UEFA Champions League ~ Mar 4 / 5

zocoss SG

Tuesday, 04 March 2008

AC Milan v Arsenal - 3:45

Barcelona v Celtic - 3:45

Sevilla v Fenerbahce - 3:45

Manchester Utd v Lyon - 3:45

zocoss SG

Wednesday, 5 March 2008

UEFA Champions League

Chelsea v Olympiakos - 3:45

Real Madrid v Roma - 3:45

FC Porto v Schalke 04 - 3:45

Inter Milan v Liverpool - 3:45 - (Tue. 11 Mar. 2008)

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Matches on Tv: - (Thur Morning)

Real Madrid v Roma - Ch 23 - 3:45am - (Live)

Chelsea v Olympiakos - Ch 24 - 3:45am - (Live)

omgukilledkenny SG

The Brazilian was feared to be unable to make next week's clsah after succumbing to injury in a Serie A encounter with Palermo on Sunday.

However, after undergoing a scan, Kaka is relieved to hear that he has not suffered from a severe injury, and will now look at getting back into the lineup in time for the Gunners rematch.

"I will definitely miss the midweek game against Catania," explained the 25-year-old.

"At the moment my knee hurts a lot but I hope to play against Arsenal."

Alessandro Nesta and Clarence Seedorf are likely to join Kaka in returning to the squad in time for the Tuesday, March 4th match.

The first leg contest between the sides ended 0-0 at the Emirates.

zocoss SG

Arsene Wenger is confident Arsenal can overcome AC Milan in the San Siro next week to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League - but insists his team will not will not kick Brazilian playmaker Kaka to get there. The tie is delicately poised at 0-0 from the first leg at Emirates Stadium, where the Brazilian World Player of the Year had only a limited impact.

Wenger insists Arsenal will again look to stifle the influence of the gifted 25-year-old by cutting off his supply chain, rather than adopted the rough-house tactics so often deployed against his own men. "Milan have shown in Europe that they can deal with all sorts of opposition, they can slow the game down," Wenger reflected.

"What Milan do well is put you to their pace, and when Kaka gets the ball they can have sudden acceleration which can kill you. "We will have to adapt to that because we like to play always at a high pace." The Arsenal boss added: "In Italy, what do the teams do who play against Milan? They take Kaka, get him out of the game.

"We will play zonal and will not mark him man to man. We will be faithful to what we do usually. "We will try to get him out of the game by cutting the connections with him. "If you kick the great players out of the game, why should people go to watch football?

"Great players make football a bit special, they make it art. If you are there to kill them, it is not acceptable." But for the width of a crossbar in stoppage time when Emmanuel Adebayor failed to convert a close-range header, the Gunners could have been defending a lead when they head to Italy for Tuesday night's return. While the match is set to be an intriguing encounter, with Milan needing to come out more which could leave them open to a quick counter-attack, Wenger is all too aware of the threat posed by the defending champions on their own ground.

"It is important for us to start strongly in defence, but also not to hide. "What is good from the first result is we know every time we get the ball we are incited to go for a goal. "I do not like to go away from home thinking your team just has to defend. With a 0-0 result, we know that we have to attack as well. "From the first game, we have the belief we can beat them because we dominated the game - that always has an impact on the second game.

"We will need patience against them, but our pace can be a good asset. By his own admission, Arsenal are now entering a "crucial" phase of their campaign. With his side well placed for both domestic and European honours, the Gunners boss chooses to remain positive rather than look at a worst-case scenario of another barren season.

"I do not think about failure," Wenger declared. "I just think about winning the Champions League and wining the championship - it is as simple as that. "Everybody outside the game looks for failure from you. If you look as well for failure, then you are sure to get it, so I look at it in a positive way."

Dutch forward Robin van Persie could return from a long lay-off with a thigh problem, while defender Kolo Toure has a slim chance to be back from his calf injury. Emmanuel Eboue is available despite his domestic ban, and so is set to challenge Theo Walcott for a place in the side. England Under-21 international Walcott netted his first Barclays Premier League goals in the controversial 2-2 draw at Birmingham, where striker Eduardo suffered a broken leg.

Wenger hopes more of the same will now follow from the former Southampton trainee. "I felt after Theo had scored his first goal, you saw a different player," he said. "That is a positive, because it looks like it was a relief for him to score. "Suddenly when he had confidence, he started to take more people on - and the second goal he scored is the goal I see more in training, but which I never saw before now in a competitive game."

Wenger, meanwhile, remains positive midfielder Mathieu Flamini will agree a new deal to stay at Arsenal, with his current contract set to expire in the summer. "I can only repeat what he told me, and that is he wants to stay," said Wenger. When asked when the uncertainty would become a concern, the Gunners boss replied: "In April, because we should know more about that situation in March."

zocoss SG

omgukilledkenny SG

Shucks Pool match not televised?!

JLennon SG

Shucks Pool match not televised?!

Its gotta do with Inter and Meelan can't both host their games on the same day, can they?

Pool have to contend with Hammers on Wednesday before playing Inter a week later.

omgukilledkenny SG

Its gotta do with Inter and Meelan can't both host their games on the same day, can they?

Pool have to contend with Hammers on Wednesday before playing Inter a week later.

oh i thought one was on 4th the other on 5th haha.

JLennon SG

oh i thought one was on 4th the other on 5th haha.

It will be bad for the San Siro pitch mate. We don't want losing managers to vent their frustrations on harmless grass.

zocoss SG

AC Milan will have Alexandre Pato available for Tuesday night's Champions League clash against Arsenal.

The Brazilian sustained a knock to his knee during Saturday's 1-1 Serie A draw against Lazio, but the European champions have confirmed the 18-year-old striker will be fit in time for the last-16 second-leg encounter at the San Siro.

The news will come as welcome relief for Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti, considering Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf is a major doubt.

Seedorf sustained a hamstring injury at the weekend and is unlikely to recover in time.

Emerson and Marek Jankulovski also suffered injuries against Lazio and are both out for Tuesday's match.

Despite these setbacks, Ancelotti remains optimistic his side will beat Arsenal and advance to the quarter-finals following last month's goalless first leg.

"Milan versus Arsenal is a great encounter," he said.

"We arrive at this game having endured a difficult time but we will recover.

"I don't know how this game will develop but I hope that in the end it will be us who end up smiling."

The Rossoneri will be boosted by the return of defender Alessandro Nesta, midfielder Andrea Pirlo and playmaker Kaka, who have all shaken off injuries.

zocoss SG

AC Milan striker Kaka has pleaded for more protection from referees ahead of tomorrow's Champions League clash with Arsenal. The world and European footballer of the year has voiced his fear that he may suffer the same terrible injury inflicted on Eduardo last week after he sustained a broken leg following a red-card challenge from Birmingham's Martin Taylor.

The two sides head into the last-16 second- leg battle at the San Siro locked at 0-0 and Kaka is worried about the treatment he has received this season. The Brazilian said: "We need to change this situation where talented players are getting kicked all the time. I am tired of being booted in Italy, for example.

"It's up to the referees to protect players who want to play football and I hope this happens sooner rather than later now we've seen a terrible injury like this [Eduardo's leg break]. "I was saddened by what happened to Eduardo and I wish him the quickest possible recovery."

Austrian referee Konrad Plautz will be officiating in Milan and the club are so worried about the amount of fouls meted out to Kaka that they issued their own statement on the subject last week. It read: "It's not only the systematic nature of the fouls which Kaka suffers and which referees seem to ignore, it's the fact that it appears to this club that there is scientific planning behind them.

"It's never the same player who makes two consecutive fouls against him in the same game — it's always alternated between one opponent and one of his team-mates. It's exactly as if there is a strategy behind it — as if you can see the preparation. That's why the referees fail to spot enough of them."

Kaka missed Milan's last two matches because of a knee injury but will return tomorrow against an Arsenal side who flew out from London today with Robin van Persie expected to be back in the Gunners squad. "We are not in a comfortable situation because we didn't score in the first leg and conceding at the San Siro would be very dangerous for us.

"But I trust in our team because we are used to these kinds of difficult situations and normally we rise to the occasion. What I do find strange, though, is seeing Gilberto out of the squad, not only because he's got a place in the Brazilian team but also because he was one of Arsenal's key players last season.

"They must be very strong if they can afford to leave Gilberto out."

omgukilledkenny SG

Team Line Ups

AC MILAN vs ARSENAL (Agg: 0-0)

AC Milan: Kalac, Maldini, Kaladze, Nesta, Oddo, Ambrosini, Pirlo, Gattuso, Alexandre Pato, Kaka, Inzaghi. Subs: Fiori, Emerson, Gilardino, Simic, Favalli, Gourcuff, Bonera

Arsenal: Almunia, Clichy, Senderos, Gallas, Sagna, Diaby, Fabregas, Flamini, Eboue, Hleb, Adebayor. Subs: Lehmann, Van Persie, Denilson, Gilbert, Bendtner, Justin Hoyte, Walcott

BARCELONA vs CELTIC (Agg: 3-2)

Barcelona: Valdes, Zambrotta, Thuram, Puyol, Sylvinho, Toure Yaya, Xavi, Deco, Messi, Eto'o, Ronaldinho. Subs: Pinto, Gudjohnsen, Iniesta, Henry, Edmilson, Abidal, Bojan

Celtic: Boruc, Wilson, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor, Nakamura, Scott Brown, Hartley, Donati, McGeady, Vennegoor of Hesselink. Subs: Mark Brown, Samaras, Sno, Pressley, Robson, McDonald, O'Dea

MAN UTD vs LYON (Agg: 1-1)

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson, Ronaldo, Rooney, Nani. Subs: Kuszczak, Hargreaves, Saha, Park, Scholes, O'Shea, Tevez

Lyon: Coupet, Clerc, Squillaci, Cris, Grosso, Ben Arfa, Juninho, Toulalan, Kallstrom, Govou, Benzema. Subs: Vercoutre, Bodmer, Fred, Delgado, Keita, Mounier, Boumsong

Sevilla vs Fenerbahce(Agg: 2-3)

Sevilla: Palop - Alves, Escude, Dragutinovic, Adriano - Jesus Navas, Keita, Poulsen, Capel - Luis Fabiano, Kanoute.
Substitutes: De Sanctis - Duda, Renato, Mosquera, Chevanton, De Mul, Maresca.

Fenerbahce: Volkan Demirel - Gokhan Gonul, Edu, Lugano, Gokcek Vederson - Deivid, Aurelio, Selcuk Sahin, Ugur Boral - Alex - Kezman.
Substitutes: Serdar Kulbilge - Yasin Cakmak, Kazim Kazim, Can Arat, Bilgin, Onder Turaci, Semih Senturk.

omgukilledkenny SG

AC MILAN 0-2 ARSENAL (Agg: 0-2)

BARCELONA 1-0 CELTIC (Agg: 4-2)

MAN UTD 1-0 LYON (Agg: 2-1)

SEVILLA 3-2 FENERBAHCE (Agg: 5-5 FENERBAHCE win on penalties )

omgukilledkenny SG

Matches on 5th March

Team Line Ups

Chelsea vs Olympiacos (Agg: 0-0)

Chelsea: Cudicini, Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, Ashley Cole, Ballack, Makelele, Lampard, Kalou, Drogba, Joe Cole

Subs: Hilario, Essien, Malouda, Wright-Phillips, Alex, Belletti, Anelka

Olympiacos: Nikopolidis, Zewlakow, Julio Cesar, Antzas, Pantos, Ledesma, Patsatzoglou, Torosidis, Djordjevic, Stoltidis, Kovacevic

Subs: Sifakis, Leonardo, Nunez, Mendrinos, Konstantinou, Belluschi, Sisic

Real Madrid vs Roma (Agg: 1-2)

Real Madrid: Casillas, Salgado, Pepe, Cannavaro, Diarra, Raul, Gago, Robinho, Guti, Heinze, Baptista

Subs: Soldado, Marcelo, Drenthe, Higuain, Torres, Dudek, Balboa

Roma: Cicinho, Juan, Mexes, Aquilani, Totti, Taddei, De rossi, Perotta, Tonetto, Mancini, Doni

Subs: Panucci, Pizarro, Vucinic, Guily, Ferrari, Julio Sergio, Brighi

FC Porto vs Schalke 04 (Agg: 0-1)

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Real Madrid 1-2 Roma (agg 2-4)

Nine-time winners Real Madrid were knocked out of the Champions League after losing 2-1 at home to Roma.

Real, who ended the game with 10 men after Pepe was sent off for two yellow cards, went out in the last 16, 4-2 on aggregate to their Italian opponents.

Alberto Aquilani hit the bar for Roma as did Julio Baptista for Real, before Pepe harshly saw red for the hosts.

Taddei headed Roma in front on the night before Raul slotted in for Real, but Mirko Vucinic's header sealed it.

Real Madrid: Casillas, Salgado (Miguel Torres 65), Pepe, Cannavaro, Heinze, Diarra (Drenthe 61), Gago, Guti, Julio Baptista (Soldado 85), Raul, Robinho.
Subs Not Used: Dudek, Marcelo, Higuain, Balboa.

Sent Off: Pepe (71).

Booked: Heinze, Pepe, Robinho, Guti.

Goals: Raul 75.

Roma: Doni, Cicinho (Panucci 87), Juan, Mexes, Tonetto, Aquilani, De Rossi, Taddei, Perrotta (Pizarro 77), Mancini (Vucinic 65), Totti.
Subs Not Used: Bertagnoli, Giuly, Ferrari, Brighi.

Booked: Taddei, De Rossi, Perrotta, Cicinho, Aquilani, Tonetto.

Goals: Taddei 73, Vucinic 90.

Att: 80,000.

Ref: Kyros Vassaras (Greece).

zocoss SG

Chelsea boss Grant said after the 3-0 win: "The team was patient, held the ball most of the time and were quick when needed. It was clever football.

"I'm happy of course. We won, we are in the next round and played good football. The team was very mature.

"We knew Olympiakos always score away so we knew they were very dangerous."

zocoss SG

Barcelona playmaker Lionel Messi is set to be ruled out for around six weeks with the hamstring injury he suffered during Tuesday night's Champions League match with Celtic. Messi limped out of the clash in tears after sustaining the problem during the first half of the 1-0 win, and tests have revealed the extent of the damage.

It is expected the Argentina international will be out for a month and a half, meaning he is likely to miss around six league games, plus the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Valencia and both of Barca's Champions League quarter-final matches.

Barca, who beat Celtic 4-2 on aggregate, are second in the Primera Liga standings, five points behind leaders Real Madrid, while they drew their Copa del Rey semi-final first leg 1-1 against Valencia.

Captain Carles Puyol has blamed the Spanish media for Messi's latest injury setback.

Barca coach Frank Rijkaard left the Argentinian forward out of Barcelona's last game, a 4-2 defeat at Atletico Madrid in La Liga last Saturday, drawing widespread criticism from the media.

Barcelona medical staff announced that they had advised Rijkaard to leave Messi out of the game, yet in the build-up to Tuesday's Champions League game the media were unanimous in their calls for Messi to be played.

Now Puyol believes the media must accept the blame for his injury.

"The doctors spoke and said their was a risk of injury and you (the media) put pressure on him to play, saying that he always has to play," fumed Puyol. "Now we're all left to regret the decision.

"On Saturday there was more risk than today, but if he hadn't played and we had got a bad result I'm sure you would have said it was because he wasn't on the pitch.

"Leo's injury is bad news, so now let's see what you have to say about that.

"You've got to leave the doctors and physios to do their job because they know more about these things than you do."

zocoss SG

• FC Porto 1-0 Schalke 04 - Schalke 04 win on Penalty Kicks.

zocoss SG

All the teams that qualified for the next round of the Champions League...

Fenerbahce

Barcelona

Arsenal

Man Utd

Schalke 04

Chelsea

Roma

Inter Milan or Liverpool

gunner77 SG

why liverpool match 11 march ah ?