FC Porto vs. Zenit St Petersburg Champions League preview
FC Porto take on Zenit St Petersburg in a decisive final Champions League Group G fixture at the Estádio do Dragão on matchday six.
For Vítor Pereira’s hosts, it is win or bust as they sit third in the group, a point behind Zenit, who need only draw to secure their progress to the last 16. Either club could even end the night dislodging surprise leaders APOEL FC at the top, albeit that would depend on the Cypriot team’s result in their home fixture with FC Shakhtar Donetsk.
For Porto the aim is to avoid falling at this hurdle for the first time since the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League, since when they have made four appearances in the knockout rounds. Zenit, who came from behind to beat Porto 3-1 in St Petersburg, are bidding to reach the latter stages for the first time.
It is Zenit‘s first trip to Porto but their defender Bruno Alves will need no introduction to the home supporters – the defender spent ten years as a Porto player before moving to Russia in August 2010. Read more
FC Vaslui vs. S.S. Lazio UEFA Europa League preview
FC Vaslui host S.S. Lazio with victory for either side guaranteeing them a place alongside UEFA Europa League Group D leaders Sporting Clube de Portugal in the round of 32.
Giuseppe Sculli (71) earned Lazio a 2-2 draw when the sides met for the first time in Rome on matchday one, scoring after Vaslui captain Wesley had struck twice (59 & 63) to cancel out Djibril Cissé’s 35th-minute opener from the spot. It was Vaslui’s first game against Italian opposition.
Lazio had previously taken on FC Dinamo Bucureşti in the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, prevailing 3-1 in Bucharest after a 1-1 draw in Rome.
Vaslui are yet to be beaten at home in UEFA club competition, recording six wins and four draws in their ten outings to date since making their European debut in 2008. They have maintained that unbeaten run despite playing their European home games this season in in Piatra Neamt, a little over 100km from their home town.
Lazio have lost three of their last five European away games, with a 3-1 win at FK Rabotnicki in this season’s UEFA Europa League play-offs the only victory in that run. Read more
Vorskla Poltava vs. FC Kobenhavn UEFA Europa League preview
FC Vorskla Poltava are already out of contention for a UEFA Europa League round of 32 and they will take FC Kobenhavn out of the Group B reckoning too if they can secure a first win in the section on matchday five.
Morten Nordstrand’s penalty on 54 minutes gave København a 1-0 win when these sides met for the first time on matchday one, on the day that Vorskla goalkeeper Serhiy Dolganskiy celebrated his 37th birthday; it was the Danish club’s first meeting with Ukrainian opponents in their current form.
B 1903 Kobenhavn, who merged with Kjøbenhavns BK to form FCK in 1992, played FC Dynamo Kyiv in the 1973/74 UEFA Cup second round, losing 1-0 away and 2-1 at home.
Vorskla’s only previous meeting with Danish opponents came in the 1998 UEFA Intertoto Cup second round; they drew 2-2 with Akademisk Boldklub in Soberg, winning the tie on away goals following a 1-1 draw in the return fixture. Read more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. Chelsea Champions League preview
In a total of 16 fixtures against English opponents, Bayer 04 Leverkusen have won two, with ten ending in defeat; at home their record is W2 D2 L4.
Chelsea have only lost three of their 12 European games against Bundesliga opponents, winning seven; in Germany their record reads W1 D1 L3.
Ballack is in his second spell with Leverkusen, returning there in summer 2010 after four seasons at Chelsea following his 2006 move from Bayern. He won three FA Cups with the London club, the last in 2010 to complete a double with the Premier League, and in 2008 scored their first goal in the shoot-out to decide the UEFA Champions League final with Manchester United. The scores were tied at 1-1 after extra time with United winning 6-5 on penalties.
Fernando Torres scored the winner for Spain in the UEFA EURO 2008 final in Vienna against a Germany side containing Ballack. In the quarter-finals Ballack and Simon Rolfes were involved as Germany won 3-2 against a Portugal team that included José Bosingwa and Paulo Ferreira, Ballack getting Germany’s third goal. Read more
Arsenal vs. Borussia Dortmund Champions League preview
A win at the fourth attempt in Champions League Group F has reignited Borussia Dortmund‘s belief that the qualifying berths are still within reach but they face an exacting task at the home of Arsenal, who hold a one-point advantage at the head of the section.
Rosický played for Dortmund between 2000 and 2006, when he left for Arsenal, scoring 19 goals in 149 Bundesliga games.
Dortmund’s Mario Götze, Marcel Schmelzer and Sven Bender, and Arsenal’s Per Mertesacker, were in the Germany team that shared a 2-2 friendly draw with Poland in Gdansk on 6 September. The home side included Arsenal’s Wojciech Szczęsny, and Dortmund pair Robert Lewandowski and Jakub Błaszczykowski, who both scored.
Götze and Mats Hummels were in the Germany side that recorded a 3-2 friendly victory against a Brazil team including André Santos in Stuttgart on 10 August. Götze scored the home team’s second goal. Read more
Manchester United vs. Benfica Champions League preview
Manchester United FC and SL Benfica meet at Old Trafford on matchday five each looking to take a significant step towards the round of 16 in UEFA Champions League.
Nani started his career with Benfica’s Lisbon rivals Sporting Clube de Portugal. The United winger is a Portugal team-mate of Eduardo and Rúben Amorim.
Anderson was with Porto from 2005 to 2007. Signed from Grêmio Foot-ball Porto Alegrense, the Brazilian made three league appearances in his first campaign in Portugal but in the second featured 15 times, scoring twice and collecting a championship winners’ medal.
Patrice Evra and Javier Saviola played together at AS Monaco FC in 2004/05.
Benfica’s goalscorer against United on matchday one, Óscar Cardozo has a knack of finding the net against English clubs having struck six times in four matches against Everton FC and Liverpool FC in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League.
Pablo Aimar made his UEFA Champions League debut against United, playing for Valencia CF in home (0-0) and away (1-1) draws with the English side in the 2000/01 second group stage, before lining up against Ferdinand, then at Leeds United AFC, in the semi-finals.
Rodrigo made 17 league appearances (four starts) on loan at Bolton Wanderers FC last term, scoring once.
Napoli vs. Manchester City Champions League preview
Manchester City FC take on SSC Napoli knowing that victory would take them through to the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League for the first time.
Manchester City, second in Group A, arrive in Naples with a two-point advantage over third-placed Napoli and buoyed by back-to-back successes against Villarreal CF. Napoli slipped below City after losing at FC Bayern München last time out but will be determined to bounce back with victory – and recent history should show City that winning in Naples is easier said than done.
City’s Italian manager Mancini has faced Napoli as both player and coach. In the latter guise, when in charge of FC Internazionale Milano in 2007/08, he recorded a 2-1 home victory and 1-0 away defeat.
As a player Mancini scored in UC Sampdoria’s 4-1 aggregate win against Napoli in the 1989 Coppa Italia final. It was also against Napoli that he struck what is remembered in Italy as perhaps his finest goal for Sampdoria – a spectacular volley in a 4-1 win at the Stadio San Paolo in 1990/91, the year his old team won the Scudetto. The following season Mancini scored five goals to help Sampdoria reach the European Champion Clubs’ Cup final. Read more
Otelul Galati vs. FC Basel UEFA Champions League preview
FC Basel 1893 visit Romania to take on FC Otelul Galati looking for three points to keep up their pursuit of the top two in Group C.
With Manchester United FC and SL Benfica in direct opposition in the section’s other encounter, Heiko Vogel’s Basel know that victory against Oţelul would lift them level on points with one of that pair should there be a winner at Old Trafford.
Otelul sit bottom of Group C but Dorinel Munteanu’s men have their own motivation – besides the ongoing search for their first UEFA Champions League points, they need a win to revive their hopes of finishing third and gaining entry to the UEFA Europa League.
Having already earned draws at Manchester United and Benfica, Basel should travel to Bucharest in confident mood as they face a home team still without a goal at the National Arena, Oţelul’s base for this maiden UEFA Champions League campaign.
Otelul may be winless but they can take heart from having run the Swiss title holders close in their matchday one meeting. Back then they were within six minutes of claiming a draw before Alexander Frei’s late penalty earned a 2-1 success for a Basel side under the charge of Thorsten Fink. Read more
Premier League 2011-2012 11th round results
05.11.2011
14:45 Newcastle United – Everton FC 2:1 (2:1)
17:00 Arsenal FC – West Bromwich Albion 3:0 (2:0)
17:00 Aston Villa – Norwich City 3:2 (1:1)
17:00 Blackburn Rovers – Chelsea FC 0:1 (0:0)
17:00 Liverpool FC – Swansea City 0:0 (0:0)
17:00 Manchester United – Sunderland AFC 1:0 (1:0)
19:30 Queens Park Rangers – Manchester City 2:3 (1:1)
06.11.2011
15:30 Wolverhampton Wanderers – Wigan Athletic 3:1 (1:1)
17:00 Bolton Wanderers – Stoke City 5:0 (2:0)
18:00 Fulham FC – Tottenham Hotspur 1:3 (0:2)
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FC Kobenhavn vs. Hannover 96 UEFA Europa League preview
FC Kobenhavn will look to extend an eight-game unbeaten home run in UEFA group stage matches as they host a Hannover 96 side who have yet to lose a contest in this competition.
The teams drew 2-2 when they met for the first time on 20 October, in what was Hannover’s first UEFA game against a Danish side.
Dame N’Doye (67) cancelled out a first-half opener from Hannover’s Christian Pander (29), but Sergio Pinto (81) looked to have won the game for the hosts until substitute César Santin (89) levelled at the death.
Including their matchday three game against Hannover, FCK’s seven games against German sides ended W1 D2 L4 (W1 D0 L3 at home).
Hannover beat a Danish side, B1909 Odense, 3-2 at home and 1-0 away in the 1968/69 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the non-UEFA affiliated predecessor of the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League. Read more