick-off: 4.30 pm (local)
Venue: MANDEMAKERS STADION (Waalwijk) 5:30pm GMT

 

 

RKC Waalwijk

 

 

RKC ended up only 4 points of the relegation playoffs last season, and the preseason friendlies didn’t inspire either, managing only 1 win in seven games. So an away point against FC Twente on opening day was a great result.

In truth they can count themselves lucky. They gave FC Twente far too much time and space on the ball, and were fortunate that Twente squandered those chances.

Waalwijk sold their striker Florian Jozefzoon (7 goals last season) to PSV for €400K , but have spent nothing , preferring to bolster the squad with loaned players, or picking them up for free.

But Waalwijk did manage to sign a name familiar to Dutch football from a bygone era, 35year old Dennis Rommedahl, the famous Dan.

Both Imad Najah and Mart Lieder are out of this match with knee injuries.

 

 

Vitesse Arnhem

 Everyone wondered how Vitesse would recover from sellin their best 2 players in the summer transfer window: Bony to Swansea (€13.8M) and van Ginkel to Chelsea (€5M) ...

The answer is quite well, as Vitesse have just picked up Chile U20 defender Cristian Cuevas and Brazilian striker Lucas Piazon on loan form Chelsea. There is starting to become a Latin American feel to the side as these players will compliment Renato Ibarra the Ecuadorian winger who already got on the score sheet against Heracles on opening day.

That match was a very comfortable win for Viitesse, and it came as a shock that they crashed out of Europe mid week to Romanian side Petrolul Ploiesti. The Romanians scored from a free kick 3 minutes into extra time to progress.

Vitesse coach Peter Bosz blamed poor defending and will ask for an immediate response and better performance from his team on Sunday.

Both new loan signings are going to be rested for this match

 

match live here

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BORDEAUX v MONACO 10.08.2013 Ligue 01

BORDEAUX v MONACO
Football : France : Ligue 1
Saturday, 10th August 2013 - Kickoff 8:00pm GMT

 

I had a lot of success backing Falcao the last 2 seasons in Spain, and with his move to Monaco I'm going to follow too. Monaco are back up in Ligue 1 and they have invested heavily, which I think will translate to some high scoring games, starting with this one.

Monaco have assembled a strikeforce at a cost of almost £130m, with Moutinho and Rodriguez the other big names along with Falcao. But, the defence has not been strengthened as well as the attack, which means Bordeaux have more than a great chance at hammering them back.

Remember, Bordeaux won the cup last season, with some excellent play from Diabate, who scored the winner. Indeed, he went on quite a run, scoring 10 in his last 9 to end the season.

At home, Bordeaux are rare losers, so I feel both sides will attack and there is a good chance it could end in a draw, but not a boring stalemate.

match live here

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Legia Warsaw v Molde 07.08.2013 uefa champions league

Legia Warsaw v Molde
Football : Champions League: Third Qualifying Round
Venue: Stadion Wojska Polskiego im., Warsaw (POL)
Wednesday 7th August – Kickoff time: 20:45 GMT+1

 

Legia Warsaw

 

  Legia Warsaw scored a crucial goal in Norway last week, despite a not too impressive performance and are now considered favorites to progress to the play-off round.

Molde dominated the game from the outset, scoring a 29th minute goal and creating many other goal scoring opportunities, but Legia’s Vladimir Dvalisvili’s 68th minute header was enough to put the Polish side in a good position before the second leg.

Coach Jan Urban will most likely stick to the eleven that started in Molde, including veteran striker Saganowski who had a bad day in Norway, but bounced back by scoring a goal in Legia’s league game over the weekend.

Legia Warsaw trashed Podbeskidzie 4-0 on Saturday to keep their perfect record in the Polish Ekstraklasa after three rounds, having scored 12 goals in the process.

Molde

 
Molde won their Saturday league game as well (2-0 vs Brann) to put some distance between them and the drop zone. The champions are currently 11th, having only collected 21 points from 18 games.

I don’t think being eliminated from the UCL would be much of a surprise for Molde’s fans considering the fact their favorites endured a testing 2013 campaign, mainly because of the departure of some key players like Vegard Forren or Davy Angan.

Despite their poor domestic form, Molde got quite close to build up a decisive advantage in their first leg match against Legia, only converting one of their 18 goal scoring opportunities.

Conceding that 68th minute goal was quite a blow for Molde, especially since it was shortly followed by Gulbrandsen’s 74th minute red card, so in ten men they had to settle for the draw.     match live here

 

 



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Grasshoppers Zurich v Olympique Lyon 06.08.2013 uefa champions league

Grasshoppers Zurich v Olympique Lyon
Football : Champions League: Third Qualifying Round
Venue: Stadion Letzigrund, Zurich (SUI)
Tuesday 6th August – Kickoff time: 21:00 GMT+1

Grasshoppers Zurich (Switzerland)

After their demanding match against Olympique in Lyon, Grashopper Zurich were held to a goalless draw by bottom placed Lausanne in the Swiss Super League on Saturday.

It was a poor result for Grasshoppers considering the fact that Lausanne recorded three consecutive defeats before facing GCZ.

Michael Skibbe’s side will now focus on their second leg match against Lyon in which they’ll need to score without conceding a goal in order to at least take the tie into extra time.

Grasshoppers lost the first leg (0-1), but their solid first half performance gives them hope ahead of the return fixture in Switzerland.

The Swiss side could have scored twice in the first half an hour, but Michael Lang’s shot and Shkelen Gashi’s header found the post.  

Olympique Lyon (France)

 Olympique Lyonnais could be happy with the first leg result, they are obviously not at their best yet, but luckily for them they managed to win the first match against the Swiss side without conceding.

Alexandre Lacazette or Grenier were unable to convert their opportunities against GCZ, so Lyon needed a defender to put them ahead. Bisevac’s excellent header made the difference at Stade Gerland last week.

Meanwhile, Lyon’s officials are still working on improving the squad, on Thursday they’ve announced the transfer of left-back Henri Bedimo from Montpelliers who’ll be joining Olympique on a three-year-deal.

It’s not all good news though, Lyon could lose striker Bafetimbi Gomis who’ll probably join Newcastle this week, but they still have Lisandro Lopez up front, who’ll most likely be among the starters in Zurich.

match live here

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Bayern midfielder Can signs four-year deal at Leverkusen

Germany under-21 international Emre Can has left Bayern Munich and signed a four-year contract at Bayer Leverkusen with an option to return to the treble winners, Bayern said on Friday.

The Bavarians said the hugely talented 19-year-old midfielder, promoted from the reserves last year, was not guaranteed much playing time under new coach Pep Guardiola.

"Emre Can is one of the great talents of German football," club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said in a statement.

"We take this step to give him sufficient playing time as we had done for Toni Kroos in Leverkusen, Philipp Lahm at VfB Stuttgart or David Alaba at Hoffenheim."

The latter three all returned to Bayern after spells at the other teams and are now part of Bayern's treble-winning core squad.

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Senegal call up AC Milan's Niang for Zambia friendly

Senegal have called up AC Milan's Mbaye Niang for this month's friendly against Zambia, suggesting the teenage striker has decided his international future is with the west Africans after being banned by the French federation.

France Under-21 player Niang was last year suspended for 13 months for going out to a night club while on international duty.

Any switch of allegiance for the 18-year-old must still be confirmed by FIFA but coach Alain Giresse told a Dakar press conference Niang had said he was ready to commit to Senegal.

"He has told me he has decided. I have had contact with him, he is a player I have admired from far," the Senegalese news agency quoted Giresse as saying.

FIFA allows players previously capped by one country at junior level to play for another, as long as they held dual nationality.

Niang is among five new caps included in the squad for the match at Saint-Leu, near Paris on Aug. 14, the Senegal Football Federation announced on Thursday.

Giresse has dropped Papiss Cisse and again ignored Chelsea forward Demba Ba, who was left out of June's two World Cup qualifiers.

The Zambia match is preparation for September's qualifier against Uganda which Senegal need only to draw to secure a berth in the final round of African preliminaries for next year's World Cup in Brazil.

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Molde v Legia Warsaw 31.07.2013 uefa champions league

Molde v Legia Warsaw
Football : Champions League: Third Qualifying Round
Venue: Molde Stadion, Molde (NOR)
Wednesday 31th July – Kickoff time: 19:00 GMT+1

 

Molde (Norway)

 

Exploiting Rosenborg’s downfall, Molde FK won the Norwegian Premier League for the first time in their history in 2011 and managed to defend their title one year later.

However, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s squad will not make it three in a row, they are currently fighting to avoid relegation at halfway through the season. Molde sits on a disappointing 13th position (out of 16 teams), just one point above the relegation zone.

Molde is coming into this match on the back of a 0-2 defeat against Lillestrom. The problem seems to be up front, but Molde only invested 125 000 euros to sign striker Tommy Hoiland, who scored five goals in 16 games for Sandnes Ulf during this season.

The Norwegians reached this stage of the competition after eliminating Sligo Rovers in the second qualifying round by winning both legs (3-0 on aggregate).

Legia Warsaw (Poland)

 Legia Warsaw won the Polish championship for the first time since 2006 with a six point advantage over runners up Lech Poznan and earned a ticket to the UCL qualifiers.

The Polish side will try to make it to the group stages for the first time since 1995, which was also represented their only ever presence in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League.

Welsh side The New Saints were no match to Legia in the previous round of qualifiers, the Poles won both legs (4-1 on aggregate) to secure their place in the third qualifying round.

Legia Warsaw is off to an excellent start in the Polish Ekstraklasa, they’ve won both games played so far in the new season, scoring eight goals in the process.

There shouldn’t be many changes in the squad for this match, the only most important question is whether coach Jan Urban will use veteran striker Saganowski up front, or Dvalishvili, who came in as a substitute and scored in the 3-0 victory over Pogon Stettin on Saturday.

match live here

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Juventus kick off title defence at Sampdoria

 

Italian champions Juventus will kick off their bid for a third successive Serie A title with a trip to Sampdoria, following the announcement of next season's fixtures in a ceremony in Milan on Monday.

Title hopefuls AC Milan visit Hellas Verona, playing their first match back in the top flight in 11 years, while Walter Mazzarri's Inter Milan and Rafael Benitez's Napoli both begin with home matches against Genoa and Bologna respectively.

Promoted Sassuolo will play their first ever top-flight match away at Torino.

AS Roma, who start their campaign with a trip to rivals Livorno, will play their first home game of the season against Hellas Verona with the Curva Sud section of their stadium closed.

The club were handed the punishment after hardcore fans in that part of the Stadio Olimpico racially abused AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli during their last game of the season against Napoli.

Serie A will host five city derbies for the first time this season. The Rome derby between Roma and Lazio will take place in week four, the same week Milan host fellow title hopefuls Napoli.

Last season's runners-up will field a restructured squad under Benitez following the sale of striker Edinson Cavani to Paris St Germain.

The Champions League-winning coach has recruited Gonzalo Higuain, Jose Callejon and Raul Albiol from Real Madrid as well as goalkeeper Pepe Reina from Liverpool.

Other standout fixtures include Juve's trip to Inter in week three, while the champions host AC Milan in week seven and Napoli in week 12.

In late November, Hellas Verona will host neighbours Chievo in their first derby in 11 years and their third ever meeting.

Chievo have spent 11 of the last 12 years in Serie A, while Hellas, who were traditionally the bigger team, floundered in the lower leagues and suffered financial problems

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Omonia Nicosia v Astra Giurgiu 25.07.2013 uefa europa league

  

Omonia Nicosia v Astra Giurgiu

Football : Europa League: Second Qualifying Round
Venue: "GSP Stadium", Nicosia (CYP)
Thursday 25th July – Kickoff time: 19:00 GMT+1

 

Omonia Nicosia (Cyprus)

The 20 times winner of the Cypriot first division, Omonia Nicosia finished third last season to grab a Europa League spot, behind APOEL Nicosia and Anorthosis Famagusta, two sides that had excellent UCL campaigns over the last few years.

Omonia Nicosia holds a poor record against Romanian opposition, they’ve met Sportul Studentesc (1986), Dinamo Bucuresti (2005) and Vaslui (2009) in the qualifying rounds of the Uefa Cup and couldn’t avoid being eliminated by these sides. They also lost to both Steaua and Dinamo Bucuresti in the European cup (1987 and 1984).

The Cypriot sides is now in the pole position of this tie after grabbing a 1-1 draw at the National Arena in Bucharest against Astra Giurgiu, so they are just 90 minutes away from eliminating a Romanian side for the first time in their history.

Their goal was scored by former Rapid Bucuresti defender, the Portuguese Joao Paolo Andrade, (one of their many foreign players) who headed in an excellent cross.

Astra Giurgiu (Romania)

Astra GiurgAstra Giurgiu finished fourth in the 2012-2013 Liga 1 season, which allows them to participate in a European competition for the first time in their history.

They’ve had big ambitions about their first ever presence in a European cup and started off with a convincing 3-0 victory over Domzale in the previous round, but failed to take a lead after the first leg against Omonia.

Astra Giurgiu controlled the game and even took the lead after just eight minutes through Tembo, but then wasted some excellent chances and allowed Omonia to get back into the game in the second half.

Astra will now have a tough job, but their morale was boosted by a 4-0 away Liga 1 victory over Viitorul Constanta over the weekend.
iu (Romania)

 

match live here

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Liverpool's Gerrard faces likely shoulder surgery

Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard is likely to need shoulder surgery at the end of the season, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.

If the 32-year-old, who has been ever present in this season's league campaign, has surgery in the close season he could miss England's friendlies against Ireland at Wembley on May 29 and away to Brazil on June 2.

"It's looking more and more likely that he might require surgery," first team coach Mike Marsh told the club's website (www.liverpoolfc.com).

"He has been playing with a shoulder injury for quite a while now. We'll try to find the right time for him to get it fixed properly.

"It's not ideal timing, it's going to take quite a while for him to heal... If it needs repairing, it needs repairing and when he's back fit, he's back fit. There's not much we can do about it."

The midfielder, who is due to have a testimonial match against Greek champions Olympiakos at Anfield on Aug. 3, has scored nine league goals this season.

He has made 628 appearances for the Merseyside club where he has spent his entire career after coming through the youth ranks, scoring 159 goals.

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Bayern stun Barcelona with dynamic four-goal show

Bayern Munich's incredible season continued when they handed Barcelona one of their heaviest defeats for years, hammering the Catalans 4-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.

Thomas Mueller headed the recently-crowned Bundesliga champions ahead in the 25th minute and Mario Gomez turned in the second goal amid suspicions of offside early in the second half.

Arjen Robben added a third in the 73rd minute and Mueller then grabbed his second of the night as Barca collapsed dramatically in a game where Lionel Messi, returning from a hamstring injury, made little impact.

In doing so, Bayern avenged their defeat by the same score in the quarter-finals four years ago.

Robben nearly put Bayern ahead in the third minute after a clever backheel by Javi Martinez gave him a clear scoring chance but he shot straight at keeper Victor Valdes.

Barca then put together some intricate passing moves although they rarely threatened to score and Bayern had the next chance when a goalbound Philipp Lahm shot was blocked by defender Gerard Pique.

Pique also appeared to handle when he cleared the resulting corner but the referee was not interested.

It was not long before Bayern, who won the Bundesliga with six games to spare, went ahead with the help of an overhit corner by Franck Ribery.

His effort found Robben on the other side of the penalty area and a rare right-footed cross from the Dutchman found Dante whose header fell for Mueller to stoop and score.

Barca's most dangerous first-half effort was a low Pedro cross which Dante was lucky not to turn into his own net.

Bayern extended their lead from another corner as Mueller at the back post headed back into the middle for Gomez to turn the ball in at close range after 49 minutes although he may have been fractionally offside.

The Germans threatened another as shots from Mueller and Ribery flashed wide and then Robben headed wide from a free kick.

Barca, often reduced to long balls forward, managed to impose some of their possession football but were vulnerable on the break.

Robben exploited the gaps when he burst down the right for the third and, with Barca still reeling, Mueller blasted a David Alaba pass into the net for the fourth goal.

The rout equalled Barca's worst ever defeat in European competition.

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Statistics on Borussia Dortmund's 4-1 win over Real Madrid

Statistics surrounding Borussia Dortmund's 4-1 victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday.

* Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski was the first player in the history of European competition to score four goals in a match against Real Madrid.

* It was the 10th occasion a player has scored four or more goals in a Champions League game. Barcelona's Lionel Messi is the only player to have done it twice.

* This was the first season when two teams have conceded four or more goals in one game in a set of Champions League semi-finals (following Bayern Munich's 4-0 win over Barcelona on Tuesday).

* Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored in six consecutive Champions League games, equalling Marouane Chamakh and Burak Yilmaz.

* Ronaldo became only the fifth player to score 50 Champions League goals. The competition's top scorers are Raul 71, Lionel Messi 59, Ruud van Nistelrooy 56 and Thierry Henry 50.

* A three-goal deficit has been overturned once in the Champions League knockout stages, in the 2004 quarter-final when Deportivo La Coruna beat AC Milan 4-0 after a 4-1 away defeat.

* In all European competitions, there has been one all-German final. In the 1979-80 UEFA Cup, Frankfurt beat Borussia Moenchengladbach on away goals rule.

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Mourinho aghast over Real's handling of Lewandowski

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho could not understand how his well-drilled side let Robert Lewandowski score four goals in Borussia Dortmund's 4-1 win on Wednesday but vowed that his team could still reach the Champions League final.

The nine-times European champions have a huge task on their hands in Tuesday's home second leg after Mourinho acknowledged they had been outplayed in the semi-final first leg in Germany.

"I saw a team that was better than the other one, mentally and physically. The better team won today. I was very angry because the goals came again from our mistakes," Mourinho told reporters.

"We lose him (Lewandowski) for three goals - I don't know about the penalty - when we know exactly what he does," he added to Sky Sports.

"We know everything about him, the boy deserves credit, but we gave him big support."

The Poland striker scored in the eighth, 50th, 55th and 66th minute with a blasted penalty to leave an all-German final likely after Barcelona were humbled 4-0 by Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

"How did it go from 1-1 to 4-1, I really don't know. We lost easy possession and we couldn't cope with their counter-attacking. Many of the boys didn't perform," Mourinho added before a flash of defiance.

"We can (turn the tie around), it is of course very difficult but we can. In a crazy night where everyone performs at a high level. Of course we can," he said.

"I have learned that everything is possible in football. Everything can happen next week. If you ask my players if they can turn the game some will say no. In an hour more will say yes, and tomorrow everyone will say we can do it."

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