© EuroFootball.com
On Tuesday and Wednesday, after the winter break, the UEFA Champions League tournament battles return to European stadiums. The teams that secured their places among the elite 16 continental clubs before the end of the year begin their knockout matches and will enter the battle in the quarterfinals. EuroFootball.com briefly looks at the matches taking place on Tuesday evening.
Madrid - Munich Referee - Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium) (Kick-off time - 21:45 Lithuanian time)
Although much has changed since the last matches between the two teams, the sixth duel between the European football giants Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the last eight seasons promises to be a very interesting spectacle. The nine-time Old Continent champion Real eliminated Bayern in the knockout stages in the 1999/00, 2001/02, and 2003/04 seasons, while the German club defeated their Spanish opponents in the semifinals in the 2000/01 season.
This time, the two famous clubs will again clash at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, but unlike before, this time they need a victory like air in order to climb out of the holes in which both teams have fallen in their domestic competitions.
Neither team has been able to consistently demonstrate good play in their national leagues this season, but they have done so in the Champions League. Real Madrid, which struggled to score in the Spanish league and could only manage a 0-0 draw against Sevilla's Betis over the weekend, is the most productive team in the Champions League and finished second in Group E. Meanwhile, Bayern topped Group B, conceding just three goals, a stark contrast to their poor performance in the Bundesliga, where they conceded 26 goals in 22 matches.
Both Bayern and Real are in fourth place in their domestic leagues, but Real's position is slightly better as they are only four points behind the leaders Barcelona, while Bayern are already twelve points behind Schalke. Another similarity between the teams is that they are led by two coaches who have returned to their former clubs (F.Capello coached Real in the 1996-97 season, O.Hitzfeld from 1998-2004), but have so far failed to turn their teams' performances in a positive direction.
Nevertheless, Real coach F.Capello is confident that his players will regain their necessary form as they enter the crucial Champions League battles after the winter break; "I think we will play well. The fans support the team and have been fantastic in the Champions League this season. These are the most important matches of our season. When we play a match like this, we just have to do it well."
Before the second leg match in Munich on March 7, F.Capello did not say whether he would release one of the team's newcomers, Gonzalo Higuain, alongside Ruud Van Nistelrooy in the attacking line: "I have my starting eleven in mind."
Meanwhile, O.Hitzfeld, who replaced Felix Magath after five defeats in ten Bundesliga matches, sees similarities between the teams: "Both teams have similar problems, but Real and Bayern are football legends. Currently, both teams are struggling offensively, but Real has recently improved their defense."
Over the weekend, Bayern unexpectedly lost to the unknown Aachen club, but O.Hitzfeld does not give Real an advantage; victory in Madrid will go to those who best deal with the current situation: "These are matches in which the teams will feel pressure, and the one who manages it best will win. It can also be said that Bayern experience a lot of pressure in the domestic league, as expectations are higher there."
Real Madrid will be missing defender Sergio Ramos, who is still recovering from injury, and Mahamadou Diarra, but the returning Roberto Carlos should be back on the field. Bayern has fewer injury problems - Owen Hargreaves is expected to return to the starting lineup, with Lukas Podolski and Roy Makaay expected to feature in the attack.
Possible starting lineups:
"Real": Casillas; Salgado, Helguera, Cannavaro, Carlos; Emerson, Gago, Guti, Beckham; Raul, van Nistelrooy.
"Bayern": Kahn; Lahm, Lucio, Van Buyten, Sagnol; Salihamidzic, Hargreaves, van Bommel, Schweinsteiger; Makaay, Podolski
Glasgow - Referee - Terje Hauge (Norway) (Kick-off time - 21:45 Lithuanian time)
The favorites of this pair should be considered the players of "Milan", who have reached the knockout stages for the fifth consecutive season and only failed to reach the semifinals in 2004. Meanwhile, "Celtic" is making their debut in the Champions League knockout matches.
Last year, "Milan", embroiled in a corruption scandal and docked points, currently occupies sixth place in Italy, while "Celtic" leads their closest pursuers by a whopping 19 points.
There are quite a few uncertainties in the Scottish club due to injured players. On Monday, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, Craig Beattie, and Maciej Zurawski were unable to train due to Achilles tendon injuries, while coach Gordon Strachan hopes that at least one of them can support Kenny Miller in the attack. The new signing Steven Pressley, who has played in the Champions League with Hearts, will also not be able to help the Scots.
"Milan" also has problems in attack. Filippo Inzaghi is injured, and the chances of Clarence Seedorf and Alberto Gilardino playing, according to coach Carlo Ancelotti, will only be clear before the match. Meanwhile, defender Paolo Maldini is set to play his 100th match in the Champions League.
"It is especially difficult to play against Celtic in Glasgow because the crowd there strongly supports their own, and they are very strong at home," said C.Ancelotti. Indeed, all three victories in the group stage "Celtic" celebrated at home, losing all three away.
Possible starting lineups:
"Celtic": Boruc; Wilson, O'Dea, McManus, Naylor; Nakamura, Lennon, Gravesen, McGeady; Miller, Vennegoor of Hesselink.
"Milan": Kalac; Oddo, Kaladze, Maldini, Jankulovski; Gattuso, Pirlo, Seedorf, Kaka; Gilardino, Oliveira.
- Referee - Eric F. J. Braamhaar (Netherlands) (Kick-off time - 21:45 Lithuanian time)
Although "Man Utd" is clearly considered the favorite of this match, memories from the past should not be reassuring. Once, in the group stage match in Paris, "Lille" won 1-0, scoring the only goal in 6 matches, and later played a goalless draw in Manchester.
However, "Lille" has scored 8 goals in the group stage this year and beat "Milan" 2-0 away. Currently, Lille's players are third in France.
"Man Utd" topped Group F and is playing much better this year, leading the Premier League, although they couldn't beat "Reading" in the FA Cup over the weekend.
Both teams are expected to field their strongest players. Manchester's goal will be defended by Edwin van der Sar, who has recovered from a broken nose, and Swede Henrik Larsson will assist Wayne Rooney in attack. Interestingly, W. Rooney has not scored in the Champions League since September 2004.
Possible starting lineups:
"Lille": Sylva; Chalme, Tavlaridis, Plestan, Tafforeau; Cabaye, Makoun, Debuchy, Bodmer, Obraniak; Odemwingie.
"Man Utd": van der Sar; Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Ronaldo, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs; Larsson, Rooney.
Eindhoven - London Referee - Tom Henning Ovrebo (Norway) (Kick-off time - 21:45 Lithuanian time)
The Dutch champions and current league leaders "PSV" host the "Arsenal" side, who have set their sights on a prize in England, in the first leg of the match.
Due to a foot injury suffered last weekend, one of the leaders, Jefferson Farfano from Peru, is unlikely to be available in Eindhoven, and his place should be taken by Brazilian Diego Tardelli. Defender Ibrahim Afellay will also miss the match due to a shin injury.
"Arsenal" also has injury problems - defenders Emmanuel Eboue and Justin Hoyte are injured, while Dutch striker Robin van Persie is still unable to help the team due to a foot fracture.
Eindhoven should bring back pleasant memories for Arsenal's defender Gilberto - in 2002, he scored a second goal against "PSV" in their goal in just 20 minutes, when "Arsenal" won 4-0.
Possible starting lineups:
"PSV": Gomes; Kromkamp, Alex, Da Costa, Salcido; Mendez, Simons, Cocu, Culina; Tardelli, Kone.
"Arsenal": Lehmann; Gallas, Senderos, Toure, Clichy; Rosicky, Fabregas, Gilberto, Ljungberg; Hleb, Henry.
