Man U calm over Euro reprieve bid

MANCHESTER UNITED are keeping calm about their chances of a return to the Champions League.

Alex Ferguson's side went out at the group stage after losing 2-1 in Basel this month.

But the Red Devils were given a glimmer of hope because of a long-running row between Sion — Basel's Swiss rivals — and football chiefs.

FIFA announced they will suspend the Switzerland FA unless the country's league deducts points from Sion for registering six players signed during a transfer ban.

When a national association is suspended, none of its teams are allowed to play foreign opponents and that would stop Basel meeting Bayern Munich in Champions League's last 16.
But sources believe a compromise will be met by the January 13 deadline.

An insider said: "United can't see it coming to anything."
While the word within FIFA was that any reprieve was "a long shot".

source: www.thesung.co.uk

Time for AVB to start praying Bayer Leverkusen 2 Chelsea 1

ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS was left praying for help last night as his Chelsea nightmare continued.

After a last-gasp Champions League defeat the under-fire Blues boss admitted: "We are in a negative spiral of results and the team is trying desperately to get out if it.

"Our confidence is low right now and they expect the manager to inspire them.

"That is my job — to motivate and inspire these players to change our fortunes. The responsibility is mine.

Group E

Team	Point
Leverkusen	9
Chelsea	8
Valencia	8
Genk	2

 

"But we will also need our fans behind us for our final group game at home to Valencia. It is a critical moment for the team.

"I think it was an unfair result. Neither team played good football but that's not what matters now.

"What matters is Leverkusen have taken three important points to change the whole nature of this group.

"It is still in our own hands to qualify and we expect to do our job, but Valencia are a team on the up.

"It's tough for a lot of the English teams in the Champions League at the moment. We have been suffering a lot, conceding a lot of goals and we have to get back to winning.

"At the moment, everything is happening to us but there are no excuses."

Villas-Boas revealed Brazilian centre-half David Luiz had to come off midway through the second-half and refused to blame sub Alex for Manuel Friedrich's last-gasp winner.

AVB added: "David Luiz was feeling very dizzy and sick at half-time. He decided to continue for the team but we had to make the substitution.

"Alex is a brave defender and the marking at the corner was correct but Friedrich got that inch to head the ball into our net.

source: thesun.co.uk

Milan vs Barcelona 2-3 Highlights

Highlights of exciting game between AC Milan vs Barcelona 2-3  for UEFA Champion League round 1







Milan vs Barcelona 0-1 ( Mark van Bommel own goal Milan 14′)
AC Milan vs Barcelona 1-1 ( Zlatan Ibrahimovic goal vs Barca 20′)
Milan vs Barca 1-2 ( Messi penalty goal vs Milan 31′)
AC Milan vs Barcelona 2-2 ( Kevin Prince Boateng goal vs Barcelona 54′)
Milan vs Barcelona 2-3 ( Xavi goal vs Milan 63′)

Cristiano Ronaldo is Real Centurion

CRISTIANO RONALDO scored his 100th goal for Real Madrid as they saw off Lyon in the Champions League.

The £80million man reached the landmark haul on just his 105th appearance for the Spanish giants after leaving Manchester United two years ago.

Ronaldo's brace sealed Madrid's place in the last 16 of the tournament and left boss Jose Mourinho purring over his star player.

The Special One said: "It is an incredible record. To score 100 goals for Real is tremendous, especially scoring two goals here in Lyon where we have a negative record historically. I think it's fantastic."

Portugal superstar Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 24th minute by curling home a free-kick.

And he became a Real centurion on 69 minutes when he converted a penalty after Lyon fullback Mouhamadou Dabo had fouled him.

The win put Madrid top of Group D on 12 points — five clear of second placed Ajax, who thumped Dynamo Zagreb 4-0.

But the night belonged to Ronaldo, who is battling Barcelona's Lionel Messi for the World Player of the Year crown.

Argentine ace Messi hit a hat-trick last night in the 4-0 victory at Viktoria Plzen — taking his tally to an amazing 202 goals in 286 matches for the reigning Spanish and European champions.

source: http://www.thesun.co.uk/

Highlight video: Lyon vs Real Madrid : 0-2

What Matches Do You Want To See In The Champions League Quarter-Finals?

8 Teams in the Champions League Quarter-Finals
Barcelona (Spain)
Real Madrid (Spain)
Manchester United (England)
Tottenham Hotspurs (England)
Chelsea (England)
Schalke 04 (Germany)
Inter Milan (Italy)
Shakhtar (Ukraine)


Our LIVE! coverage of the draw will begin at 11:30 CET, and we will have all the news, views and reactions you need. Our experts will breakdown each of the four quarter-final ties.

England fearing Barcelona but confident of dominating final four

Amar Singh, UK deputy editor, says: "This could be a vintage year for England, with three teams vying for Wembley. As long as the dreaded Barcelona or all-English tie are avoided, all three could make the semis.

"Manchester United are really starting to click up front with Rooney and Hernandez, Chelsea march onwards despite failing to dazzle but have the Carlo Ancelotti factor, and Tottenham's fearlessness and record in the previous rounds means they can't be underestimated."

pain wishing for Clasico final: 'We have the two best teams'

"A Clasico in the Champions League final - that's the dream of everyone in Spain, from fans to media, from players to managers," says Spanish chief editor Sergio Aguilera.

"Real Madrid overcame their Round of 16 curse in style by thrashing Lyon, and Barcelona's victory over Arsenal was nothing short of sensational. Clearly, both teams are real candidates to reach the final. I'd say that both squads must be treated as serious rivals, and between them they are the teams everyone will want to avoid when the big draw comes this Friday."

Italy surprised to remain, but maintaining champion spirit

Sergio Chesi, Italian editor at Goal.com, says: "It's a bit of a surprise for we Italians that we're even in the draw. After the first leg we were certain that all of our teams would go out, but Inter went on to show all of Europe exactly why they are reigning champions.

Germany desperate for easy Schalke draw after Bayern failure
"Of course, they want to avoid Barcelona. Despite having goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, otherwise Schalke are too weak defensively to deal with the favourites. Chelsea and United are also a danger, so fans generally want to see Shakhtar, the other 'underdog' remaining. Real Madrid and Inter would be difficult but special: Mesut Ozil would face the club that chased him away, while fans haven't forgotten the UEFA Cup showdown with the Nerazzurri in 1997... although a repeat of that would be too much to ask."



Ukraine warn big guns to watch out for rampant Shakhtar

"Shakhtar are on a mission: they look to be en route to beat hated rivals Dynamo Kiev domestically but they are yet to match their Champions League feats," notes Michael Yokhin, Goal.com's Eastern Europe expert.


source: Goal.com 

Barca to make decision on Ibrahimovic and Messi

Barcelona will decide on Tuesday whether to risk Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Lionel Messi in their Champions League clash with Inter Milan at the Nou Camp.

Ibrahimovic and Messi have struggled to recover from thigh injuries in time for the penultimate Group F game, which Barca need to win after taking just one point from their two games against Russian side Rubin Kazan. The champions are third behind Inter and Rubin Kazan and a defeat would put them out if Rubin beat Dynamo Kiev.

"We won't know until tomorrow," Barca coach Pep Guardiola said. "We are doing all we can for them to be available. The medics haven't told me one way or the other.

"Whoever plays, we are all in it together, and I don't know why we can't win without them. But you always notice it when you are without your best. We have two games left and we need four points. Every team has a chance, but it is in our own hands."

Ibrahimovic trained with the rest of the squad on Monday evening, while Messi worked apart, but Guardiola also has to worry about the visit of new La Liga leaders Real Madrid for their top-of-the-table clash on Sunday.

Inter striker Samuel Eto'o's return to Camp Nou has been another talking point in the build up to the visit of the Serie A leaders. The Cameroon striker spent five years at Barca, helping them win two European Cups before leaving in the swap deal that brought Sweden's Ibrahimovic in as his replacement.

"He (Eto'o) will get the reception he deserves, and he deserves a good one," Guardiola said. "The fans understand the player was not responsible for his exit. His coach was."

Inter manager Jose Mourinho, who had already said he was convinced Ibrahimovic would feature, played down the significance of the doubts over the fitness of Argentine Messi.

"I'm not worried about whether Messi will play or not," he said. "It doesn't change my plans. The world of football hopes to see Barca continue in the Champions League. They are the best team in Europe and they don't appear to be scared of us, but neither are we of them."