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Highest level European club football is back. After the winter break, the decisive battles in the UEFA Champions League have begun - 16 clubs, divided into eight pairs, started the round of 16 matches on Tuesday. EuroFootball.com presents a review of the second day of the round of 16 matches. - London (Live broadcast at 20:45 on Tango TV, video recording at 23:15 on TV3) The last time "Chelsea" and "Barcelona" faced each other in the Champions League, Jose Mourinho had a contract with the Barcelona club - at that time, the Portuguese worked as an assistant coach and had a long way to go to achieve what he has today. In those matches five years ago, Mourinho's team managed to recover from a 3-1 defeat in the first leg of the quarterfinals and in the return leg at the Nou Camp Stadium, they won a dramatic victory in extra time with a score of 5-1. In total, "Chelsea" has traveled to Spain five times: the London club has defeated their opponents twice and lost three times, while "Barcelona" has played against English teams at home 18 times, winning 11 times, drawing six times, and losing only once, which happened less than 30 years ago in a UEFA Cup semifinal against "Liverpool." Now both teams look even stronger than before - they lead their respective domestic leagues and are considered among the best teams playing football in Europe, so some call the clash between these giants a "true final," and say that the spell that paired the two favorites in the round of 16 has worked against them. On the other hand, it is a good opportunity to find out who is better, and who can claim to be the most successful club in Europe for some time. "Chelsea" won nine out of eleven matches in 2005, conceding only two goals during that period, one of which, scored last weekend by "Newcastle" striker Patrick Kluivert, blocked the path for the "Blues" to the next round of the FA Cup and dashed their hopes of winning everything this season. The defensive fortifications of the Londoners are particularly strong, as in the last ten league matches, "Chelsea" did not concede a single goal, and the last man to beat goalkeeper Petr Cech in the Premier League match was Thierry Henry, who scored in the December 12 derby. "Barca" has proven its strength this year, although they have suffered two defeats in the league besides their five wins. However, the points accumulated at the beginning of the season allow the Catalan club to lead by seven points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid. Two weeks ago, "Barcelona" unexpectedly lost at home to the "Atletico" team, but then defeated "Zaragoza" and "Mallorca", with Portuguese-descended Brazilian Deco scoring two goals in the last matches. In January, "Barca" strengthened with two players - the team was reinforced by experienced defender Demetrio Albertini and forward Maxi Lopez, to fill the gaps left by some players due to serious injuries. In the winter transfer market, after spending a lot, "Chelsea" was not very active, selling Celestine Babayaro to "Chelsea" and dismissing Adrian Mutu due to cocaine use, the latter was replaced by Mikael Forsell, who returned from loan. When "Barca" coach Frank Rijkaard selects the starting lineup for the match, he probably won't have to think much - the team will likely be without defender Oleguero, unless we also consider long-time absentees H.Larsson, T.Motta, Gabri, and Edmilson, who have suffered serious injuries. Rijkaard's counterpart, J.Mourinho, will have to make more changes, as A.Robben, W. Bridge, and probably the injured D.Duff may be absent. The good news for the Portuguese coach is that instead of Bridge, he will be able to play W. Gallas, who has recovered from injury, in the left defensive flank, while D.Drogba will once again attack. Probable starting lineups of the teams: "Barcelona" (4-3-3): Valdés; Belletti, Puyol, Márquez, van Bronckhorst; Deco, Albertini, Xavi; Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Giuly "Chelsea" (4-4-2): Cech; Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, Gallas; Lampard, Makelele, Cole, Tiago; Gudjohnsen, Drogba - (The matches will be shown on the big screen at the "Karolina" and "PoOgmia" bowling clubs. More information at www.kegliai.lt) Despite the fact that these two European football giants have played only four matches against each other, the match between "Man Utd" and "Milan" in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 will be an intriguing match for two clubs with old scores. These matches, officiated by Spanish referee Manuel Gonzalez, will remind many older generation fans of one of the most painful disasters in the history of the "Man Utd" club. The painful tragedy occurred in 1958. During the Champions League quarterfinals, after a tough battle, Manchester footballers victoriously defeated Belgrade's "Crvena Zvezda," with a total score of 5-3, and in the semifinals were to meet "Milan". Unfortunately, right after the victory, a horrible tragedy overshadowed the joy of winning - on February 6, the plane carrying the English club crashed on its way back from Belgrade. In the crash, 23 people, including 8 footballers, lost their lives. Despite this tragedy, the matches continued, albeit postponed for three months. "Red Devils" won the first match 2-1, and it seemed that the final was within reach. However, in the return leg, "Milan" took revenge with a 4-0 victory, securing their place in the final, where they were defeated by "Real" footballers. These two teams met again in the semifinals after 11 years, and "Milan" celebrated another victory with a total score of 2-1. In the final of that year, the Italian club could not beat "Ajax" and lost 1-4. Now completely different teams are back in a fight against each other. "Man Utd" players have recently shown excellent form, losing only once in 17 matches since the last Champions League match. Currently, the disciples of Sir Alex Ferguson are in second place in the Premier League and successfully continue their campaign in the FA Cup. Despite the good results, the "Red Devils" also suffered losses. Strikers A. Smith, R. van Nistelrooy, and L. Saha were injured for a long time but they should all appear in tomorrow's match. Just a few days ago, defender D. Fletcher suffered an injury as well. Despite these setbacks, A. Ferguson not only tried to strengthen the club during the winter transfer window but also sold a few, albeit non-essential, players in the team - E. Djemba-Djemba and K. Richardson. However, Richardson was only loaned to another club. "Milan" can boast no worse results either. One of the leaders in Serie A, the team lost only twice after the last Champions League match on December 7. In the last four matches, coached by C. Ancelotti, the Italians currently share the position of the Italian league leader with Juventus. Their latest victory against Lecce was dimmed by a serious injury of the best European footballer of the year Andriy Shevchenko. The Ukrainian broke his cheekbone but is likely to be able to help his team in the return leg. The Milan club also continues its successful campaign in the Italian Cup, defeating Chievo 3-2 in the first leg of the quarterfinals. Like their English rivals, "Milan" did not play an active role in the winter transfer market. The only player to leave the club was Argentine Fabricio Coloccini which was replaced by another defender, Harvey Esajas, in the lineup. In tomorrow's match, in addition to A. Shevchenko, the striker F. Inzaghi will also miss the game due to injuries. Probable starting lineups of the teams: "Man Utd" (4-4-2): Carroll; G. Neville, Ferdinand, Silvestre, Heinze; Ronaldo, Giggs, Scholes, Keane; Rooney, van Nistelrooy. "Milan" (4-4-2): Dida; Cafu, Nesta, Stam, Maldini; Pirlo, Seedorf, Gattuso, Kaka; Crespo, Tomasson. - Milan The teams playing in this pair, as of tonight, both hold a record. "Porto" has not experienced a defeat in their new "Dragão" stadium in the UEFA Champions League, while "Inter" has not lost this season in any tournament they have participated in. "Porto's" path to the round of 16 was not easy. Only in the last group stage matches did they beat "Chelsea", a team coached by former "Porto" coach Jose Mourinho, to advance among the sixteen strongest teams on the old continent. It is worth mentioning that the first victory, achieved at the new "Porto" stadium, was last year's round of 16 match against "Man Utd", and later it became clear that it was one of the most important wins in the club's history. While neither "Lyon," nor "Deportivo," nor "Paris Saint-Germain," nor "CSKA" could defeat "Porto" at their own stadium in the group stage matches, "Boavista," "Beira-Mar," and "Braga" showed in the country's championship that "Porto" can be beaten at the "Dragão" arena. At the end of January, after losing to the "Braga" team in the national championship, the team's coach Victor Fernandez was fired. After his dismissal, the coach stated that the team plays inconsistently at home, and that "Porto" has a lot of young players who find it difficult to cope with the pressure, so playing at home can cause them problems. After Jose Couceiro became the new team strategist, "Porto" played only one league match against "Vitoria" at home, which ended in a goalless draw. After these matches, the coach said: "Playing at home is somewhat problematic for us, but "Porto" is a top-level team, so I think the players will realize that and start to control themselves." Meanwhile, Milan's "Inter" in Italy could replicate the record of the 1991/92 season when the "AC Milan" club finished the "Serie A" tournament undefeated. Although "Inter" out of 25 matches in Italy ended in a draw 16 times and lagged behind their rivals "Milan" by as many as 11 points, this team doesn't seem to care whether they play at home or away. Roberto Mancini's team recently defeated only four times out of 16 matches, but at the beginning of 2005, "Inter" won five out of eight Italian league matches. In the Coppa Italia tournament, they have progressed after eliminating the "Bologna" and "Atalanta" clubs. It is also worth mentioning that in the Champions League, the Italians overcame the Spanish champions "Valencia" with a score of 5-1 and managed to win "Anderlecht" without their attacking leader Adriano away with a score of 3-1. "Inter" scored as many as 14 goals in 6 Champions League group stage matches. They are an attacking team that always produces new leaders. It is interesting that "Inter" very rarely plays goalless draws. In the Italian league, they played to a 2-2 result seven times and a 3-3 result three times. Also last month, trailing 0-2 to "Sampdoria," they scored three goals after extra time, winning 3-2. The team's safeties, Argentine Esteban Cambiasso and Cristiano Zanetti, work in perfect harmony, and both think that they will be the main engine of the team. Cambiasso said: "We still play in three tournaments, and I think we can become champions in all three, as our team always goes to win." Probable starting lineups of the teams: Porto (4-4-2): Baia; Valente, P. Emanuel, R. Costa, Seitaridis; Bosingwa, Costinha, Maniche, Quaresma; Postiga, McCarthy Inter (4-4-2): Toldo; J. Zanetti, Cordoba, Materazzi, Favalli; Veron, C. Zanetti, Cambiasso, Stankovic; Adriano, Martins - Bremen When the draw for the UEFA Champions League group stage came out and showed that the German champions "Werder" would play in the same group with Milan's "Inter," "Valencia," and "Anderlecht," few believed that the German club would reach the next stage. However, the Bremen team managed to beat the Spanish champion and UEFA Cup winner "Valencia" twice and thus collected 13 points to claim the second spot in the group, behind only "Inter." The last time these two teams met was in the UEFA Cup in the 99/00 season. In the third stage of these competitions in France, "Lyon" defeated the Germans with a score of 3-0. However, after the defeat, Bremen lost heavily, 0-4, and had to withdraw from further competition. Football experts assessing the team's chances in these matches do not distinguish between one or the other team. The only advantage of "Werder" could be perhaps the fact that the winter break in the Bundesliga lasted longer than in other European leagues, so the Bremen players had more time to recover. After the winter break, "Werder" won three out of four matches in the Bundesliga and currently holds the third position, trailing the leaders Bayern Munich by 4 points. On the other hand, multiple French champions "Lyon" had no time to rest. A few weeks ago, after a loss to their closest pursuers "Lille," the Lyon club seemed to be reborn, defeating one opponent after another. However, this weekend, "Lyon" failed to defeat the "Monaco" team, but those who watched the match admit that the French champions played better and deserved the win. Both teams sold one of their strikers during the winter transfer window - Brazilian Giovane Elber moved from "Lyon" to "Mönchengladbach" and Bremen striker Angelos Charisteas went to Ajax in Amsterdam. Instead of him, the Bremen club called in young Egyptian Mohamed Zidan, who already stood out in his debut match in the German championship. It is well known that almost the entire game of both teams depends on the two defensive midfielders - Johan Micoud and Juninho. Both players are clear leaders of their teams, so today's match will depend on the battle between them. In total, "Lyon" played against German clubs 15 times in European tournaments - they won six times, drew twice, and lost seven times. Probable starting lineups of the teams: "Werder" (4-4-2): Reinke; Pasanen, Ismael, Ernst, Jensen; Stalteri, Micoud, Magnin, Borowski; Klose, Klasnic. "Lyon" (3-5-2): Coupet; Cris, Diatta, Abidal; Essien, Diarra, Juninho, Malouda, Clément; Wiltord, Govou.
