TUE- UEFA Champions League Match 5

zocoss SG

UEFA Champions League - 2006/07

Tuesday, 21 November 2006

VS

Celtic v Man Utd

VS

Arsenal v Hamburg SV

Rest of the Champions League Fixtures for Tuesday, 21 November 2006

AEK Athens v AC Milan
Benfica v FC Copenhagen
CSKA Moscow v FC Porto
Lille v Anderlecht
Real Madrid v Lyon
Steaua Bucuresti v Dynamo Kiev

anhydrouscoppersulphate SG

draw
dynamo
man u
benfica
draw
arsenal
lille
milan

draw
barcelona
bayern
inter
gala
psv
draw
roma

anhydrouscoppersulphate SG

be mindful of your predictions as some teams have already progress and might put up a reserve line up good luck Wink

zocoss SG

Champions League predictions for Tuesday, 21 November 2006

Arsenal v Hamburg SV - home win

Celtic v Man Utd - away win

AEK Athens v AC Milan - away win

Benfica v FC Copenhagen - home win

CSKA Moscow v FC Porto - draw

Lille v Anderlecht - home win

Real Madrid v Lyon - home win

Steaua Bucuresti v Dynamo Kiev - home win

lpx88 SG

Madrid
Steaua
Decide to go for a draw instead
Benfica
CSKA
Arsenal
Lille
Milan

Draw
Barca
Draw
Inter
Bordeaux
PSV
Valencia
Roma

LazerLordz SG

Arsenal v Hamburg SV - home win

Celtic v Man Utd - home win

AEK Athens v AC Milan - scoring draw

Benfica v FC Copenhagen - home win

CSKA Moscow v FC Porto - scoring draw

Lille v Anderlecht - scoring draw

Real Madrid v Lyon - away win

Steaua Bucharest v Dynamo Kiev - away win

zocoss SG

Of all the Champions League matches taking place this week, none will generate more passion than the meeting of Celtic and Manchester United on Tuesday.

Two clubs with fanatical support, sizzling form and passionate Scottish coaches will meet at Parkhead with United, as Group F leaders, knowing victory will guarantee themselves top spot and a place in the last 16.

Celtic, who have racked up 11 straight wins in the Scottish Premier League including the 3-0 victory over Inverness Caley Thistle at the weekend, are just three points behind United and can sense a place in the knockout round for the first time.

Despite an apparent thawing in relations between Celtic manager Gordon Strachan and United boss Alex Ferguson, both will be desperate for victory on Tuesday.

Strachan, who played under Ferguson at Aberdeen and then at Old Trafford, knows that ultimately he will be judged on progress in Europe, however dominant his side are at home.

Ferguson, a native of Glasgow and one of the most successful manager in the world game, knows exactly what to expect.

"We will need to show courage and mental strength to handle the atmosphere at Parkhead (Celtic Park)," said Ferguson, who believes his current side can go al the way.

"I expect the game to be exciting, open and full of attacking football -- just the way it was when we beat them 3-2 in September."

Both managers have been critical of eachother in their respective autobiographies, Strachan blasting Ferguson's management style and Ferguson saying Strachan "could not be trusted".

The mind games have already started with Ferguson opting to take the pre-match press conference away from Celtic Park.

United will stage the news conference at their hotel on the edge of Loch Lomond on Monday and have also shunned the customary pre-match training session at their opponents' ground.

They will train at their Carrington complex on Monday morning before flying to Glasgow. Ferguson has been quick to smooth over his relationship with Strachan and Sunday's newspapers suggested "peace had broken out" between the two men.

"I want to win at Celtic Park because it's important to finish first in the section," Ferguson told the Sunday Mail.

"But I'd also like to see Celtic finish second. It would be great for them and Scottish football. I'm keen to finish the job in Glasgow though.

"We wanted to do it against FC Copenhagen earlier this month, but lost 1-0."
Wayne Rooney was in scintillating form for United against Sheffield United on Saturday, scoring both goals in United's seventh successive league win, and will relish the big-match atmosphere at Celtic.

While Ferguson has no injury concerns, Celtic striker Kenny Miller has been out with an ankle knock and defender Gary Caldwell limped off with a knee injury after an hour of the Inverness game on Saturday.

However, Strachan is happy to have Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and the gritty Thomas Gravesen available.

"It will help us with Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Thomas Gravesen coming back because we missed that bit of experience at Benfica," Strachan said, referring to the 3-0 defeat to the Portuguese side in their last Champions League outing.

Probable teams:

Celtic: 1-Artur Boruc; 2-Paul Telfer, 3-Lee Naylor, 6-Bobo Balde, 44-Stephen McManus; 16-Thomas Gravesen, 25-Shunsuke Nakamura, 18-Neil Lennon (capt), 46-Aiden McGeady; 9-Kenny Miller, 10-Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink

Manchester United: 1-Edwin van der Sar; 2-Gary Neville, 5-Rio Ferdinand, 15-Nemanja Vidic, 3-Patrice Evra; 7-Cristiano Ronaldo, 16-Michael Carrick, 18-Paul Scholes, 11-Ryan Giggs; 9-Louis Saha, 8-Wayne Rooney.

Referee: Manuel Mejuto Gonzales (Spain)

anhydrouscoppersulphate SG

Copenhagen's Gronkjaer back for Benfica clash

COPENHAGEN, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Copenhagen winger Jesper Gronkjaer has recovered from a groin injury just in time to play Benfica in the Champions League Group F match on Tuesday, but the Danish champions will miss two other players.

The Danish international injured himself in the first match of the group, also against Benfica, in Copenhagen. At the time, the club feared he might need an operation that would rule him out for the entire group stage.

Despite looking rusty, Gronkjaer played a full match at the weekend in Copenhagen's 2-2 draw against Midtjylland in the Danish league.

However, Copenhagen travelled to Lisbon without Norwegian left back Andre Bergdolmo, who has a groin injury, and Ghanaian midfielder Razak Pimpong, who is sick.

Manchester United lead the group with nine points from four matches ahead of Celtic on six, while Copenhagen and Benfica trail on four points each. In the other Group F match on Tuesday, United go to Glasgow to take on Celtic.

anhydrouscoppersulphate SG

Title celebrations could derail CSKA run

MOSCOW, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Newly-crowned Russian champions CSKA Moscow must overcome massive jetlag and a sweet hangover after clinching a second consecutive league title at the weekend to take on Porto in the Champions League on Tuesday.

CSKA have had only two days to prepare for the Group G clash after landing in Moscow in the early hours of Sunday morning following their 15,000-km round-trip journey through seven time zones to the eastern port city of Vladivostok where they crushed local side Luch 4-0 to secure first place with a game to spare.

Local media reported that the army club had brought several cases of champagne on board with them to toast their victory during a 10-hour flight back to Moscow.

But CSKA coach Valery Gazzayev played down the celebrations, saying his team would be ready to take on the Portuguese knowing victory would put them in the last 16.

'That (Luch) win is in the past, all we're thinking now is the Porto game,' he was quoted as saying by the Russian media.

CSKA boast one of the tightest defences in the Champions League, having kept a clean sheet in all four group matches. The Russians top the group on eight points, a point ahead of both Arsenal and Porto.

Gazzayev remained cautious, however.

'They (Porto) are a very dangerous team so we have to keep our guard up at all times,' he said.

Porto should be boosted by memories of their previous visit to Moscow two years ago when they beat CSKA 1-0 in a similar group tie on their way to reaching the next round.

Porto coach Jesualdo Ferreira refused to talk about the CSKA game after beating Academica 2-1 on Saturday when his side looked nervous, scoring the winning goal six minutes from time.

Porto are missing Brazilian playmaker Anderson, who is not expected to return for around three months after having surgery on Sunday, while defender Pedro Emanuel is out of form.

But they have welcomed back Brazilian striker Adriano and his compatriot Ibsom, who returns after two months out due to injury. Midfielder Jose Bosingnwa and Argentine striker Lisandro Lopez should also be available despite nursing minor injuries.

CSKA are also missing key players through injury. They will be without their defensive linchpin, skipper Sergei Ignashevich, and the club's top scorer, Brazilian striker Jo.

Probable teams:

CSKA Moscow: 35-Igor Akinfeyev; 2-Deividas Semberas, 6-Alexei Berezutsky, 24-Vasily Berezutsky; 17-Milos Krasic, 18-Yuri Zhirkov, 20-Dudu, 22-Yevgeny Aldonin, 25-Elvir Rahimic; 7-Daniel Carvalho, 11-Vagner Love

Porto: 1-Helton; 12-Jose Bosingwa, 3-Pepe, 14-Bruno Alves, 5-Cech, 16-Raul Meireles, 8-Lucho Gonzales, 5-Ibsom, 7-Ricardo Quaresma, 23-Helder Postiga, 9-Lisandro Lopez.

anhydrouscoppersulphate SG

Contenders vie for vacant spots
Monday, 20 November 2006

With two rounds remaining in the UEFA Champions League group stage, the qualifying picture is becoming ever clearer. Six teams are already through Liverpool FC, PSV Eindhoven, FC Bayern München, Valencia CF, Olympique Lyonnais and Real Madrid CF while ten places remain up for grabs. With some sections set to go to the wire on Matchday 6, the penultimate batch of fixtures could prove the most dramatic.

Group A
Chelsea FC will win the group with just a draw at Werder Bremen, regardless of results elsewhere. But should Bremen triumph by a two-goal margin, they would take pole position in the section. An FC Barcelona victory at PFC Levski Sofia would guarantee their qualification chances going into the final round, but a draw or a defeat for the holders combined with a Bremen win would end their hopes. Levski must prevail to have any possibility of taking third place.

Group B
Already qualified Bayern will clinch the group with victory at FC Spartak Moskva. A draw would also confirm top spot should the match between FC Internazionale Milano and Sporting Clube de Portugal end in a draw. Inter will go through with three points. Spartak can no longer finish in the leading two places and must win to stay in UEFA Cup contention.

Group C
With both Liverpool and PSV through, three points for either side at Anfield would see them confirmed in pole position. The same applies in the UEFA Cup showdown between FC Girondins de Bordeaux and Galatasaray SK. A draw in either contest would leave matters unresolved until the final matches.

Group D
Valencia are in the last 16 and can seal first place against Olympiacos CFP if they better AS Roma's result at FC Shakhtar Donetsk. Should Valencia lose and Roma win, the Spanish team would still have the edge going into their Matchday 6 clash in Italy, as 2-1 victors in the clubs' first meeting. Victory would be enough for Roma to confirm their progress and a draw would suffice should Olympiacos not win. Olympiacos must prevail to keep in contention and then hope Roma do not win at Shakhtar, who themselves have to take three points to stay alive.

Group E
Lyon and Madrid will contest top spot when they meet in Spain. Lyon have the advantage following their 2-0 Matchday 1 success and the Merengues need to win by a three-goal margin to usurp them going into the final day. A draw would confirm Lyon as section winners. FC Steaua Bucuresti will take the UEFA Cup berth if they draw against visitors FC Dynamo Kyiv - and will even maintain third position ahead of Matchday 6 with a defeat, provided it is not as heavy as the 4-1 opening-night loss Dynamo suffered at Steaua's hands.

Group F
While victory in Glasgow will ensure Manchester United FC top spot, a draw would also be enough to take the English club through, while Celtic FC can qualify if they win and the SL Benfica-FC København fixture ends all-square. A Celtic success that betters the 3-2 defeat inflicted on them by United on Matchday 1 would see the Scottish side move ahead in the race for pole position. Defeat for either Benfica or København would extinguish their knockout hopes, while a draw would do the same to both should Celtic win.

Group G
PFC CSKA Moskva can confirm a top-two finish with victory against visiting FC Porto, while that coupled with Arsenal FC failing to beat Hamburger SV at home would clinch top spot. With Hamburg already fixed in last place, any other sequence of results would still leave the qualifying picture wide open on Matchday 6.

Group H
AC Milan require just a point at AEK Athens FC to secure qualification, while three would win them the group. Should AEK fail to win, then LOSC Lille Métropole can also go through with a home success against RSC Anderlecht. A score draw will only keep the Belgian club's European aspirations alive if Milan stop AEK winning.

©uefa.com 1998-2006. All rights reserved.

anhydrouscoppersulphate SG

Lyon primed for perfection
Monday, 20 November 2006

Olympique Lyonnais are on target for a record-breaking conclusion to their UEFA Champions League group-stage campaign in advance of their Matchday 5 trip to Real Madrid CF.

Perfect six
The French champions are two wins away from becoming only the fifth team and the first since FC Barcelona in 2002/03 to win all six games in a group stage. The first to manage it were AC Milan in the inaugural 1992/93 edition of the UEFA Champions League. Since then Paris Saint-Germain FC (1994/95) and FC Spartak Moskva (1995/96) have matched the achievement, before that Barça success in the last season before the competition was revamped into its current format.

Unwanted record
Barcelona are not having such an easy ride this time around. A draw or defeat for the title-holders at PFC Levski Sofia and a Werder Bremen victory over Chelsea FC would make the Camp Nou side the first defending champions to fail to get through a group stage since the UEFA Champions League began. (This record, like the others, includes the four seasons that featured a second group stage between 1999/00 and 2002/03.)

Clean sheets
With no such worries, Lyon are also going for another UEFA Champions League first. No team has negotiated a group stage without conceding a goal but Lyon, along with FC Bayern München and PFC CSKA Moskva, could yet change that having managed four clean sheets to date. In contrast FC Dynamo Kyiv and Levski Sofia have both shipped 13 goals in their first four outings this term, just six short of the record number let in by Ferencvárosi TC in the 1995/96 campaign.

Shot shy
For all their defensive solidity, CSKA have only scored two goals so far. They can take comfort from the achievement of Villarreal CF last season and AS Roma in the 2002/03 first group stage, as both clubs advanced to the next phase with just three goals to their name. Villarreal are a particularly noteworthy example, as they made it all the way to the semi-finals in their debut campaign in the competition.

Seven enough
The good news for those who have made a slow start but are still in contention is that seven sides have successfully negotiated a group with only seven points. The first to do it were Legia Warszawa in 1995/96 before Bayer 04 Leverkusen managed it in 1999/00 and Liverpool FC in 2001/02. FC Lokomotiv Moskva and Juventus both progressed with seven points in 2002/03, a feat most recently achieved by Rangers FC and Bremen last term.

Freescoring United
The record for most goals scored in a group stage was established by Manchester United FC in 1998/99 when they found the net 20 times en route to lifting the trophy. It is a mark that is unlikely to be challenged this year, with the closest contenders being Spanish rivals Real Madrid CF and Valencia CF who have ten goals each to their name.

Athens goal
In terms of individual scoring, Chelsea FC forward Didier Drogba and AC Milan playmaker Kaká, with five apiece from their first four games, are on track to break Ruud van Nistelrooy's single-season record of 2002/03, when he struck 12 in nine matches. Both Drogba and Kaká will hope to have another nine fixtures in the current competition, which of course would mean their respective clubs reaching the final in Athens on 23 May.

anhydrouscoppersulphate SG

Balde to face Man Utd

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan is set to put his faith in Bobo Balde for tomorrows Champions League match against Manchester United.

The defender has played just two matches this season both of them CIS Insurance Cup ties but he will replace Gary Caldwell for the clash.

Caldwell limped out of Saturdays SPL win over Inverness Caledonian Thistle with a knee injury and is unlikely to feature at Celtic Park tomorrow.

Better news for the Hoops is that Kenny Miller has recovered from the ankle injury, which kept him out of the weekend action, and is back in contention for the visit of the Premiership giants.

Strachan said he had no qualms about throwing Balde into such an important game.

Gary is struggling and I doubt very much if he would be ready, said the Celtic boss.

Balde would come in and he has a lot of experience. He has seen a lot of games here and Im sure he will be an adequate replacement. I hope that experience makes up for his lack of match practice.

Strachan added: Kenny trained this morning and hopefully he will be ready.

Provisional squad: Boruc, Telfer, Balde, ODea, McManus, Naylor, Nakamura, Lennon, Gravesen, Jarosik, Maloney, McGeady, Vennegoor of Hesselink, Zurawski, Marshall, Sno, Wilson, Miller.

zocoss SG

Champions League Group F - Celtic v Man Utd
Ch 23 - 3:45am - (Live)

Head-to-heads

Celtic and Manchester United's only previous meeting in European competition at Old Trafford in the opening round of this season's group matches, which the Red Devils won 3-2.

Celtic have a good record at home against English clubs, having won three, drawn two and lost just once. The defeat being 1-2, home to Nottingham Forest in the 1983-84 Uefa Cup. United have a 100% record from their two previous visits to Scotland, a 2-3 win at Dundee United and a 0-1 victory at Rangers. They have never lost to a Scottish team home or away, recording four wins and a draw.

Current European form

Celtic are currently second in Group F after two wins and two defeats. They've won their last three European home matches and are unbeaten in the last five at Parkhead. The Scottish champions have kept a clean sheet in their last four home matches in the Champions League.

United lead Group F having won three and lost one of their matches so far.

CELTIC

Squad: Boruc, Telfer, Balde, O'Dea, McManus, Caldwell, Naylor, Nakamura, Lennon, Gravesen, Jarosik, Maloney, McGeady, Vennegoor of Hesselink, Zurawski, Marshall, Sno, Wilson, Miller.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - V S - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

MANCHESTER UNITED

Squad: Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Neville, Brown, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Silvestre, Heinze, Ronaldo, Fletcher, Scholes, Carrick, Giggs, Richardson, Saha, Rooney, Smith.

zocoss SG

WE CAN BEAT UNITED - MILLER

Celtic striker Kenny Miller has tried to bolster confidence ahead of the Champions League clash with Manchester United by insisting Sir Alex Ferguson's side are "not immortal".

United maintained a three-point lead over Chelsea at the top of the Barclays Premiership with a 2-1 win at Sheffield United on Saturday.

They also sit top of Group F with nine points, three of which were gained in a 3-2 victory over Celtic at Old Trafford in September.

The Red Devils are odds-on to beat the Hoops for a second time and ensure qualification for the knockout stages.

However, Miller has not forgotten United's defeat in Copenhagen earlier this month as well as their Carling Cup exit at lowly Southend and said: "We need to get something from the game, there's no doubt about it.

"But it has been shown that they can be beaten, they are not immortal. They are a good team, don't get me wrong, but we can beat them.

"We know that we have enough in the squad to go and win the game."

Miller believes home advantage can swing the tie in Celtic's favour.

The Hoops have won eight out of 11 Champions League games in front of their own fans, including victories over Copenhagen and Benfica this season.

Miller added: "Parkhead has been a bit of a fortress for Celtic over the years in the Champions League so hopefully we can maintain that tomorrow night.

"Yes, a point would be great but we are going out to get all three.

"The crowd have been great for us every game this season. They get right behind the team whether we are playing great or whether we are a bit indifferent.

"And they are patient which is the important thing. They don't get restless if they don't get a goal in the first five minutes.

"The atmosphere will take care of itself and if you can't play on those nights you shouldn't be playing the game."

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan also tried to play down the aura of invincibility that United, despite their recent slip-ups, still retain north of the border.

And Strachan is confident that his players have learned from all their previous group fixtures, including the 3-0 defeat to Benfica in Lisbon last month.

He said: "Manchester United got beat at Southend - it can happen.

"They also had a couple of bad results (in the Champions League) last year and didn't qualify.

"Of course they will come back because good players will always come back. It's how quickly they do it.

"We can use that game against Benfica or we can use the three games in which we played well.

"Most people look at the negatives but we look at the positives and, as I say, three quarters of our games in the Champions League so far have been good.

"We spoke about the Benfica game in five minutes to the players and it's something that can hopefully help us in the future. I'm sure it will."

CKeer SG

Originally posted by zocoss:
[b]WE CAN BEAT UNITED - MILLER

Celtic striker Kenny Miller has tried to bolster confidence ahead of the Champions League clash with Manchester United by insisting Sir Alex Ferguson's side are "not immortal".

United maintained a three-point lead over Chelsea at the top of the Barclays Premiership with a 2-1 win at Sheffield United on Saturday.

They also sit top of Group F with nine points, three of which were gained in a 3-2 victory over Celtic at Old Trafford in September.

The Red Devils are odds-on to beat the Hoops for a second time and ensure qualification for the knockout stages.

However, Miller has not forgotten United's defeat in Copenhagen earlier this month as well as their Carling Cup exit at lowly Southend and said: "We need to get something from the game, there's no doubt about it.

"But it has been shown that they can be beaten, they are not immortal. They are a good team, don't get me wrong, but we can beat them.

"We know that we have enough in the squad to go and win the game."

Miller believes home advantage can swing the tie in Celtic's favour.

The Hoops have won eight out of 11 Champions League games in front of their own fans, including victories over Copenhagen and Benfica this season.

Miller added: "Parkhead has been a bit of a fortress for Celtic over the years in the Champions League so hopefully we can maintain that tomorrow night.

"Yes, a point would be great but we are going out to get all three.

"The crowd have been great for us every game this season. They get right behind the team whether we are playing great or whether we are a bit indifferent.

"And they are patient which is the important thing. They don't get restless if they don't get a goal in the first five minutes.

"The atmosphere will take care of itself and if you can't play on those nights you shouldn't be playing the game."

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan also tried to play down the aura of invincibility that United, despite their recent slip-ups, still retain north of the border.

And Strachan is confident that his players have learned from all their previous group fixtures, including the 3-0 defeat to Benfica in Lisbon last month.

He said: "Manchester United got beat at Southend - it can happen.

"They also had a couple of bad results (in the Champions League) last year and didn't qualify.

"Of course they will come back because good players will always come back. It's how quickly they do it.

"We can use that game against Benfica or we can use the three games in which we played well.

"Most people look at the negatives but we look at the positives and, as I say, three quarters of our games in the Champions League so far have been good.

"We spoke about the Benfica game in five minutes to the players and it's something that can hopefully help us in the future. I'm sure it will."

[/b]

Is this the Kenny Miller of Wolverhampton a few seasons back that scored the winning goal against United? Mr. Green

Cheers.
C.K

zocoss SG

Yup, he came from Wolverhampton, just joint celtic this season... can't recall if he had scored against united tho... Mr. Green

CKeer SG

Laughing
Den i'm very certain that he's the fellow that scored the goal in the "Top versus Bottom" match a few seasons back.

Back then, United topped the table and Wolverhampton is bottom. Everyone predicted a United win but well well. Along came Miller and he scored the winner! Mr. Green

Cheers.
C.K

zocoss SG

Star Sports Ch 24 - 3:45am - (Live)

Arsenal will be without defender William Gallas for Tuesday's Champions League game against Hamburg after he picked up a thigh strain.

Philippe Senderos or Johan Djourou will deputise at centre-back.

Forward Robin van Persie will be fit despite having suffered an ankle injury against Newcastle on Saturday.

Midfielder Gilberto is available after returning from compassionate leave in Brazil, while Freddie Ljungberg is now match fit following a calf injury.

Current form :

Arsenal are undefeated in their last 12 Champions League home matches, and have not conceded a goal at home in their last seven in this competition.

Hamburg have failed to win any of their last six European matches and have lost their last four in the Champions League. Their last victory in the CL dates back to 24 October 2000 when they beat Juventus 3-1.

Recent form: Shocking. They have won just twice this season in all competitions and only once in their last 21 matches. They have not lost for two matches, but a second draw, this time against bottom club Mainz, saw them drop back into the relegation zone and means they have not scored away from home in 274 minutes. With two rounds of matches still to play in the group stages the Germans are the only team who cannot qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League or Uefa Cup.

Probable teams
Arsenal: Jens Lehmann; Emmanuel Eboué, Philippe Senderos/Johan Djourou, Kolo Touré, Gaël Clichy; Gilberto; Aleksandr Hleb, Cesc Fabregas, Fredrik Ljungberg, Robin van Persie; Thierry Henry.

Hamburg: Stefan Wächter; Mario Fillinger, Joris Mathijsen, Bastian Reinhardt, Thimothée Atouba; David Jarolím, Piotr Trochowski, Raphael Wicky; Rafael van der Vaart; Boubacar Sanogo, Danijel Ljuboja.

zocoss SG

Well as they say, lightning don't normally strike twice at the same place... Mr. Green