Champions League draw - Live Blog

Hello and welcome to the live blog of Champions League draw. We will be updating this blog live during the draw. We have never tried this before. Let us see how it goes. I will quote all comments in the live blog
The draw starts at 17:45 CET 11:45 Eastern Tine 8:45 Pacific Time.
See you shortly!


8:50a : Nothing much happening at the moment.
8:55a : Europe's Best Player of the year award to be given by Luís Figo
8:57a : Draw about to start couple of UEFA suits added to the stage
8:59a : Paul Breitner ambassador for the UEFA CL final 2012, never know such a title existed
9:01a : Lots of mumbo jumbo. First they will put the 8 teams in pot-1 in different groups
9:04a : Lets draw guys! i have to go to work :-)
9:05a : Man U in C, Porto in G
9:06a : Real Madrid in D
9:07a : Chelsea in E, Bayern in A, Inter in B
9:09a : Arsenal in F & Barça in H. Pot-1 is done.
9:13a : Sir Bobby Charlton speaking.. will help in the draw the Pot -2 Villarreal is here :D
9:14a : Olympique Lyonnais goes to play Real Madrid again :-)
9:15a : Benfica goes into C with Man U
9:16a : Marseille goes to F, play Arsenal, Valencia goes to E play Chelsea the Mata reunion
9:18a : Shaktar goes to G, with Porto, Milan goes to H and Barcelona
9:20a : Submarine goes to play Bayern! Ufff
9:21a : Villarreal, Valencia and Barça get tough draws so far. Real Madrid get an easy one
9:24a : Pot-3 Lille goes to B. Inter gets a easy draw, Zenit goes to G, another easy group at the outset
9:26a : Ajax goes to D, Real Madrid has an easy draw so far.
9:27a : Olympiakos to F, another group shaping up to be easy
9:28 : Now Man City.. to Bayern and Villarreal !! UFF what a group for the Submarine!
9:29 : Leverkusen goes to E, FC Basel to C
9:32 : wow what a draw for Villarreal, if we come out of this group, it is almost like winning the Cup
9:33 : pot-4 ready to go!
9:34 : Napoli.. dont go into A..Noooooooooo HOLY SMOLLY
9:35 : APOEL goes to G, I still cant believe we are in the Group of Death
9:36 : Paul Breitner is bad luck for us. Galati goes to C
9:37 : D. Zagreb to D
9;39 : Viktoria goes to H, Barça & Madrid have it easy.
9:40 : Valencia get Genk. Decent draw for our neighbours. Very good chances of qualifying
9:41 : Trabzonspor goes to B and Dortmund goes to F
We are done.
Villarreal get the mother of all groups of death. #AUPA submarino

Group A	Group B	Group C	Group D
FC Bayern	Inter	Man United	Real Madrid
Villarreal	CSKA Moscow	Benfica	Lyon
Man City	Lille	FC Basel	Ajax
Napoli	Trabzonspor	Galati	D.Zagreb
Group E	Group F	Group G	Group H
Chelsea	Arsenal	FC Porto	FC Barcelona
Valencia	Marseille	Shakhtar	Milan
Leverkusen	Olympiakos	Zenit	BATE Borisov
Genk	B.Dortmund	APOEL	Viktoria Plzen

Here are the 4-pots from which the teams will be picked. The rules are simple.
1. One team from each pot in each group
2. No two teams from the same league in the same group

Pot-1	Pot-2	Pot-3	Pot-4
Barcelona	Shakhtar	Olympiacos	Trabzonspor
Man United	Valencia	BATE	B.Dortmund
Chelsea	Villarreal	Manchester City	Genk
FC Bayern	CSKA Moscow	Lille	Napoli
Real Madrid	Marseille	Zenit	D.Zagreb
Porto	Milan	Ajax	APOEL
Inter	Lyon	Leverkusen	O.Galati
Arsenal	Benfica	Basel	Viktoria Plzen

Strike: Is it the right solution?

Rafa Acal Jimenez (@pspasfctweets) from the Sevilla NYC Peña (Peña Sevillista Puerta de America), with a different spin on the current player strike in La Liga.

This whole issue with the delay of La liga because the players felt their interests were not taking into account has made me wonder that the resolution of striking, and therefore leaving fans all over the world without futbol has perhaps, greater consequences.

There are many presidents that have expressed their opinion about the strike. Del Nido [Sevilla FC], although understanding the player’s concerns, was against the strike. The reason? Well, let’s focus on Sevilla FC, a team that has completely revamped it's starting eleven. They have invested a decent amount of money to tweak the team and improve on last year’s performance. Some of the money invested in players is thought or expected to be recovered with a spot in European Tournaments. The fear is that the number of members can decrease if this doesn’t occur. There is a lot at stake for the club and financially, strike is a poor choice.

With no league, players don’t get to execute what is taught during the training sessions and see that the coach is right. There is a lack of evaluation of methods. Players don’t get into a routine. The way I see it, Spanish teams participating in the Champions League or Europa League are in a weaker position compared to its rivals. This was obvious on Thursday during Hannover 96 – Sevilla FC [Europa League]. It was debated how well positioned were the Germans. They have already played five games so it was clear it took them way less time to get into the game. From a team’s development, strike is also a bad choice.

So, what are we going to do now? We need futbol!!!

La Liga Preview: 2 giants and 18 dwarfs

<< Will the colours of the ribbons on the trophy change this year?

The Preamble

Seems like the 2010-11 it was yesterday when FC Barcelona drew 1-1 at Levante to seal a 3rd consecutive Spanish league title. Here we are just a few weeks away from the kick-off of a new season, the 81st edition of the Spanish Primera División aka 'La Liga'. This is a very important year for this league. There are a lot of clubs in financial distress. The players union is threatening to go on strike over unpaid wages. There is simmering discontent over the lopsided TV deal heavily loaded in favour of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. It promises to be another roller coaster season full of twists and turns along with some fabulous football.

For a league where only two teams are in the title race from match day 1 (as the title suggests), there is more drama and excitement around the title race than one would expect. It is provided by the encounters between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, the vicious and cynical media machines spewing bile from both sides and the petulant fans from both sides pouring gasoline on a burning stove. And if you thought you had enough of the 'Clasico's last season, the season starts with two more of them, the two legs of the Spanish Super Cup.

With that backdrop, let me set you up for the season with a quick preview.

The Offseason

This offseason has been dominated by three major themes.

1. Protracted transfer sagas of Alexis Sanchez, Kun Aguero, Neymar and Cesc Fabregas.
2. Project Málaga
3. Financial trouble at the majority of the clubs
   

Barcelona has signed Chilean forward/winger Alexis Sanchez from Udinese after almost two months of negotiations. It appeared like Real Madrid would land Kun Aguero after he forced his way out Atlético Madrid but he ended up at Manchester City. Real Madrid pursued Neymar with a lot of determination but the Brazilian phenom looks set to continue at Santos at least until the January transfer window. The Cesc Fabregas saga has been running for three summers now and it might finally be over this summer. Barcelona is using brinkmanship tactics to get the player for as less as possible and Arsenal hasn’t budged so far. But according to various media outlets, the deal might be close.

Málaga have been the most active La Liga team in the transfer market. They have made some intelligent signings in Toulalan, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Mathijsen, Nacho Monreal, Isco Alarcon, and Joaquin and topped their summer by signing Santi Cazorla from Villarreal. They pursued him all summer as their star-signing. They have strengthened their team by spending about 60million euros on 8 players. Coach Manuel Pellegrini has one of the deepest squads in La Liga heading into the season.

While Málaga has been on a spending spree thanks to the financial muscle of their new owner Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani, a lot of the other teams are in deep financial strife. Newly promoted Rayo Vallecano and Real Betis are in administration. So are Racing and Zaragoza. The rest aren’t much better off either. Teams like Villarreal and Atlético have had to sell one of their stars to raise money for new signings. The financial crisis has a debilitating on a lot of teams in La Liga as well as the Liga Adelante (2^nd division). Spain has by far the most clubs in administration (in the top two divisions) than any other league in Europe. However, I do expect teams to make a few more signings using some creative deals involving players, deferred payments etc.

The Season

Approximately two weeks away from the season kick-off on Aug 20/21, the season promises to be a very good one. The two-legged Super Cup between Barcelona and Real Madrid will raise the curtain on the season, rather fittingly. There is little doubt that one of these two giants will be the eventual league champion.

Real Madrid has added the talented midfielder Nuri Sahin and the Portuguese international left-back Fabio Coentrão to a strong squad. They are still in the market for a striker and despite the setbacks of not landing Kun Aguero or Neymar, have the depth to compete in all the three competitions. Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema have been in mid-season form in the preseason. Barcelona have signed only Alexis Sanchez so far but with the Cesc deal looming, Pep Guardiola’s side looks set for the season with a very strong squad. They can afford the luxury of dipping into their talent-laden youth system if needed. Moreover, a team with Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Villa and Co doesn’t need a lot of changes to click.

Málaga is primed for success with a talented side. The expectations are high in the Andalucian city and some experts are even predicting them to finish in the Champions Leagues spots by the end of the season. I expect them to struggle early while they gel as a team. But by about November they could turn it on. They start the season with a bang hosting Barcelona in Week#1. That game promises to be a cracker.

Valencia, Sevilla and Villarreal look very solid. Valencia has made some shrewd signings this season in Adil Ramis, Danny Parejo and looks like they might be close to securing a loan for Spanish U20 captain Sergio Canales. Sevilla has a new coach in Marcelino Garcia, the ex-Racing coach. They have been relatively quiet in the transfer market so far, but we are almost a month away from the transfer deadline. Villarreal have made some good signings like Cristian Zapata to shore-up their defence where they were vulnerable last season. They have lost Santi Cazorla to Málaga, a transaction that has angered and saddened the Madrigal faithful at Vila-real. But they managed to retain rest of their stars in Borja Valero, Beppe Rossi and Nilmar.

Athletic club of Bilbao have a new manager, the excellent ‘El Loco’(the crazy) Marcelo Bielsa. The summer saw him linked to Real Sociedad as well as Sevilla. The new president of Athletic, Jose Urrutia had an agreement with Bielsa to make him the coach in case he won the Athletic’s presidential elections. The Basques-only policy means they don’t have a huge talent pool to choose from. They have added the excellent creative midfielder Ander Herrera to a talented squad that includes, Fernando Llorente, Javi Martinez and Iker Munaín. Depth of squad could be an issue for them, especially if they go deep in all three competitions. Everyone that follows La Liga will watch Mr. Bielsa and his team very closely.

Atlético Madrid, where there is never a dull day at office looks weakened with the departure of Kun Aguero. At the moment they haven’t signed a replacement yet. They have signed striker and Golden ball winner at Euro U21 Adrian Lopez. New coach Gregorio Manzano has a huge task at hand to stabilize this inherently unstable team.

Teams like Getafe, Osasuna, Real Sociedad, Zaragoza, the newly promoted Granada, Mallorca, Racing Santander, Sporting Gijon, Espanyol and Levante haven’t done much in the transfer market. The loan deal for Real Madrid’s prospect Pablo Sarabia to Getafe is the most notable of them all.

Predictions

Champion: Real Madrid. The race between Barcelona and Real Madrid will be closer than ever but I think Mourinho’s team will have the last laugh and will edge out the Catalans.

Copa Del Rey: Barcelona

Champions League: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga. Yes, I am very
optimistic about the Málaga revolution and they will edge Villarreal for the 4^th spot.

Europa League: Villarreal, Sevilla, Athletic

Relegation: Rayo Vallecano, Racing Santander and Granada or Levante. Rayo is an absolute mess right now with players striking over unpaid wages. Racing has been left high and dry by Ali Sayeed and there is a vacuum of leadership there. Levante have lost their coach Luis Garcia (to Getafe) and sold their top-scorer Felipe Caicedo and haven’t replaced him.

PS: This article was written before the Super Cup was played.

Real Madrid Preview 2011

Main Storylines: despite this relatively  quiet transfer market for the club that quite often rules the roost in player movement, Real Madrid have continued the unglamorous task of building a squad that compliments the talent they already have. José had no use for Sergio Canales and Pedro León, so he brought in Nuri Sahin and José Callejon who fit the Mourinho profile a little better. The pearl of the transfer window is Fábio Coentrão however. He´s versatile, tall and offers more defensive qualities on the ball and on the man than Marcelo does, which allows the Brazilian to maximize his potential as an attacker. In a nutshell, José is building a squad that does just that for each other. There is no perfect player, but there are perfect compliments of players. They cover others weaknesses so that they can play at their maximum level. That said, it has been a rather schizophrenic Summer from los blancos. While anyone who has bothered to ask José has come from the meeting with a feeling that Madrid are almost finished other than signing a striker, more than likely bringing an Adebayor who knows Mou´s system and adapted himself to his role last year, the club (meaning specifically his royal highness Don Florentino Perez) have continued on their merry way, negotiating at first with want-away Atléti striker Sergio ¨El Kún¨ Agüero who settled disappointedly with Manchester City because Real Madrid would not come with a serious offer, and then tapped-up Santos´ Brasilian phenomenon Neymar after the Copa Libertadores final. They both serve the dual purpose of great player with the sort of shirt-potential that Perez´s Galacticos usually bring to the club, but neither suits what the club need, nor what José Mourinho is kown for. In Kún you have stocky forward with a low center of gravity that José rarely features and in Neymar a flair-player who rarely tracks back and who isn´t ready physically for the assignment that José requires. The first would likely sit, much as Shevchenko did at Chelsea, and the other would spend most matches fuming as either Di María or Callejon played on the wing in his stead, or Özil or Kaká played centrally. Who do you sit for the luxury of bringing Neymar? Better yet, who do you bring in to cover his weaknesses? It´s why I think he won´t come until after José Mourinho leaves Real Madrid.

Forwards: What is there to be said about there forward line? Cristiano Ronaldo has become one of the most complete forwards in football. He can play on the wings or more centrally and exploits the empty spaces in front of goal better than practically any other forward. He´s no central striker though, holding the ball is not really a job that exploits his considerable skills well, so Benzema and Higuaín will likely cover that role and each other. The player in form will start while competing for minutes, but José likes to spring 4 and 5 attacker sets late in games, so both will play alot. The only negative I can think of is that they are a bit light in terms of numbers, but since for most of the match Mourinho likes to use one guy up top, there really isn´t any real problem. Ones to watch: José Callejón. The former Castilla player who returned after two promising years at Espanyol, gives them more directness on the wing than Di Maria, who is often indecisive and loses the ball in the corner, and can spell the Argentine when he gets tired late in games.

Midfielders:  I think they solved one of their two their most pressing problems in the midfield. Talk is always of Ronaldo-dependence, but what the club have is Xabi-dependence. The former Liverpool is an organizer, a distributor and a leader in the midfield, but his greatest contribution to a club like Real Madrid is springing their deadly counter-attack with those deadly cross-field 60 yard passes. I think that´s why they brought in Sahín who has that sort of game to him from what I´ve seen. Özil was a great find, the central creative force that sent Kaká to the bench. Sami Khedira and Esteban Granero have their roles, but neither is the complete dominator centrally that they need. Lass Diarra is acceptable in that role if he were playing at any other team, but he´s not Claude Makelele. Coentrão and Pepe can play there in a pinch, but you lose what they bring to your club in their primary roles as center-back and full-back. Ones to watch: Everyone is writing off Kaká. I think even Perez wants to see the backside of him, but I can´t help thinking that there is still some gas left in the tank for the former Brasilian great. Whether he shows it for Madrid depends if he stays.

Defenders: Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Ricardo Carvalho and Fábio Coentrão, with Marcelo to play minutes there, but mainly up the pitch more as a midfielder. Arbeloa can play on either wing and Ramos can play centrally. There is some depth there, but I can´t help but think that Carvalho is getting on with smoke and mirrors. How much time does he have left? I know his positioning is without equal, but he´s the sort who gets beat now that he has lost a few steps and gets carded late in games for those mistakes of age. I like that they bought Varane, but he´s a year away at best to start contributing amongst those physical beasts around him. Ones to watch: Hamit Altintop. I know he has said that he already wants to leave the club for lack of respect, but he´s the sort of grinder that Mou likes. Don´t be surprised if he helps out more than expected.


Keepers: Iker Casillas is the best in the world bar none. He is athletic, a born leader and he makes the difficult save look easy and the easy save look even easier than it should be which is a far cry from many a keeper who loses concentration on the likeliest of saves. With the exit of Dudek, Castilla keeper Adán takes over the role of backup. It is not likely we will see him play much.

Projection: they certainly are better overall, a much deeper and more complimentary squad, but there are still holes to be patched up in the midfield and if this were any other league I would say that Real Madrid would have no problem winning the Premier League by 6 games or Serie A by 10. The league is disproportionately poor at the bottom of the table. There are not a lot of teams at the bottom of the table that can consistently take points off either front-runner so the Clásicos have and will take on more of a deciding role. Unfortunately, they play in a league with FC Barcelona and they have improved immensely. Sure, Cesc and Aléxis Sanchez leave starting roles for back-up roles at Barça but that doesn´t take into the account what modern clubs use their full squads for. Rotation is a bad-word for alot of people, but modern clubs need to rotate players and Barcelona can rotate a different quality of player in than their rivals. Second again in the league, but I think (unlike the blaugrana) that this squad looks like it was built specifically for Europe. I think this is the year that Real Madrid wins their 10th European title.

UCL: Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona

People are going to argue about Pepe being sent off, the yellow cards to Ramos and Arbeloa, and the perceived lack of favor that the arbiters had for anyone dressed in white over blaugrana, but it´s quite clear what happened in the Champions League semifinal: José Mourinho outfoxed himself.

It was obvious what Barcelona were going to do. Even faced with two roughly played matches, a draw in the league that virtually secured another title for Guardiola´s men and a hotly contested match in the Copa del Rey final that gave Mou another bauble for his trophy case, that many were questioning Barcelona´s lack of a Plan B and congratulating Real Madrid prematurely for finally breaking the azulgrana hegemony, it was clear that Barca are the sort that step back and redouble their efforts- changing nothing; well, unless you count bringing in Seydou Keita in for an injured Andrés Iniesta an unforced change.

José on the other hand had been varying his approaches for awhile. Moving Pepe into a holding role was considered a stroke of brilliance, limiting the interplay of Villa and Messi in the middle of the field and virtually eliminating Pedro from the field of play, but the less obvious change was in intent. Each in this series of clasicos has been an interesting exhibit into José as coach, as tactician, varying his philosophy from match to match and not only attacking Barcelona on the pitch, but testing himself and his squad to the specific requirements of league match, cup final and two-legged Champions League matches. Each has its own needs, its own conditions for success.

In the press conference afterwards, while most people were paying attention to the flamboyant rant against referees, UEFA, Unicef or any other functionaries that handcuffed his desire for a third personal Champions League trophy, Mourinho revealed what his intent had been. Sit back, absorb the pressure, try certainly to nick a goal in the process, but wait until late before bringing in a third forward and also Kaká to sit behind them. His plan was foiled, the match or reality unwilling to be bent to the will of his imagination.

Now this is no direct criticism to his style of management, his record speaks for itself, but I have to wonder if he realizes how difficult it is to micromanage every event, every pro and con in such a highly charged European match. I can imagine how I would react if my carefully laid plans backfired on me. If my best player ignored my orders to sit back and wait and instead pressured up the pitch away from supply lines I would be angry, too. If my club had responded well to my desire to push the opponent and cajole them into mistakes in the final third, I would be happy, but I can´t complain then if the overly physical play backfires and the opponent takes advantage of the harsh challenges, extending the theatrics a bit more than usual, to get my players sent off. Whether purists on either side of the football debate like it or not, it´s an integral part of the game.

So the high tackle, a studs-up lunge by Pepe to meet a loose ball that Dani Alves was recovering, changes the game. As an image, from any angle on a page, whether from the front as seen on As.com or from behind as a counter-point elsewhere, the tackle seems innocuous, without context though it is left to interpretation: ¨In England that´s not a straight red, but maybe in Spain or in Italy it is¨ or ¨was there malice involved?¨, or any of the arguments that are usually brought to the table after this sort of singular event.

Take that though as a series of images, slowed down for clarity: Pepe leaving his feet to recover the ball from Pedro, the ball skipping away after bouncing off his hip, then running 10 yards to recover a ball, lunging with his right leg in the air, clearly to trap the ball over a waiting Dani Alves, whether or not he had good intentions has no place in the ultimate decision. The referee sees a studs-up high tackle with one player sprawled on the floor, granted a player like Dani Alves who quite often makes a meal of these sorts of challenges, and it is absolutely a red; justified or not.

Left without Pepe in the middle to clog the darting midfield runs, Messi dominates the next 15 minutes culminating in his decisive goal where he sprints past five Real Madrid defenders leaving pundits to again regurgitate Maradona comparisons. Game over, set and match, with one more clásico to be played in a week.

A 0-0 result is a good result. Mourinho has said it in the past. The important match is and will continue to be the match at the Camp Nou. It is still possible conceivably, but with the away goals set Real Madrid will have to score three in Barcelona and hold the hosts scoreless. Not impossible, but highly improbable. I just wonder, if rather than being so cautious and trying to ensure his result, Mourinho had taken his own advice and attacked Barcelona like his Inter squad had done last year at the Giuseppe Meazza. Would the result have been any different?

I have to digress here. I dislike these type-A pencil-pushers; these extreme micro-managers that have infiltrated the game. It´s a personal opinion. I would rather see a genius like Roberto Baggio create something out of nothing before watching Marcello Lippi try to convert him into a player in a system that ensures nothing but the idea that Lippi will for all time be lauded as a World Cup winning coach rather than the idea his players won it despite him. I know I´m in the minority. I don´t daydream myself sitting on the bench in a suit at the Santiago Bernabeu with my pen and my moleskin journal, but if I have over a 100 million euros of talent sitting on the substitutes bench next to me, I play them. If a tactic is sound for the 75th minute then it is sound for the 15th minute. I put my best players in the position for them to win. You can over-think your approach.

In this case, if I had been sitting on that bench in Madrid, rather than look for vague conspiracies placing themselves in the way of my dreams of personal European glory, I´d take a good look in the mirror before I face the press. Self confidence is all well and good, but without even the slight-bit of self-reflection it all comes across as phony.

El Clasico del Mundo: facts and Statistics

Hearts will pound, bodies will sweat and blood pressure will rise when Barcelona and Real Madrid meet tomorrow at the “white castle”; Santiago Bernabeu.

Keeping with the competitive frenzy here are some facts and statistics that was accumulated through out the European clashes between the two Spanish giants:

1. Real Madrid scored 12 goals this season in the UEFA Champions League while Barcelona scored 7 goals.
2. This will be the third time that the two giants meet through the Champions League Semifinal with Real Madrid winning on both times in 1960 and 2002.
3. The two teams met 6 times throughout the history of all European club competitions with Real Madrid winning 3, Barcelona won 1 and they drew on 2 occasions.
4. Real Madrid has the best defense hand-in-hand with Manchester United after conceding only 3 goals in 10 matches this season.
5. Real Madrid won 12 matches and losing only 2 in the team’s encounter against Spanish Clubs in the UEFA Champions League with the last being against At. Madrid 1-0 and 2-1 against Barcelona in the 1960-1961 season.
6. If Real Madrid wins the Champions League, Jose Mourinho will be the first coach in history to win the title with 3 different clubs, having won the title with Porto and Inter Milan.
7. Mourinho’s record against Barcelona has not been amazing as he lost 4 times in 10 matches and winning only 3.
8. Barcelona has reached the semifinal for four times in a row this year. Yet they lost in 2008 to Man United, last year to Inter Milan and gone through on aggregate against Chelsea in 2009.
9. Barcelona lost the last two Semifinal encounter against a Spanish side, having lost 3-1 to Real Madrid in 2002 and to Valencia 5-3, in both home and away.
10. Barcelona won only 4 out of 18 of their encounters in the Champions league Semifinal.
11. Barcelona extraordinaire Lionel Messi has scored an amazing 15 goals in the team’s last 15 Champions League matches, yet he has not scored in the last 6 Semifinal matches in 3 years.
12. Barcelona won only 3 matches out of the last 14 away from home in the Champions League.
13. Barcelona has not won the last six European encounters against a Spanish side.
14. There ya go folks. On statistics Real Madrid is the better side, after all this is Real Madrid’s favorite title. But it’s always history talk with us Real Madrid fans, Barcelona is better in the last few years and going by what we saw in the Copa del Rey final, it shall be a cracking match.

-Hamdi Al-Haddad.

The SemiFinals of all SemiFinals!

Guest Blog: Rapheal Harry

Gladiators Ready: The arenas have been prepared, seats cleaned, even the gods will be taking two days off this week to watch the gladiators from Barcelona, Gelsenkirchen, Madrid and Manchester take on each other in the first round of the Champions League semi-finals. The gods have asked for blood and they want plenty of it and the gladiators know that too and are ready to prove that only the BEST would be welcomed in Wembley, come the day of the final. As the crowds get ready to feast on not only wine and bread (how on earth did they get satisfied on such back then?) but on the eye catching moves, raw skills and fantastic team-work and the genius of coaches, we take one final look at the four teams.

Schalke FC vs Manchester United

Too many Man Utd fans are happy that they got this draw, Schalke on paper are the easiest team. They are the only team out of the final four that are not in the top two of their league, but are they one of Europe's best this season? I say yes. They have stopped teams such as Lyon, Benfica, Valencia and Inter in their tracks on their way to the semis. Unlike Spurs who have gotten more praise, they have taken down teams that were all in their peak when they came up roses against them. Schalke were the ones who, based on domestic form were struggling, but in Europe they saw everyone as equals and got their results. Schalke may not be nearly as easy as Man Utd. fans would have hoped for, and if we are to go by history, this is similar to when United came up against Dortmund and Leverkusen in the semis; everyone expected the Red Devils in the finals, but if there's one thing German teams are good at doing it is taking down opponents from every league down. Last season Bayern knocked Man Utd. out and in Schalke you have someone who knows what victory over United tastes like in the goal king of Europe: Raul Gonzalez Blanco. Schalke do not have any point to prove and that's why they are a bigger threat right now. They have a defense that can't stop leaking goals in the Bundesliga, but have been stronger in Europe although when comparing all four teams defense they have conceded the most. They do make up in attack and have scored in all their matches except for two away games. They have knowns and unknowns in their attack from Raul, Hunteelar, Charisteas (a European Cup winner), to the exciting Gavronovic, and a reborn Edu. Boy they do have a lot of goal scorers who can turn up for such occasions, but the main men will be Raul, Farfan and Jurado. Unless he goes back on his word, Raul is most likely playing his last season in Europe, but he will leave with a bang, whether or not Schalke goes through. He'll get at least 2 goals.

Now the Red Devils have had a nightmare of a season when it comes to injuries, but the good news is that the nightmare is over and not only do they have players returning back from injury, they have them returning back to form and boosting their overall confidence and morale. In Chicharito Hernandez (one of my favorites and breakout star of the season), they possess one of Europe's deadliest young goal poachers. Small but fast, as soon as he smells the goal he develops a lighting speed to deliver; he'll be very much a key to the Red Devils cause. Another big factor is the availability of Rio Ferdinand. While Vidic has featured in every game for United, that said they are two of Europe's best defenders. There seems to be a certain calmness he brings to United this season which has been absent when he has been injured. Barring any injuries, if Ferdinand and Vidic suit up against Schalke, the Germans will have to be at their very best to get a result. Antonio Valencia and the in form Nani along with Rooney may be too much for Schalke to handle if they bring their A game to the table. Where United may have a problem is with old man Scholes. He still has class, but craziness he has plenty of; that rash tackle is always a factor and a red card is waiting to be flashed.

There's one player that many United fans would be very interested in seeing: Manuel Neuer. They'll be hoping that he replaces Van der Saar, although he's most likely to sign for Bayern Munich as it stands. He is the best goalkeeper of this season´s Champions League and I see him in the same class as Casillas, Buffon, and Van der Sar. He will be a great acquisition for whichever team he joins.

Real Madrid vs Fc Barcelona

I can taste the blood already as I write. I can see the fire in the eyes of the players, fans and coaches. Luckily for us the gods arranged an appetizer before the kickoff: the clashes last weekend, midweek in La Liga and the Copa del Rey Final. Based on current results, the advantage is in Real Madrid´s corner. Madrid has Barca exactly where she wants them to be. Madrid has not gone on an advertising campaign like Barca did on their trip to the Bernabeu for the league showdown, pasting commercials with talk of 'la manita' and pictures of her players showing five fingers and referring to the 5-0 victory in November. The Barcelona President said Barcelona would thrash Madrid 5-0 in the Bernabeu. Madrid did not respond. What did that tell the world whose journalists weren't paying the right attention? Madrid was mad and felt the insults, so the powers hat be must have made it known to Mou to go ahead and stop Barca. Mr. Mourinho looked at the comments and talks from Nou Camp as the setting for a perfect stage for him to cement his status as the Number 1 coach in the game. So he did what he usually does best. Last year when Inter faced Barca in the group stage, many complained of their performance in La Liga after the 1-1 draw. Everyone from chief Noisemaker Cruyff to Madrid´s Living Legend Di Stefano blasted Mourinho´s tactics, but after the Copa del Rey final where Barcelona played 80 minutes without a shot on goal the criticisms all of a sudden disappeared. People started recognizing that beautiful football is not just about having 70% possession, but smash and grab tactics can also be a sight to behold with the right discipline. The Copa del Rey showed Barca´s and Pep Guardiola´s number 1 weakness: only one style to offer. Mourinho could switch Pepe to the midfield, CR7 upfront, later to the wings, all tactical versatility. Barcelona kept playing the same way for 110 minutes until all of a sudden they started loading the balls upfront (so much for being beautiful football ambassadors - I'm pretty sure Cruyff didn't see that). Now Pep has another chance to prove Mou wrong. Let's see if he can.

Real Madrid has three deadly strikers, each one different from the other and easily can fit into whatever game plan Mou intends to use. Pepe could once again be deployed in the midfield where he has been so successful for Madrid; it's not a new position for him, he been playing there for Portugal. What will be interesting to see is if Mou should move Sergio Ramos into the center of defense and play Arbeloa at right back or throw in Garay? I'm going with Ramos for the suspended Carvalho. While I expect to see Lass in the starting XI if Khedira does not recover. Get ready to see Madrid take advantage of the depleted left back position of Barcelona.

I wouldn't be surprised if Pep tries to add extra protection in his midfield, he did the same when facing Pelligrini´s Real Madrid, playing Maxwell and Abidal on the left, or when Puyol played right back and Alves in the midfield in another encounter. Guardiola is in a situation where many are beginning to see his weaknesses. He'll never have it as good as he did with this Barca squad anyways, so it's up to him to make it happen. He has the personnel, but his personnel rely on certain factors to be able to deliver, such as Xavi dictating the play, Iniesta driving the passes forward and Alves camping in the opponents' half of the field, or Villa and Pedro making well timed runs. But when such factors do not happen, you have Messi coming into the Barcelona half to take the ball and take matters into his hand, then there's trouble. Messi is fast and is strong but not faster than Cristiano Ronaldo and defensively CR7 beats him. Cristiano can lay deep and burst out on the counters. Messi prefers the possession and control style. The last two Classicos have showed one thing: Ronaldo has more adaptability than Messi does. Messi thrives in the Barca style of play which is why he plays different for Argentina, but Cristiano can play in the possession style, counter attack style and thrive in all.

One very important thing Barcelona will have to avoid if they are not to get defeated again is to address the issue of set pieces. Madrid has bigger players and they are very deadly in the air, from CR7, Higuain, Adebayor, Benzema, Alonso, Ramos, Albiol, Arbeloa and Pepe. They all possess a threat from every set piece. Barcelona has lacked the discipline defensively to prevent such and if they continue as they have in the last two clasicos, then they'll definitely lose.

Europa League

In the spirit of the La Liga campaign and my dream of having two champions from La Liga in Europe this season, Villareal are the only team that can prevent an all Portuguese final from happening in the Europa league, but they´ll have to stop Portuguese Champions elect FC Porto and one of the hottest coaches in the game in Andrés Villas-Boas. This is a fixture that's worthy of being the final just as we have the clasico semifinal in the UCL. The yellow subs are more than capable of stopping FC Porto but should be prepared to burn a lot of energy in getting the results they need against a team that's unbeaten domestically. The good news is that the only defeat Porto has tasted in Europe came at the hands of Spanish side Sevilla. Villareal are fantastic at keeping the ball but they have to convert their chances whenever they show up. They have so far failed when up against Barcelona and Madrid this season. They started well, which means they can start strong against Porto, but how they end will decide if they can make it.

With all been said the stage is set for the gladiators to deliver and spill some BLOOD.

UEFA Champions League: The Closers

With the draw for the final eight teams announced this week, most fans of La Liga probably let out a sigh of relief: Barcelona square off against Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, while Real Madrid face a tough but not exactly daunting opponent in Tottenham Hotspur. All eight teams have earned the right to be in the quarter-finals, so what can we glean from their performances so far? Which teams have the wherewithal to endure the next round of tests and go beyond? Let's take a closer look at the most vital factor, the goals, courtesy of ESPN Soccernet.

As my pseudonym implies, I'm quite fond of examining numbers. The hidden part, the middle name as it were, is that I delight in extrapolating information from those data. But one thing I am not is a coach. I'm not going to write an article on how critical it will be for Shakhtar to neutralize Lionel Messi, because what advice could I give my hypothetical defender, a player who would probably be less agile and, well, hungry? Try to keep up with him? Double-team him and hope he doesn't produce a highlight reel? No, I'm going to take a holistic approach instead and keep my focus on the team-level. I'm going to outline performance over the last eight Champions League matches for each team, and then I'll discuss where the offensive and defensive strengths and weaknesses lie. Every team has a chance of winning, and the situation in any game can take a U-turn in minutes. (Just ask Bayern Munich about Inter.) So what can a cross-examination of goalscoring tell us? More than you'd guess, and I'd like to start with offense. Below, you can see in which leg of the match each team has scored (GF = Goals scored), and below that, the percentage of goals that have come in those legs, by team.

To keep things tight, once you've taken the offense into account, take a look at a similar defensive breakdown (where GA = Goals against):

THE BIG PICTURE

Real Madrid vs. Tottenham -
Offensively, both teams excel in second-half play, so look for the most action then. In Madrid's case, los Merengues appear to come out for the second half ready to coast, but then go off to the races from minutes 61-75, the phase of a match that can crush opponents' hopes of a comeback. Most importantly, though, the final two phases of the match are the only ones in which Madrid have broken down defensively, and this pattern would feed right into Tottenham's strengths. Not only have the Hotspur bagged more goals in the second half than any other team, but they also have a knack for scoring in the final leg -- exactly when Madrid are most vulnerable in the back. Notice that Tottenham also have their best defensive numbers in the final third of the match.

For Madrid to win in style: Score early, when Tottenham are most prone to allowing goals. Take a lead into halftime, and initiate an all-out barrage of shots from minutes 61-75. Don't wait till the last minute to score, and don't sit on an early lead.

For Tottenham to win in style: Go toe-to-toe with the highest-paid team in sports for 45 minutes. Come out in the second half as though the first 15 minutes were the last of the Champions League final. Score a goal and get ready to trade punches. Counter-attacking will be key.

Chelsea vs. Manchester United -
Chelsea tend to start slowly, then spring to life, then come out from the locker room ready to put the game to bed, whereas Man U are opening and closing specialists, whose strength is earning the lead and not allowing the other team to take it away. Let me emphasize, however, that both teams have given up very few goals, so expect tight play. One goal could be the difference in either match.

For Chelsea to win in style: Rob the Red Devils from establishing an early lead, and really put them on the ropes with a goal in minutes 16-30. Take a lead into half-time and stick with the game plan on the way back onto the pitch, i.e. take away the initiative when it would least be expected.

For Manchester United to win in style: Put league hopes on hold and prove that even a weakened back line can hold off the best. Wait for the right opportunity and pounce in the second half, when the Blues are wearing down. The rest is like clockwork.

Barcelona vs. Shakhtar Donetsk -
Both teams hit the back of the net more often in the second half, and in fact, neither one has grabbed a lead in the first 15 minutes. Since both sides have scored 18 goals, you should anticipate an energetic pace from the second phase of the game onward, despite the fact that Barcelona will almost certainly dominate possession and work the ball back and forth in their trademark manner.

For Barcelona to win in style: Nearly everyone is expecting a win already, but to win in style, Barça should either score immediately or, at the very least, score in minutes 16-30 and carry a one- or two-goal lead into the half. From the restart, continue to find spaces and work against the numbers by keeping a clean sheet in the last phase, tied for their lowest point defensively, and Shakhtar's best offensively.

For Shakhtar Donetsk to win in style: Play as though there's nothing to lose, because they've already defied expectations. In other words, stick with attacking football as much as possible. Above all else, avoid coughing up an early lead, which could set off a complacency trigger.

Inter Milan vs. Schalke -
Unlike the case with the other teams, this is a tale of two halves, with Inter clearly being stronger in the first and Schalke in the second. As Samuel Eto'o's 3rd-minute goal from the last match attests, Inter come out of the gates ready to go, often taking the early lead. Schalke operate like a typical German side in that open play isn't the norm, but this is not to say Die Königsblauen lack attacking options or creativity.

For Inter Milan to win in style: Don't assume this German side is the same as the last, and don't carry a sense of relief (from last-minute drama) into the match. Score early and score again, particularly right before the half. Continue to defend strongly immediately after the break, but remain composed in the final 15 minutes.

For Schalke to win in style: Score first, which could put Milan into alarm-mode too soon and cause a burnout. Hold firm on defense when typically the weakest, from minutes 16-30 and 76-90. Score in the second half from minutes 61-75, when Inter tend to score the least but play the best defensively.

Although it's true that eight matches don't tell the whole story, they provide enough information to establish noticeable patterns. Tottenham clearly rely more on offensive production than, say, Man U. Which style of play suits your fancy? Who do you think will go through to the semi-finals? For my part...

But wait, I almost forgot my name. It isn't Mr. Prognosticator, after all.

Data Head writes for Fantasy Football Stats, covering the details of both the English Premier League and La Liga Yahoo! Fantasy Football games.

Champions League: Two Finals Before the FINAL

Yesterday in Nyon, the remaining 8 gladiators were brought together and opponents were choosen for the final rounds of battle. Everyone now has an idea of how to get to Wembley so there's no need for some GPS. Time to start servicing the engines, checking the tires and making sure the vehicles are in good enough shape for the trip, 'cause shortcuts won't work this time..... enough with the car talk, seems like I was getting carried away :-), now on to the main thing. Here's a brief look at the teams that will be doing battle, allthough we still have a few weeks to the games (meaning changes can take place , but hopefully for good and not bad like injuries blah blah), I'll go ahead and tell it as i see it.

We start with the first draw:

Real Madrid vs Totenham Hotspur: The British media has been quick to tag Spurs as the surprise package of the Champions League, makes me wonder what the likes of Schalke and Shaktar Donestk (I doubt they spent as much as Spurs did) are to be tagged? Spurs are having a fairytale run in their first ever appearance on the biggest stage in Europe. They have also achieved some impressive results against teams such as Werder Bremen, Inter and AC Milan, but one thing that strikes me is that when Spurs played all these teams, their opponents were not at their best or had some crises going on. Look at Inter. How many Injuries did they have and also including the Benitez factor. Werder are having one of their worst seasons ever in modern era of the Bundesliga. Milan had many players who couldn't play against Spurs due to being cup tied. While its no fault of Spurs or Redknapp that such coincidences were happening. Madrid brings to the table a team with a bigger squad and a squad that's more in form than any that Spurs have faced. Yes Bale and Van de Vaart are the hopes that Spurs have, they are world class,but Madrid has world class players in every position and even on the bench. Madrid has the experience, hunger and right now Madrid is in a jinx breaking mood. They had a fantastic record against English teams until Arsenal and Liverpool dented it. Madrid has taken care of Lyon and now they are hungry to take care of the EPL jinx. They also have players such as CR7, Alonso, Arbeloa, Carvalho, Adebayor who have all tasted victory against Spurs and in Di Maria and Ozil, Benzema, Casillas, Pepe they have more than enough to match Spurs' threat of Bale, Van der Vaart, and Luka Modroc. If a Milan fielding a spent Seedorf could put Spurs on the back foot in London. Well imagine what a Mourinho coached team can do? Kaka might even have a say in this tie (it may help in him deciding if he wants to play in England). Madrid will go through and Spurs will give a decent fight, but am afraid this is where their fairytale comes to an end.

Do not be surprised to see Gonzalo Higuain on the bench by the 2nd leg. There's a slight possibility of that happening.

Chelsea vs Manchester United: is the all English affair I was expecting; I just had the feeling that two English teams would clash. A lot of Chelsea fans have been singing the downfall of Manchester United, but they might want to listen to their chief executive who admitted that they do have a rivalry in the Premiership, but in Europe it's a different ball game. United are having such a nightmare with injuries that reminds me of Real Madrid's case about two seasons ago, but in Sir Alex Ferguson they have one of the shrewdest and best man-managers. How many teams have fielded 7 defenders and have actually played better than their opponent (who happened to be a top rival). When Chelsea had an injury crisis we all saw how they mightily collapsed, but Ancellotti is also a top dog in the European game. He seems to be struggling to find a way to fit in his 50 million euro boy and that may be his downfall. He had a neat plan with his first team, now he is trying to make adjustments so Torres can fit in and be comfortable at the expense of most likely Drogba. Will he be successful? If United can have the likes of Fletcher, Anderson, Vidic (he is very important with Rio Ferdinand out) fit, I personally believe they will be able to SQUEEZE through in what will be a very tight set of games. Right now the slight advantage is with Chelsea but Ferguson is the man for such moments. Haven't made up my mind if these games will be a bit boring, but I know it won't be the most exciting to watch.

Internazionale vs Schalke is a game between two very blue teams (well they have the color Blue as one of their main colors) This will be a very interesting game: two teams that went through coach changes. One did it the right way and the other well kinda more like hitting a self destruct button. At the beginning of the UCL season, I doubt anyone gave Schalke the chance of getting this far. Felix Magath seems to have a way of working for teams where he is never appreciated; take Bayern as an example. He is a miracle worker and to me ranks as a top coach. With him gone and Ragnick, who has a good record in Bundesliga in his place, I do not know how much of a change he can bring to this team. He may choose to focus on Bundesliga and save whatever is left of a terrible season, so Europe may just be a distraction he can do without. I am not saying Schalke won't put up a fight. Trust me they'll battle to the end. For Inter,
Leonardo has brought a belief that Benitez failed to translate to the Inter players. Maicon looks reborn. Sneijder is refreshed and the Black Panther or Simba as my friend calls him, Samuel Eto is hungrier than ever. With a very leaky Schalke defense against them I can bet on Eto'o at least having one goal. The problem Inter would face is how many times would Neuer be beaten? Dude is clearly the hottest goalie in the game. I think he is number one right now based on the number of saves he comes up with every week and funny enough while Nuere's rating has been going up his opposite number have been having a torrid time giving away goals that make good bloopers video. Julio Ceasar is still world class but I expect him to be beaten at least once by the almighty Raul. Overall Inter has way too much confidence, momentum, players and a better defense (although leaky) to grab this one. Inter goes through.

Finally Barcelona vs Shaktar Donestk; Shaktar to me this truly is the surprise team of the competition. Their style of play and results were not what anyone expected. They topped their group that had a team called Arsenal, convincingly dispatched AS Roma home and away, and they have the confidence and since no one seems to give them a chance, they have nothing to lose and are having the BEST time of their lives. Spurs have even been tipped or projected to reach the final with miraculous wins over Madrid and possibly Barcelona, yet not one Website has given Shaktar such a chance. All I'll say is remember a team called Dynamo Kiev in 98 (might be 99).

Everything has been said of this Barcelona side, they have even gone as far as calling them the greatest team ever; I do not recall the Madrid or the Milan sides that dominated the Champions League getting such accolades. To me they (the blaugrana) are the Best Playing side in the game right now and that's where it stops. They are said to be practically unstoppable and I say that's a lie; it depends on who they are playing and what their opponents have in mind. The last round of games despite facing a team that didn't have a shot on goal, it took the referee's controversial decisions for Barsa to effectively win the game, and up till the last minute all Arsenal needed was one chance which Pretty Boy Bendter blew at the very end. Without Puyol and Unfortunately Abidal (wishing him a speedy recovery) Barcelona defense seems very porous. Yes they are not conceding like Spurs or Schalke, but if you truly know the Barcelona team you'll know what I'm talking about. If Puyol is not back and fully fit to face Shaktar, set pieces would be a BIG problem for this Barcelona side to defend, They have more than enough in attack to comfortably go through, but this is the Knockout stage. You can park the BUS and get one shot at goal. Even Barca has had a game with only one shot and went through against Chelsea two seasons ago. Would Shaktar be able to take their chances? Believe me they'll have at least 3 good chances in Nou Camp. Barcelona wins but not hands down as all media houses expect and don't be surprised if ex-Barcelona defender Chrgynsky will grab a goal.

Article by Raphael Harry for Forza Futbol