Champions League 2012-13: The first leg of the quarterfinals, Part I

The eight matches of the Champions League Round of 16 second leg were full of beautiful football and drama. Big clubs like Milan, Manchester United and Porto, who together have won the Champions League 12 times, former vice-champions Celtic, Valencia, Arsenal and former UEFA Cup winners Shakhtar and Schalke 04 all will not be a part of Champions League 2012-13 any longer. But stronger teams are left in the tournament. Out of the 8 teams only Juventus and Borussia are unbeaten up to now.

There were scored as many as 23 goals in these 8 matches. At least 4 players scored magnificent goals. It is difficult to choose one from this quartet of Modric, Altintop, Messi and Isco, but I will vote for the Galatasaray player, as it was not only a beautiful strike, but probably also the most important strike in Altintop’s career. He celebrated his goal to his former club with a great joy, pointing out the current club logo on his chest.   ‘

Topscorers Burak Yilmaz of Galatasaray and Crisitano Ronaldo of Real Madrid scored again. They have 8 goals each next to their names. The two topscorers will meet each other in the quarterfinals and only one of them will enter the round of last 4. Barcelona’s Lionel Messi is getting closer and closer. After the brace in the last match, the Argentine has now scored 7 goals in 8 Champions League matches this season.

Spanish teams are still superior despite losing one of their fellow clubs. There are only 5 leagues represented in the Champions League quarterfinals. The most successful teams will have to play maximum 5 matches from now on, and the worst ones will be satisfied with 2, so the following table showing the placement of the leagues is not expected to change much by the end of the tournament. If the Spanish teams don’t lose all of their matches, they will surely be the winners again. Germans have to be satisfied with the second place, as England and Italy are too far to catch them. For a few years ago the German teams were not even considered when the top three places were allocated between Italian, English and Spanish clubs. The hopes for Italian football to rise again are still far from becoming reality. The league has only got one top class club, so the 4^th place is still all the Serie A teams can reach, despite the big opportunities open after the English disaster. PSG can help France enter the top 5 instead of Portugal, but they will need to win against Barcelona to do so.

	League	Pts.
1 (-)	Spain (3)	60
2 (-)	Germany (2)	47
3 (-)	England (0)	39
4 (+1)	Italy (1)	29
5 (-1)	Portugal (0)	27
6 (-)	France (1)	24
7 (-)	Ukraine (0)	16
8 (-)	Turkey (1)	14
9 (-)	Romania (0)	10
10 (-)	Scotland (0)	10
11 (-)	Russia (0)	10
12 (-)	Greece (0)	9
13 (-)	Belarus (0)	6
14 (+1)	Belgium (0)	5
15 (-1)	Netherlands (0)	4
16 (+1)	Croatia (0)	1
17 (-1)	Denmark (0)	1

Barca is back in track, which once again changes the odds in the Champions League. The three absolute top favorites to win the trophy are Real, Barcelona and Bayern. Only one of these teams has received an equal opponent in the quarterfinals, therefore the German team goes down in the ranking. Juventus is only on the 5^th position just because of the tough road to the final. Malaga, not expected to enter this stage after a loss in Porto, has climbed up to the 7^th position, which is the biggest jump in the table.

RANKING BEFORE THE FIRST LEG OF QUARTERFINALS

Place	Club
1 (+2)	Real Madrid (Spain)
2(+2)	FC Barcelona (Spain)
3 (-2)	Bayern (Germany)
4 (+3)	Borussia D. (Germany)
5 (-)	Juventus (Italy)
6 (-)	PSG (France)
7 (+6)	Malaga (Spain)
8(+3)	Galatasaray (Turkey)

Quarterfinals

The encounter between Bayern and Juventus is definitely the central duel of the Champions League 2012-13 quarterfinals. Both of the teams are in the middle of amazing seasons, having almost secured the league title already by the Easter holidays. Not only the overall season has been good, but also the current form is impressive. The Italian club won against archrivals Inter at Giuseppe Meazza last weekend, while Bayern scored all 9 goals to humiliate Hamburger. The teams have no serious absences, so there is no excuse for the losers of this thrilling tie.

Bayern very often plays the way they played against Arsenal at home, the Bundesliga fans will agree. They sometimes don’t show some astonishing performance, as if proving they can even win saving some energy. And they usually do. In their previous Champions League match Bayern was too relaxed. Even a 3^rd minute wake-up call didn’t help them arouse. Even when the score became 0-2 the team was still playing their confident football. This is the strength of Jupp Heynckes’s team. No team and no circumstances can ever break them. Schweinsteiger, Javi Martinez, Kroos, Mueller, Robben, Ribery, Mario Gomez, Mandzukic, Pizarro, Shaqiri: all of these superstars are members of the Bayern attack. No statistics is needed to add to these names to demonstrate the huge attacking potential of the Champions League vice-champions. They are also backed by captain Lahm and goalkeeper Neuer. Are there any experts doubting this team to score 9 goals in their next matches?

Scoring nine goals is an extraordinary occasion, but Bayern’s next opponent is not very famous for conceding a lot. In fact, no one has scored to the Old Lady in this Champions League since the team conceded a direct shot from a free kick back in November. The goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has held 5 clean sheets since then. The domestic record is impressive, too: last time Antonio Conte’s team conceded twice in a match was three months ago. So the defense is the strongest side of Juventus. The midfield is not weaker either. With the genius Andrea Pirlo in the center and Vidal-Marchisio couple next to him everything is possible for the opponent to expect. The attack has been the most discussed topic around the Italian champions, but Antonio Conte’s side is still one of the most scoring teams both in Italy and in Champions League.

How the match will develop is not too difficult to guess. It is going to be a reasonable football, where teams are not going to risk a lot. Bayern is going to take the advantage of the wings, if Juve backs ever dare to leave their positions, and long distance shots, which has probably been Juventus’s weakest point this season. What the visitors may suggest is the quick counterattacks with Pirlo’s killing crosses, which might catch Bayern’s occasionally slow defense, or set pieces. Antonio Conte saw Bayern score 9 times in the last match, but he also saw Bayern concede two from corners the same evening. But the main battle is going to take place in the midfield, where maestros like Schweinsteiger and Pirlo will be the central figures of the match. What Juventus can hope for is that the team can fit better to the opponent. The proof of this is Euro 2012 semifinal encounter, where the German and Italian national sides played similar football as the two big clubs, having plenty of Bayern and Juventus players within their squads. Another fact that Barzagli and Vidal spent several successful years in Bundesliga doesn’t harm either. However, Bayern will have a tiny advantage in this tie thanks to their Champions League experience. This is the 4^th time in the past 5 years for Bayern to play in a Champions League quarterfinal, while Juventus has returned to this stage after a 10-year break.

The teams have got some common characteristics, too. Both Bayern and Juventus are famous for their long benches. Another thing concerns their performances in the previous round: they were so well-prepared for their first leg match in the previous stage of the Champions League, that thanks to the winning margin they could afford showing a mediocre play in the return leg. This means that the upcoming match at Alianz Arena is going to be a spectacular show. Don’t ever miss it.

The other match is taking place in Paris, where PSG will host Barcelona. Both of the teams have great news for their fans before the Champions League quarterfinal. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s suspension was reduced, so that the Swede can play against his former club. Barcelona can look forward to the coach Tito Vilanova’s return after a two-month absence.

These facts are definitely going to impact the match concerned. As the other two teams playing their quarterfinal match on Tuesday, PSG and Barcelona are almost champions of their domestic leagues. The current form of PSG is undisputable. The team has been winning almost everything at home. This is the main reason why Carlo Ancelotti’s team has got no competitors for the French gold this season. Barcelona’s top form can be proven by Messi’s unrealistic record of scoring in 19 league matches in a row.

What we learnt from the previous stage is that the teams are strong enough to go all the way to the London-final. PSG has been the only team in this tournament to eliminate a Spanish team. Although the team didn’t show anything extraordinary in matches against Valencia, it was clear that the French team was not one of those that concede goals occasionally.

They were calm in defensive actions and witty in counterattacks. Claiming to become a superclub, PSG promised to show the home public how they aimed to take the Champions League trophy. However, the coach was the one losing to Deportivo and Liverpool after obtaining three-goal advantages in Champions League editions of 2003-04 and 2004-05 respectively, so the goal advantage had to be preserved no matter the price. And the price for the PSG playing without Zlatan, was the boring defensive strategy. The opponent may have dictated the play; PSG had the match tempo under control. And again, calm defensive play, hard-work by Alex and Chantome, plus attackers Pastore and Lavezzi who were fighting for the ball way behind the zone they were used to. The result: no serious attacks conceded, despite the countless corners and a goal conceded from a long distance. PSG was quick to score the equalizer, which was more of a psychological answer for the home side. The nervousness was present up until that moment. Despite the fact that Beckham never appeared on the pitch, the team managed to earn the quarterfinal tickets. They need to show the same calmness in defense to advance to the last 4.

Barcelona was mesmerizing when tearing Milan into pieces in the second leg match of the Champions League Round of 16. Many were expecting the team to be blocked again, but the managerial staff came up with a great idea of surprising the opponent with a nominal striker. David Villa was unexpectedly active in front, so Milan’s attention was turned to him for Messi to get the ball more often and having better time to create something tangible. Iniesta and Xavi were there to assist the attackers, as usually.

The main profiles not eligible to play in the match are Thiago Motta of PSG and Carles Puyol of Barelona. Both are injured. PSG has got about 25-30% chances to defeat Barcelona. The main weapon has to be Sirigu’s and Ibrahimovic’s extraordinary actions. Lavezzi and Pastore have the quality to beat Barcelona’s defenders in quick counterattacks, while nobody has disallowed David Beckham’s unofficial title of a set piece master. Although Barcelona is believed to be weaker than it has been the past 5 years, there is no team able to distract opponents’ defenders as well as the Catalan team. This was the case against Milan and PSG is not more experienced than Carlo Ancelotti’s former club. With such quick players as Lionel Messi, David Villa and Andres Iniesta there are not many chances for Alex and Thiago Silva to win all the low balls in the PSG penalty box.

But it is going to be 11 against 11 when the referee blows his whistle at 20:45. Let Zlatan prove he is stronger than Lionel Messi.

Champions League 2012-13: The week before the international break

The major matches of the week:

With Olympique Marseille and Lyon losing important points, a win was not becoming an absolute must for PSG in the away match against Saint Etienne, a team fighting to enter the Champions League zone.

David Beckham started the match from the first minutes. PSG line-up was missing Marco Veratti and Lucas Moura that evening.

However, Pastore, Ibrahimovic and Lavezzi were there to press Saint Etienne defenders during the first half, when the home side player made a crucial mistake to leave the ball to Pastore, who easily chipped the ball over the goalkeeper. In another occasion the two Argentines earned a penalty for Zlatan, who, again, chipped the ball into the net. It was the 19^th minute of the match.

It was too early to celebrate the victory for the Paris-side though. Aubameyang’s cross from the right wing disclosed the main weakness of PSG defense: slowness. Barcelona scouts were probably happy to see Alex being too heavy to clear the cross immediately, so the ball hit his leg and appeared in the back of the net.

The second half strategy of Carlo Ancelotti was clear: maintain the lead. The team was more focused on the matters in the back, so only rarely were Ibrahimovic and teammates bothering the opponent’s goalkeeper. The home side, on the other hand, was determined to earn at least a point, to stay in the fight for the Champions League tickets. The partnership between Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Brandao kept on troubling PSG’s defensive positions and the equalizer came on the 72nd minute, when Clerc made a quick decision to shoot from a distance when the penalty box was full of panicking people. 2-2. PSG is now 5 points clear over Lyon 9 matches before the league is over.

Bayern managed to win against Bayer before the players left for the international matches. Bayer was the only Bundesliga team in the season defeating the Munich side so far. Jupp Heynckes gave a rest to half of his team, including Philippe Lahm, Thomas Mueller, Toni Kroos and Mario Mandzukic, thus introducing Xerdan Shaqiri and Mario Gomez among others. The two organized a fantastic counterattack, where Gomez showed his best qualities to go on and score a great opener on the 37^th minute. The moment came after a calm half time, where the teams were trying to touch the pulse of the game. The tempo was not too high and lots of battles were won by the defending sides. The second half brought some more passion, where the teams went on to calm the match again after 30 minutes of play, when suddenly a chaos in Bayern’s box led to an equalizer. None of the teams had intensions to clinch the three points, but a free kick three minutes before the final whistle saw Bastian Schweinsteiger’s cross appear in the net after meeting Wollscheid’s head on its way. The Champions League vice-champions never wasted the advantage after such a present from Bayer’s player. Bayern managed to take the revenge and meanwhile get even closer to the season gold. The team has to earn maximum 5 points in the remaining 8 matches to obtain the league title after a 2-year break.

Highlights of the week:

–               Barcelona won its 24^th league match this season, having Lionel Messi to score in his 18^th consecutive league match: an incredible result that might never be repeated again! The other Spanish giant demonstrated something extraordinary, scoring 3 goals in a spell of 5 minutes to turn the matters in the match upside down. The team was losing 1-2 by then and the goals by Cristiano Ronaldo, Luca Modric and Gonzalo Higuain made it 4-2. Karim Benzema added another one in the last minute, to set the final score of the match against Mallorca: 5-2. The third Spanish Champions League participant lost to Espanyol at home, leaving the 5^th place to the former Champions League participants Valencia. League leaders Barcelona have earned 74 points: 13 more than Real. And Malaga is three points behind the 4^th placed team. The three will be hosted by Celta, Real Zaragoza and Rayo Vallecano respectively in the upcoming round,

–               Borussia played against Freiburg and destroyed the opponents, scoring 5 goals in a home match. The title is just minutes away to be officially lost, and the second place is getting a bit more secure, so it is time for the Dortmund team to concentrate on the important Champions League quarterfinal matches against Malaga,

–               Wesley Sneijder’s and Burak Yilmaz’s goals decided the outcome of the Turkish league match against Kayserispor. With only 4 matches left for the league to end, Galatasaray is 4 points ahead of rivals Fenerbahce,

–               Juventus didn’t have an easy match, but deservedly earned three points in Bologna. The difference of 9 points is still there for the team to prioritize the upcoming Champions League matches against Bayern.

The upcoming weekend:

This Friday will be symbolical for the French League, where the strongest title candidates will host the defending champions. Montpellier has improved its positions after being eliminated from the Champions League, so the impulsive talks about the team travelling to Paris to leave the title there need to be dropped.

The most expected match in the Italian Serie A is going to take place in Milan this Saturday. Juventus is going to visit rivals Inter. People expecting Juventus to save some energy for Champions League know nothing about this rivalry called Derby d’Italia. Juventus still remembers who stopped its incredible 49-match undefeated run in the first part of the league.

Barcelona is expecting its coach Tito Vilanova to overtake the team from his assistant this weekend.

The weekend can already crown Bayern German champions, if the team wins its match and Borussia doesn’t. The current champions will play earlier than Bayern.

Club	Last Matches	Next match	Position in the domestic league
FC Barcelona (Spain)	17.03 Rayo Vallec. (H) 3-1	30.03 Celta (A)	1
Real Madrid (Spain)	16.02 R. Mallorca (H) 5-2	30.03 Real Zarag. (A)	2
Malaga (Spain)	17.03 Espanyol (H) 0-2	30.03 Rayo Vallec. (A)	6
Bayern (Germany)	16.03 Bayer (A) 2-1	30.03 Hamburger (H)	1
Borussia D. (Germany)	16.03 Freiburg (H) 5-1	30.03 Stuttgart (A)	2
Galatasaray (Turkey)	16.03 Kayserispor (A) 3-1	30.03 Istanbul BB (H)	1
Juventus (Italy)	16.03 Bologna (A) 2-0	30.03 Inter (A)	1
PSG (France)	17.03 St. Etienne (A) 2-2	29.03 Montpellier (H)	1

Champions League 2012-13: The second leg of 1/8 final matches, Part III

Read Part I

Read Part II

The biggest surprise of the Champions League round of 16 has been Milan’s win over Barcelona. We need to remember that Milan has won the Champions League seven times, while Barcelona only four. Anyway, Barca’s weight in European football is much heavier than Milan’s nowadays. The teams were in good form, so the match was promising to be interesting.

There have been several occasions in the past 4-5 years when Barcelona was beaten. One of those was the last-year semifinal tie between the Spanish club and Chelsea. The other bright example is the current Champions League match in Glasgow. In these two and many other cases the eventual winners were locked in their own half to bravely stand against the heavy storm of Barcelona attacks. For the first time in a very long period we saw a match, where the opponent of the Catalan team successfully implemented its tactics and deservedly won. Jordi Roura’s team didn’t seem to find the necessary space to get closer to Abiatti’s goal. Massimiliano Allegri did a great job explaining his team how to defend. Other than the main defenders, the Milan team had a fantastic midfielder Montolivo, who, being compared with Pirlo from time to time, proved that he is one of the greatest Italian players these days. He was not only stamping Pirlo-style crosses to forwards, but also helping the defense out, sometimes appearing in the role of a… sweeper. Riccardo Montolivo was not the only one to overshadow Messi at San Siro. Stephan El Shaarawy was a constant danger in his left wing. It was him to assist Muntari in the second goal. The Ghanaian played a good match together with his compatriot Boateng. The two were not only good in destroying, but also creating in the midfield. As for Barcelona, we saw Puyol and Xavi make mistakes, while Messi can also have a bad day when watched intelligently. The score of 2-0 gives huge chances for the Italian team to claim a quarterfinal ticket. No expectations of any surprises: Barcelona is going to possess the ball in Milan’s half. If Milan plays like they did three weeks ago, Barcelona will not have many chances. A quick goal is a must for the hosts: the time will play for Milan. Such games are never won without a small share of luck. Let’s see who Football Gods will favor tonight.

Actually, scoring two at Nou Camp has never been a problem for Barcelona, but the team has been conceding a lot recently. A conceded goal will require four scored: something that sounds impossible for such a Milan to swallow. For the first time in many years there is a team which has got better chances to qualify in expense of Barcelona. I would estimate that in 2 out of 3 cases Milan would advance in such circumstances. Champions League history never remembers a team to advance after a first leg defeat with a 0-2 score. Barcelona turned things upside down when they lost to Chelsea 1-3 13 years ago. The most famous case is however Milan’s disastrous loss to another Spanish club Deportivo, when they wasted an advantage of 4 goals to 1. It was the Champions League 2003-04.

The Tuesday match between the two superclubs is going to be legendary for European football. In one sense there is a possibility for the Barcelona-era to finish. The club has been the dominant force in the continent for the last five years and the crisis seems to be close. On the other hand, after about 5 years of poor performances there is a chance for Milan to enter the European club elite. If they defeat Messi and Co.,they will become a favorite to take the Champions League trophy this season.

Although there were big expectations from the new stars of Galatasaray, the first leg match at “The Hell”, as the Turkish fans love to call the Ali Sami Yen Stadium, ended a draw. 1-1 is a fantastic result for Schalke 04 to elaborate on before the second leg match. The team is on its way to recover from a winter crisis. With Huntelaar injured, in-form Benedikt Howedes, Michel Bastos and Julian Draxler will have to do their best to continue Schalke’s unbeaten form in this Champions League. The disadvantage of the German team is the tiredness after a big derby last weekend.

Getting back to the first match, the Turkish champions had a big advantage. They even scored an early goal thanks to Burak Yilmaz’s amazing skills. The advantage didn’t stand for a long time though. Sneijder and Drogba didn’t have their best matches: the Dutchman was even substituted after the half time.  Overall, Galatasaray has got big names, but the team picture is missing. Felipe Melo and Wesley Sneijder didn’t seem to have clear image of what they needed to destroy and what to create. The defenders kept on being cought positionally. From the other camp it would sound that a draw would be a suitable result. Draxler, Farfan, Bastos and Jones had a good match. Jermain Jones was the one to equalize right before the half time whistle.

With Schalke getting better and better, there is about 65% chance for them to complete the German trio in the quarterfinals (assuming Bayern doesn’t stumble on Arsenal).

Read Part IV

Champions League 2012-13: The week of Barcelona’s two defeats to Real Madrid

The major matches of the week:

Tottenham-Arsenal: Wenger’s next season Champions League hopes are crashing. Arsenal lost the important London derby and now there is a difference of 5 points between Arsenal and another London team Chelsea. The Champions League winners are on the 4^th position. This is the last position giving a ticket to Champions League next season. Arsene Wenger’s players, as usual, conceded two in the first half, and then scored only one. They created several more chances, but didn’t take advantage of them. The conceded goals were typical – stupid positional mistakes in the back, while the scored goal came from Walcott’s free kick cross, which was met by Per Mertesacker’s header.

One of the meaningless El Classicos of the last era took place at Nou Camp last weekend. Barcelona is almost there to get the Spanish League title and Real has already accepted the defeat in this front. The Madrid team has the Champions League in focus this season. Jose Mourinho dreams of taking the European trophy for the third time. They also kicked the archrivals out from the national cup competition, so the third place in La Liga can be forgiven by Real fans in the right circumstances. There were lots of important profiles absent in the starting lineups. Other than Tito Vilanova, Barcelona was missing Xavi and Puyol, while Real’s attacking force was taking a rest before the important Champions League match against Manchester United. However, as Leo Messi equalized after Benzema’s opener, Cristiano Ronaldo and Sami Khedira appeared on the pitch. They helped Sergio Ramos to score the winner 8 minutes before the final whistle. The last minute episode, where the referee didn’t appoint a penalty for an arguable foul against Adriano, will be remembered for a long time. Barcelona players were clearly irritated by the second defeat to Real in a row, so the emotions were set free. The result is Barcelona’s goalkeeper Valdes’s expulsion. The difference between the two teams is 13 points with only 12 matches to go.

The Serie A match between Napoli and Juventus was the central match of the weekend, where the two main candidates of the Scudetto 2012-13 had to meet each other. The Turin side was 6 points ahead of Napoli before the kick off. After a great first half, where Antonio Conte’s players showed their power over the challengers, Napoli reshaped and started to control the match. Some dangerous counterattacks were saved by great Gianluigi Buffon. Juventus was absolutely all right with a point from Naples, so they were not hurrying to score the winner, especially with such out-of-form forwards as Vucinic and Giovinco. The topic of the match was the couple Chiellini-Cavani, who, despite the nasty fight of 90 minutes, hugged each other and parted as good friends after the final whistle. 1-1 after Chiellini’s and Inler’s goals, and Juventus has got all the chances to defend the title this season.

Milan-Lazio was another big match of the matchday in Italy. The battle was cancelled, as Lazio’s Antonio Candreva was dismissed on the 17^th minute. Milan, playing without the injured  Mario Balotelli, managed to take the advantage of an extra man by the end of the first half, thanks to Pazzini’s and Boateng’s goals. The second half picture was not too much different. Milan was in charge of the game, giving the visitors no chances to hope for a point. Giampaolo Pazzini scored his second goal on the 60^th minute, thus setting the final score of 3-0. Allegri’s top-form team has surpassed Lazio and is in the top 3 now.

Highlights of the week:

–       Big matches Valencia–Levante and Malaga-Athletico were overshadowed by Barcelona-Real supermatch. Unlike the El Classico, these two matches chose no winner,

–       Porto couldn’t win in a big match in Lisabon, where Sporting made a huge favor to its biggest rivals Benfica, taking a point from Porto. The champions are now two points behind with 9 matches left.

The upcoming weekend:

FA Cup quarterfinal between Manchester United and Chelsea can become a consolation match between the midweek losers of the European club tournaments. Another big match of the weekend is the Ruhr derby usually played between two current Champions League teams Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund.

Club	Last Matches	Next match	Position in the domestic league
Arsenal (England)	03.03 Tottenham (A) 1-2	13.03 Bayern (A)	5
Man. Utd. (England)	02.03 Norwich (H) 4-0 05.03 Real M. (H) 1-2	10.03 Chelsea (Cup)	1
FC Barcelona (Spain)	02.03 Real M. (A) 1-2	09.03 Deportivo (H)	1
Real Madrid (Spain)	02.03 Barcelona (H) 2-1 05.02 Man. United (A) 2-1	10.03 Celta (A)	3
Valencia (Spain)	02.03 Levante (H) 2-2 06.03 PSG (A) 1-1	10.03 Athletic (A)	5
Malaga (Spain)	03.03 Atletico (H) 0-0	09.03 Real Vallad. (A)	4
Bayern (Germany)	03.03 Hoffenheim (A) 1-0	09.03 Fortuna D. (H)	1
Borussia D. (Germany)	02.03 Hannover (H) 3-1 05.03 Shakhtar (H) 3-0	09.03 Schalke 04 (A)	2
Schalke 04 (Germany)	02.03 Wolfsburg (A) 4-1	09.03 Borussia D. (H)	6
Porto (Portugal)	02.03 Sporting L. (A) 0-0	08.03 Estoril (H)	2
Galatasaray (Turkey)	02.03 Eskisehirspor (A)0-0	08.03 Genclerbirligi (H)	1
Juventus (Italy)	01.03 Napoli (A) 1-1 06.03 Celtic (H) 2-0	10.03 Catania (H)	1
Milan (Italy)	02.03 Lazio (H) 3-0	08.03 Genoa (A)	3
PSG (France)	02.03 St. Reims (A) 0-1 06.03 Valencia (H) 1-1	09.03 Nancy (H)	1
Shakhtar D. (Ukraine)	01.03 Volyn (H) 4-1 05.03 Borussia D. (A) 0-3	10.03 Vorskla (A)	1
Celtic (Scotland)	02.03 St. Mirren (Cup) 2-1 06.03 Juventus (A) 0-2	09.03 Ross County (A)	1

 

Champions League 2012-13: The week of big cup clashes in Europe

The major matches of the week:

The European football season has entered its final phase, where each and every match is decisive for the teams participating in domestic leagues and cup tournaments, as well as Champions League. This is why each week starts to bring big clashes.

The previous weekend started with an Italian supermatch between two Milan sides. Massimilano Allegri’s team was just back from the sensational Champions League victory over Barcelona. Inter had also been successful in the European arena, beating the Romanian champions and Champions League group stage participant Cluj in the Europa League. The forms in Serie A were, however, different, as Milan was climbing up to the Champions League zone, with Inter getting thrown out of there. The biggest intrigue of the match was Mario Balotelli’s appearance against his former team. Milan’s new star had at least three great chances to punish Inter’s reckless fans, but he was unlucky. By the 70^th minute the mood of Balotelli was spoiled, and a disaster was approaching as time was passing by, but nothing extraordinary happened: Balotelli managed to control himself before the final whistle was blown. The match itself started cautiously. Inter seemed to be tired and after some 20 minutes it got clear, that Milan was able dominate the game. In the second part of the first half there was only one team on the pitch. The formal visitors managed to organize numerous dangerous attacks, but only one reached its target. El Shaarawy was there to finish the beatiful attack created together with Muntari and Boateng. The two Ghanaians had a great match, the first one controlling the midfield, and the second one being a vital part of Milan’s attacks. Only after the break Inter managed to get back into the game, calming Milan down and scoring the equalizer. The substitute Scelotto became a savior for Andrea Stramaccioni’s team.

The French gold medal candidates PSG finally introduced David Beckham in the important league match against Olympique Marseille. Only three days later the same teams met in the national cup competition, where the same score of 2-0 was repeated, but this time both of the goals were scored by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who, despite being in a fantastic form, will not be able to help his team in the next two Champions League matches, followed by the two match ban for the red card against Valencia.

Two of other midweek cup clashes had even bigger names as participants. Spanish King’s Cup semifinal second leg invited Barcelona and Real. The visitors were in the role of underdogs, which justified their passive start, which saw them winning the tie though. For the first time since Jose Mourinho’s arrival Real simply outplayed Barcelona, scoring in quick counterattacks meanwhile not letting the home side organize any threat in attack. Mourinho had analyzed the match against Milan, so the anti-Barcelona tactics were pretty much the same with the Italian team, just Real had got better performers. And here the logical score, which could be even more humiliating for the Nou Camp side, if not Jordi Alba’s goal in the dying minutes. Cristiano Ronaldo scored two, while Messi couldn’t score one.

Barcelona crisis reflected in these two heavy defeats has got three main reasons and all of them are well known. The first one is the absence of a “plan B”. Teams have learnt how to play against Barcelona: a great example of this theory is Mourinho’s Real, which gradually got better and better in El Classicos. The tiki-taka is not given up at any point, no matter what the score is. The second problem is the aging of this legendary team’s main heroes. The bright example is Puyol’s weakness in the episode, where Di Maria created the second goal for Real. Xavi has started to make mistakes, too. A new generation is not warming up yet. And finally, the third major problem is, certainly, the problem of the coach. Many claimed that Barcelona was not a team of a coach. Remove Guardiola, the team would still play the same football. Now Guardiola is removed, and so is Vilanova. Do Barcelona’s defeats have anything to do with Jordi Roura’s lack of authority? They do!

Bayern and Borussia had to fight for a semifinal place in the German cup. Arjen Robben, not regularly playing for Bayern nowadays, got the chance and showed his value. He not only scored the only goal of the match, but also was the most enthusiastic profile in the Munich team, which is starting to look like Europe’s strongest winning machine. Bayern is having a historical season. After three silver medals last season the team is on the course to improve the worth of these medals, thus saying a decent goodbye to its great manager Jupp Heynckes. Borussia, concentrating on Champions League this season, is not a competitor for Bayern any more.

Highlights of the week:

–       Galatasaray had a great comeback against Orduspor last weekend, where the score was 0-2 after first the half and 4-2 after full time, with Wesley Sneijder’s first goal for the Turkish side changing the game,

–       after winning 5-0 over Dundee FC, Celtic’s away defeat against second place candidates Motherwell was the main story in the Scottish league.

The upcoming weekend:

There is another fantastic weekend expected. A London derby between Tottenham and Arsenal is going to take place in England. Probably the last El Classico of the season will overshadow two big matches in Spain: the Valencia derby and Malaga versus Atletico would be central matches in other circumstances. Portugal will see the crisis-hit Sporting host champions Porto. Milan and Lazio will have an important Serie A match. But the weekend will start in Naples, where the only two Scudetto competitors Napoli and Juventus will have a mutual clash on Friday. This will make a unique situation, where the Italian league top 4 teams will meet each other in one matchday.

The weekend will welcome Ukrainian teams back to their main business: the league will restart after a three-month break.

Club	Last Matches	Next match	Position in the domestic league
Arsenal (England)	23.02 Aston Villa (H) 2-1	03.03 Tottenham (A)	5
Man. Utd. (England)	23.02 QPR (A) 2-0	02.03 Norwich (H)	1
FC Barcelona (Spain)	23.02 Sevilla (H) 2-1 26.02 Real M. (Cup) 1-3	02.03 Real M. (A)	1
Real Madrid (Spain)	23.02 Deportivo (A) 2-1 26.02 Barcelona (A) 3-1	02.03 Barcelona (H)	3
Valencia (Spain)	23.02 Zaragoza (A) 2-2	02.03 Levante (H)	5
Malaga (Spain)	24.02 Real Betis (A) 0-3	03.03 Atletico (H)	4
Bayern (Germany)	23.02 Werder Br. (H) 6-1 27.02 Borussia D.(Cup)1-0	03.03 Hoffenheim (A)	1
Borussia D. (Germany)	24.02 Borussia M. (A) 1-1 27.02 Bayern (Cup) 0-1	02.03 Hannover (H)	2
Schalke 04 (Germany)	23.02 Fortuna (H) 2-1	02.03 Wolfsburg (A)	9
Porto (Portugal)	23.02 Rio Ave (H) 2-1	02.03 Sporting L. (A)	1
Galatasaray (Turkey)	25.02 Orduspor (H) 4-2	02.03 Eskisehirspor (A)	1
Juventus (Italy)	24.02 Siena (H) 3-0	01.03 Napoli (A)	1
Milan (Italy)	24.02 Inter (A) 1-1	02.03 Lazio (H)	4
PSG (France)	24.02 Marseille (H) 2-0 27.02 Marseille (Cup) 2-0	02.03 St. Reims (A)	1
Shakhtar D. (Ukraine)	13.02 Borussia D. (H) 2-2	01.03 Volyn (H)	1
Celtic (Scotland)	24.02 Dundee FC (H) 5-0 27.02 Motherwell (A) 1-2	02.03 St. Mirren (Cup)	1

Champions League 2012-13: The first 1/8 final matches, Part IV

Read Part I, Part II, Part III

The dessert of the Champions League 2012-13 Round of 16 is the tie between Milan and Barcelona.

The winter transfer period was the moment of truth in Milan. Disappointing profiles like Acerbi, Mesbah, Emanualeson and Pato left the team, while Balotelli joined the rossoneri. Although Super Mario will not play in this Champions League, the changes have added a lot to team’s moral. Allegri’s side is already on the third place in the league.

Champions League is the tournament where Stephan El Shaarawy will need to make it without his new partner.

Despite coach Tito Vilanova’s absence due to cancer treatment, Barcelona doesn’t feel uncomfortable at all. The team keeps on earning points in the domestic league and is still on in the national cup competition. The difference between Barcelona and its closest follower is 12 points. Messi eagerly prolongs his record of scoring in now 14 consecutive league matches. In other words, it is still the same Barcelona, the same Puyol, the same Xavi and the same Iniesta. Taking the ball away from Barcelona and organizing an attack is as tough as containing Leo Messi.

As if Milan wouldn’t experience problems against Barcelona, Bonera and Nocerino are suspended for the first meeting of the teams. The defense is definitely going to struggle during the Spanish visitors’ attacks. Another question is whether these visitors will be set to attack the whole match or not. Milan will also experience problems in the midfield. The only chance for Milan to survive the encounter is not losing it already here at San Siro. Understanding this, the teams will probably show some calm football without lots of risks.

The last and eighth tie of the Champions League 2012-13 Round of 16 is the one between Galatasaray and Schalke 04.

Galatasaray has been in good domestic form. Things got better with star additions of Sneijder and Drogba. No other Turkish team can compare to Fatih Terim’s team in any component. The defending title holders are simply too strong. The striker Burak Yilmaz has been sharing the Champions League group stage topscorer title together with Cristiano Ronaldo. The player is the author of 6 of his team’s 7 Champions League goals so far.

Schalke 04 has had a coach substitution while the Champions League was having a break. Jens Keller has only won one league match since he was appointed two months ago. His team has also sold one of the leaders Lewis Holtby. Another big name has joined the club: Michel Bastos. The former Lyon man has scored three in three appearances. Something is wrong with the German team. The winter crisis seems to be continuing in spring.

The teams have never met each other in official matches. Although Drogba and Sneijder are big Champions League profiles, their introduction doesn’t mean a much better team. Galatasaray has had problems with organizing its game, which hasn’t changed much after the winter period. This could have become the key for Schalke to beat the Turkish champions. However, the Germans are in their worst form. So individual play of Galatasaray’s new superstars might work and bring a result in this round. Considering the adventurous character of teams’ defenses, there might be lots of goals scored in this encounter.

Champions League 2012-13: The week of Leo Messi’s 12th consecutive goal in La Liga

The major matches of the week:

The last weekend was there to bring us a couple of important matches. In Spain there were two Champions League teams involved in a match at Estadio Mestalla, where Valencia seriously intended to beat the league leaders Barcelona. The visitors looked better, but the home side deserved a point. The match ended 1-1. As approaching the Champions League Play-off, Valencia is getting better and better. They are already on the 6^th position. Barcelona has no fear in the league. The team plays its football, earns points and enjoys football. Leo Messi scored in his 12^th (!) consecutive Primera match, setting a new record.

The second important match of the week took place in Germany. Champions Borussia were visiting Bayer in Leverkusen. It was a fantastic match, where Borussia managed take all three points and establish itself on the second place of the table. Inspirational start of the match brought two goals for the visitors. Bayer equalized in the first quarter of the second half, where Klopp’s side is traditionally weak. Later in the game, however, Borussia showed its real strength, scoring a goal and denying Bayer’s chances. Kuba Blaszczykowski had a great match, despite the missed penalty in the end.

Highlights of the week:

–          Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal was the only one in the match between Granada and Real. This time it brought a loss to Real, as the Portuguese scored an own goal. Real lost its 5^th match in the league so far,

–          Milan is on the fourth place now. On his debut day Mario Balotelli scored a brace, to save all three points for his new club. Allegri could not be happier.

The upcoming weekend:

We will restart enjoying Champions League already on Tuesday. Before the first 4 teams get involved in the fights for the quarterfinal places, we will try to tell about the form they are approaching these crucial matches.

But before the big Champions League matches start, there are a couple of big clashes this weekend. Especially interesting are going to be matches between Juventus and Fiorentina, as well as Bayern and Schalke 04.

Club	Last Matches	Next match	Position in the domestic league
Arsenal (England)	02.02 Stoke City (H) 1-0	09.02 Sunderland (A)	6
Man. Utd. (England)	02.02 Fulham (A) 1-0	10.02 Everton (H)	1
FC Barcelona (Spain)	03.02 Valencia (A) 1-1	10.02 Getafe (H)	1
Real Madrid (Spain)	02.02 Granada (A) 0-1	09.02 Sevilla (H)	3
Valencia (Spain)	03.02 Valencia (H) 1-1	09.02 Celta (A)	6
Malaga (Spain)	03.02 Real Zar. (H) 1-1	09.02 Levante (A)	4
Bayern (Germany)	02.02 Mainz (A) 3-0	09.02 Schalke 04 (H)	1
Borussia D. (Germany)	03.02 Bayer 04 (A) 3-2	09.02 Hamburger (H)	2
Schalke 04 (Germany)	02.02 Gr. Furth (H) 1-2	09.02 Bayern (A)	8
Porto (Portugal)	02.02 V. Guimaraes(A) 4-0	10.02 Olhanense (H)	1
Galatasaray (Turkey)	02.02 Bursaspor (A) 1-1	10.02 Antalyaspor (H)	1
Juventus (Italy)	03.02 Chievo (A) 2-1	09.02 Fiorentina (H)	1
Milan (Italy)	03.02 Udinese (H) 2-1	10.02 Cagliari (A)	4
PSG (France)	01.02 Toulouse (H) 4-0	08.02 Bastia (H)	1
Shakhtar D. (Ukraine)	05.12 Juventus (H) 0-1	02.03 Volyn (H)	1
Celtic (Scotland)	03.02 Raith Rov. (Cup) 3-0	09.02 Inverness (A)	1

Champions League 2012-13: The week of Drogba’s and Balotelli’s transfers

In the last week of the winter transfer window there was much more happening at the offices than on football pitches. Thanks to these negotiations we received some interesting news about Didier Drogba’s and Mario Balotelli’s move to Champions League Play-off participant teams. Nevertheless, there was also a lot to watch on the pitches, too.

The major matches of the week:

In the match, where Arsenal needed to secure itself from being caught by the closest followers, Liverpool, everything went awfully bad for Arsene Wenger’s defense. Commanded by captain Vermaelen and goalkeeper Szczesny, the whole defensive line-up was a huge mess during the match. Arsenal fans could be happy losing only by one before the break. Luis Suarez’s goal was the difference. The other zones weren’t perfect either, as Liverpool was able to contain the opponent. The London team woke up only after conceding the second goal on the 60^th minute, where Henderson nicely dribbled away from two defenders, got denied by Szczesny, but added the second shot into the empty net. Only seven minutes after this the score was already level again. The equalizers came from Giroud and Walcott. The match could easily go either way after this, but the score remained unchanged, exactly as the table positions of the teams concerned.

The central match of Sunday was played in Turkey, where Besiktas visited Galatasaray in a hot Istanbul derby. Already on the second minute Umut Bulut sent a fabulous cross from the right wing, which was caught by Emre Colak and volleyed into the net. Riera made it 2-0 right before the break. The second half also started with a goal. This time it was the equalizer from Sivok. Wesley Sneijder’s debut came on the 57^th minute, when he was introduced as a back-up to the only remaining forward Elmander. The Swede was, however, replaced only 3 minutes after Sneijder’s introduction. Felipe Melo got expulsed for spitting on the opponent, so Fatih Terim needed a midfielder to replace the important, but troublesome Brazilian. Sneijder appeared alone in front, which is not what he is used to do. The teams never scored any more, as Galatasaray managed to break the tempo keeping the ball and committing lots of fouls. The Turkish champions may already introduce Drogba after the African Nations Cup. With these two former Champions League winners appearing in Galatasaray and Lewis Holtby leaving the German Schalke 04, the odds of the encounter between the two in Champions League Round of 16 are changing not in favor of the Group B winners. This was a big transfer move from the Turkish side, the administration of which was apparently not in a hurry in their actions, waiting the team to advance from their Champions League group. Now they can set higher targets for the team by injecting big names into the squad.

The first El Classico of the year was played on Wednesday. Jose Mourinho had to introduce lots of unusual players in the starting line-up, but the match was not lost. Fabregas’s goal was answered by the young Frenchman Varane 7 minutes before the final whistle. Ronaldo and Messi will have their say in the second leg of the Spanish Cup, which will take place in a month.

Highlights of the week:

Italian and Scottish champions Juventus and Celtic are out of their domestic cups. One of the teams is going to be out of the Champions League, too, as there is only one quarterfinal place booked for this couple. Celtic has still got the Scottish FA Cup, the round of 16 of which will take place this weekend.

The upcoming weekend:

There is a big match for Valencia again. Now it is the leader Barcelona to be hosted at Estadio Mestalla. Fans really want to forget the humiliating 0-5 from Real a couple of weeks ago.

There is a match for the second place in Germany. Bayer will host champions Borussia, which has probably given up the fight for defending the title this year, but taking the silver is in the agenda.

Club	Last Matches	Next match	Position in the domestic league
Arsenal (England)	26.01 Brighton (Cup) 3-230.01 Liverpool (H) 2-2	02.02 Stoke City (H)	6
Man. Utd. (England)	26.01 Fulham (Cup) 4-130.01 Southampton (H) 2-1	02.02 Fulham (A)	1
FC Barcelona (Spain)	27.01 Osasuna (H) 5-130.01 Real M. (Cup) 1-1	03.02 Valencia (A)	1
Real Madrid (Spain)	27.01 Getafe (H) 4-030.01 Barcelona (Cup) 1-1	02.02 Granada (A)	3
Valencia (Spain)	26.01 Deportivo (A) 3-2	03.02 Valencia (H)	8
Malaga (Spain)	27.01 Real Mall. (A) 3-2	03.02 Real Zar. (H)	4
Bayern (Germany)	27.01 Stuttgart (A) 2-0	02.02 Mainz (A)	1
Borussia D. (Germany)	25.01 Nurnberg (H) 3-0	03.02 Bayer 04 (A)	3
Schalke 04 (Germany)	26.01 Augsburg (A) 0-0	02.02 Gr. Furth (H)	6
Porto (Portugal)	28.01 Gil Vicente (H) 5-0	02.02 V. Guimaraes (A)	1
Galatasaray (Turkey)	27.01 Besiktas (H) 2-1	02.02 Bursaspor (H)	1
Juventus (Italy)	26.01 Genoa (H) 1-129.01 Lazio (Cup) 1-2	03.02 Chievo (A)	1
Milan (Italy)	27.01 Atalanta (A) 1-0	03.02 Udinese (H)	5
PSG (France)	27.01 Lille (H) 1-0	01.02 Toulouse (H)	1
Shakhtar D. (Ukraine)	01.12 Kryvbas (A) 2-005.12 Juventus (H) 0-1	02.03 Volyn (H)	1
Celtic (Scotland)	27.01 St. Mirren (Cup) 2-330.01 Kilmarnock (H) 4-1	03.02 Raith Rov. (Cup)	1

Champions League 2012-13: Welcome back in 2013

After a holiday break there is time to watch and comment European football again. Welcome to Arthur’s Football Comments in 2013!

The major match of the week:

After Arsenal’s bright year end, where they smashed Newcastle scoring whole seven goals in the Premier League match, and a successful FA encounter against Swansea, it was time to meet giants Manchester City and Chelsea. The home match against the defending champions of England went wrong. Now it was the time to meet the champions of champions, who, just a reminder, lost their chance to defend that title. So the snowy London invited to a London derby. Chelsea’s absolutely overwhelming performance in the first half, spiced with marvelous passes, long crosses, wide play, and quick attacks, where Arsenal’s fullbacks and the two central defenders have no chance to catch Chelsea’s flying midfielders. Especially good was Azpilicueta’s pass, which created the first goal. Arsene Wenger’s team, without Podolski and Oxlade-Chamberlain, had nothing in the first half but a couple of possibilities for Walcott, but the young star was not having his best match that day. Arsenal was more inspirational from the first minutes of the second half. They were lots of times caught offside during the whole match, but only on the 58^th they managed to cheat the Chelsea defenders. It was Cazorla who sent that cunning ball to Walcott. Arsenal got a hope. The team started to look for the second goal, thus creating space for Chelsea counterattacks. Torres clearly outran Vermaelen a couple of times, but couldn’t direct himself for a final action. Arsenal’s final storm brought four corners in the last 2 minutes. They were all wasted thanks to Chelsea’s reliable defensive play. Arsenal’s former player Ashley Cole deserves full credit for containing the dangerous Walcott.

Highlights of the week:

–          It’s going fine with Manchester United. The team keeps on winning thanks to Robin van Persie’s goals. There is a difference of 5 points between the two Manchester teams,

–          The four Champions League participants from Spain, who all are still in the game, were stuck in a week of déjà vu. Valencia and Real Madrid had to meet in a Primera match between the two matches of the national cup, while Malaga and Barcelona had the same three matches to play against each other. In the end of the day the wealthier teams won all they came for. Real and Barcelona are in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey, while the difference between them is now 15 points in La Liga. Barcelona has just lost its first match of the season’s domestic league,

–          In the first match of the year the German champions Borussia showed their muscles, destroying Werder Bremen away at home. They need to liquidate the 12-point difference with Bayern, if there is a strict plan to defend the title,

–          In the most cheerful European match of the week Schalke 04 managed to win, conceding 4 goals in the match against Hannover. The Gelsenkirchen team is on the 5^th position,

–          Flying Jackson Martinez has now scored 14 goals and is leading the topscorer-list of the Portuguese league. The two league leaders Porto and Benfica still go hand in hand,

–          Juventus is the leading force in the Italian football and the picture is getting clearer now, as the Italian champions have an advantage of 5 points over the closest opponents and have just beaten Milan in the national cup quarterfinal,

–          Milan’s topscorer El Shaarawy has had a weak period, thus letting Cavani and di Natale outstrip him with the number of goals scored in Serie A,

–          France’s last Champions League participant, PSG, is in a great form. They are on the top of the table again,

–          Samaras and Hooper keep on scoring for Celtic, which is now at least 12 points clear over the followers in the domestic league.

The upcoming weekend:

Arsenal plays a lot of matches these days. They have another big match ahead against the legendary Liverpool, which is only three points behind the Gunners. The Turkish league will be in the focus again, as the top clubs Galatasaray and Besiktas will clash in a hot derby.

Club	Last Matches	Next match	Position in the domestic league
Arsenal (England)	22.12 Wigan (A) 1-029.12 Newcastle (H) 7-301.01 Southampton (A) 1-106.01 Swansea (Cup) 2-2 13.01 Manch. City (H) 0-2 16.01 Swansea (Cup) 1-0 20.01 Chelsea (A) 1-2 23.01 West Ham (H) 5-1	26.01 Brighton (Cup)30.01 Liverpool (H)	6
Man. Utd. (England)	23.12 Swansea (A) 1-126.12 Newcastle (H) 4-329.12 West Brom. (H) 2-001.01 Wigan (A) 4-0 05.01 West Ham (Cup) 2-2 13.01 Liverpool (H) 2-1 16.01 West Ham (Cup) 1-0 20.01 Tottenham (A) 1-1	26.01 Fulham (Cup)30.01 Southampton (H)	1
FC Barcelona (Spain)	22.12 R. Valladolid (A) 3-106.01 Espanyol (H) 4-010.01 Cordoba (Cup) 5-013.01 Malaga (A) 3-1 16.01 Malaga (Cup) 2-2 19.01 Real Soc. (A) 2-3 24.01 Malaga (Cup) 4-2	27.01 Osasuna (H)	1
Real Madrid (Spain)	22.12 Malaga (A) 2-306.01 Real Soc. (H) 4-309.01 Celta (Cup) 4-012.01 Osasuna (A) 0-0 15.01 Valencia (Cup) 2-0 20.01 Valencia (A) 5-0 23.01 Valencia (Cup) 1-1	27.01 Getafe (H)	3
Valencia (Spain)	21.12 Getafe (H) 4-205.01 Granada (A) 2-108.01 Osasuna (Cup) 2-112.01 Sevilla (H) 2-0 15.01 Real M. (Cup) 0-2 20.01 Real M. (H) 0-5 23.01 Real M. (Cup) 1-1	26.01 Deportivo (A)	8
Malaga (Spain)	22.12 Real Madrid (H) 3-205.01 Deportivo (A) 0-108.01 Eibar (Cup) 4-113.01 Barcelona (H) 1-3 16.01 Barcelona (Cup) 2-2 19.01 Celta (H) 1-1 24.01 Barcelona (Cup) 2-4	27.01 Real Mallorca (A)	5
Bayern (Germany)	19.01 Greuther F. (H) 2-0	27.01 Stuttgart (A)	1
Borussia D. (Germany)	19.01 Werder (A) 5-0	25.01 Nurnberg (H)	3
Schalke 04 (Germany)	18.01 Hannover (H) 5-4	26.01 Augsburg (A)	5
Porto (Portugal)	30.12 Estoril (Cup) 2-205.01 Nacional (H) 1-009.01 Vitoria S. (Cup) 1-013.01 Benfica (A) 2-2 19.01 Pacos de Fer. (H) 2-0 23.01 Vitoria S. (A) 3-0	28.01 Gil Vicente (H)	2
Galatasaray (Turkey)	23.12 Trabzonspor (A) 0-018.01 Kasimpasa (A) 1-2	27.01 Besiktas (H)	1
Juventus (Italy)	21.12 Cagliari (A) 3-106.01 Sampdoria (H) 1-209.01 Milan (Cup) 2-113.01  Parma (A) 1-1 19.01 Udinese (H) 4-0 22.01 Lazio (Cup) 1-1	26.01 Genoa (H)	1
Milan (Italy)	22.12 Roma (A) 2-406.01 Siena (H) 2-109.01 Juventus (Cup) 1-213.01 Sampdoria (A) 0-0 20.01 Bologna (H) 2-1	27.01 Atalanta (A)	6
PSG (France)	21.12 St. Brestois (A) 3-006.01 Arras (Cup) 4-311.01 Ajaccio (A) 0-020.01 Bordeaux (A) 1-0 23.01 Toulouse (Cup) 3-1	27.01 Lille (H)	1
Shakhtar D. (Ukraine)	01.12 Kryvbas (A) 2-005.12 Juventus (H) 0-1	02.03 Volyn (H)	1
Celtic (Scotland)	15.12 St. Mirren (H) 2-022.12 Ross County (H) 4-026.12 Dundee (A) 2-029.01 Hibernian (A) 0-1 02.01 Motherwell (H) 1-19.01 Hearts (H) 4-1 22.01 Dundee Utd. (H) 4-0	27.01 St. Mirren (Cup)30.01 Kilmarnock (H)	1

Champions League 2012-13: The week of the Play-off round draw

Before getting to the article itself, it is important to mention the pairs of the Champions League 2012-13 1/8 finals, decided by the draw earlier on Thursday:

Celtic-Juventus

Valencia-PSG

Real Madrid-Manchester United

Shakhtar-Borussia

Arsenal-Bayern

Porto-Malaga

Milan-Barcelona

Galatasaray-Schalke 04

The major matches of the week:

The match of the week took place in Barcelona, where the home side had to take over Atletico. There were no strange decisions in the starting line-ups, thus no extraordinary tactical surprises for the opponents. Atletico scored the first goal, thanks to some fantastic skills shown by Falcao. It happened on the 31^st minute. By that time the goal looked pretty logical, as Atletico midfielders had been keen on preventing Barcelona leaders Iniesta, Xavi and Messi any space. Tito Vilanova’s team hadn’t organized a single dangerous attack during the first 30 minutes of the match. Meanwhile, the visitors were really good in rare counterattacks. I think many Barcelona fans recalled the match at Celtic Park by the time the score was 0-1. But sometimes there needs to happen something unexpected to bring Barcelona’s combinational play back. It started to take place only five minutes after the opener. Adriano decided to drop the boring passing and shot from a distance. It went in. On the last minute of the half Barcelona scored from a corner. Atletico’s confidence was destroyed in a moment and Simeone’s break speech didn’t help at all. The second half was the time for us to see the typical Barcelona, with Leo Messi scoring a couple of times. The Argentine keeps on improving that well-discussed record.

One of the biggest days in Istanbul is considered to be the day of the derby between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce. This day was the 16^th of December. The atmosphere in the stadium was extremely hot, as it usually is in local derbies. The match was won by Fatih Terim’s team, with the winner scored by captain Selcuk Inan from a direct free-kick already on the 23^rd goal. Disappointingly, there was not much to watch after this. The teams went into some intense fight, not organizing many dangerous attacks. Such a match couldn’t finish without an expulsion. When you don’t notice a quality player in the top European leagues for quite a while, look for him in Turkey. Raul Meireles, currently defending Fenerbahce’s colors, was sent off after collecting two yellow cards. As Besiktas lost points in its match, Galatasaray became pretty confident on top of the table. 5 points separate the champions from the closest followers.

Paris Saint-Germain had been in a bad form recently, losing many points in the last matches. Carlo Ancelotti’s team had a chance to erase the effect of the period by winning a top clash against Olympique Lyon. It was easy to notice that the teams had a lot to lose. There was not much risk, just tactical movements. In the end of the day it was the excellence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Javier Pastore over the opponent’s players that decided the destiny of the match. From time to time the Swedish star of PSG was reminding the world about his ambitions to take the FIFA Ballon d’Or trophy this year. It was him who dribbled away from a couple of Lyon players on the right flank to deliver a fantastic cross to Blaise Matuidi on the 45^th minutes. The Frenchman opened the score with a header, which was one of the total three shots on goal in that match. Ibrahimovic got also caught for stepping on opponent’s player, but the referee was silent. PSG, Lyon and Marseille have all 35 points now before the last match of the first round. The Paris team has got the best goal difference in the league.

Highlights of the week:

–          Robin van Persie scored his 12^th goal in the English Premier League, becoming a co-topscorer again,

–          Santiago Cazorla scored a hat-trick to help Arsenal win and climb as high as the 5^th position,

–          Schalke 04 is in a winter crisis: following some negative results, the team has appeared on the 7^th position. Jens Keller’s team was beaten on its way to the domestic cup quarterfinal this week,

–          Vitoria Setubal-Porto match was postponed due to weather conditions. This leaves Porto on the second position, having played a match less than Benfica,

–          Juventus became winter champions of Italy two matches before the Italian Serie A participants reach the equator,

The upcoming weekend:

The crazy Christmans race in England is starting. Teams will play 4 matches in 10 days.

The match of the week will again take place in Spain. Now it is going to be a hot encounter between two Champions League Play-off participants Malaga and Real Madrid. An interesting match between Roma and Milan will take place in Italy. Germany, having finished with the first round of Bundesliga, is joining the holiday. The second round will start in 4 weeks. The Portuguese League will also restart in the next year.

Club	Last Matches	Next match	Position in the domestic league
Arsenal (England)	17.12 Reading (A) 5-2	22.12 Wigan (A)	5
Man. Utd. (England)	15.12 Sunderland (H) 3-1	23.12 Swansea (A)	1
FC Barcelona (Spain)	16.12 Atletico (H) 4-1	22.12 R. Valladolid (A)	1
Real Madrid (Spain)	16.12 Espanyol (H) 2-2	22.12 Malaga (A)	3
Valencia (Spain)	16.12 Rayo Vallec. (H) 0-1	21.12 Getafe (H)	11
Malaga (Spain)	15.12 Sevilla (A) 2-018.12 Eibar (Cup) 1-1	22.12 Real Madrid (H)	4
Bayern (Germany)	14.12 Borussia M. (H) 1-118.12 Augsburg (Cup)	19.01 Greuther F. (H)	1
Borussia D. (Germany)	16.12 Hoffenheim (A) 3-119.12 Hannover (Cup) 5-1	19.01 Werder (A)	3
Schalke 04 (Germany)	15.12 Freiburg (H) 1-318.12 Mainz (Cup) 1-2	18.01 Hannover (H)	7
Porto (Portugal)	19.12 Nacional (Cup) 2-0	30.12 Estoril (Cup)	2
Galatasaray (Turkey)	16.12 Fenerbahce (H) 2-1	23.12 Trabzonspor (A)	1
Juventus (Italy)	16.12 Atalanta (H) 3-0	21.12 Cagliari (A)	1
Milan (Italy)	16.12 Pescara (H) 4-1	22.12 Roma (A)	7
PSG (France)	16.12  Lyon (H) 1-0	21.12 St. Brestois (A)	1
Shakhtar D. (Ukraine)	01.12 Kryvbas (A) 2-005.12 Juventus (H) 0-1	02.03 Volyn (H)	1
Celtic (Scotland)	08.12 Kilmarnock (A) 3-112.12 Arbroath (Cup) 1-0	15.12 St. Mirren (H)	1