Arsenal Had a 1-1 Draw against Sunderland

The match took place at the stadium of light on 4 October 2008. It was a match that surprised many people. Many of Arsenal fans expected that it would be an easy win for the club. They had this kind of expectations after seeing that Arsenal demolished FC Porto in Europe in midweek. So, hardly any fan could think that Arsenal would be lucky just to draw the match. In fact, in the 92^nd minute, Cesc Fabregas provided the equalizer for the London club. Before that Sunderland took a lead. I saw the match and I like to say that none of the touring team could dominate in the match. This draw should inspire the fans of Sunderland and players too.

Well, this is a bad result for Arsenal because they will fall down further in the league table. In internet, I could see that whether it is the end of title hope for the London club. I do not think so because it is very early in the league and only 7 matches have been played by Arsenal. So, it is not the right time to jump to any conclusion. Before the start of the season, some people thought that Europe would have been more difficult for Arsenal than English premier league. Now, EPL is becoming more difficult than Europe.

Related article:

The People

Manchester City vs Liverpool EPL 08-09: Preview, Live Score

I think that the match of Manchester City and Liverpool will be an exciting one as there is a lot to play for both of the clubs. It is not only playing for three points or improving league tables. It is more than that. It is mainly playing for honor and prestige. So, I am expecting a tough competition in this match. At this moment, Liverpool is at the second position of league table. One important thing to note about Liverpool is that the club has suffered the least amount of goals. So, Liverpool has got a very strong defense. Liverpool has at this moment 14 points from six matches and is in the second position behind Chelsea only on goal different. Chelsea has the same 14 points but has better goal difference.

Match: Manchester City vs Liverpool, English Premier League 2008-2009

Date: 5 October 2008, Sunday

Venue: City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester

Kick off: 15:00 BST (British Standard Time)

On the other hand, Manchester City has an impressive record too. They have scored the highest number of goals from six matches so far. So, it is clear that Manchester City has a very good attacking side. So, the match of Liverpool vs Manchester City will be of the best attacking force vs the best defense. Let us see who wins in this test. For Manchester City, the main concern is the form of their defense. They have some great players at the front. He is from Brazil and he is in splendid form for Manchester City in this season. Of course, you know that many people think that Manchester City is tomorrow’s Chelsea. It was purchased by some wealthy people in the Middle East and they are pouring a lot of money to make this club as one of the top clubs in England and in Europe. So, they have to try a lot and win matches. One of the problems that Manchester City is facing these days is that they are losing too many points. They do not have the killer instincts like big clubs. This is really a big problem for the City. If they want to win the premier league title then they have to do much batter than that. Rather, I think that they should try for a place in Europe next season. For this, they must be in the top four in premier league table by the end of this season.

For Liverpool, it is a good season so far. Their coach has suffered a lot of criticism until a month or two ago. Many fans were very unhappy that Liverpool was not performing in the premier league expectedly and this was something disappointing for the fans. So, they are happy that this season Liverpool is doing very well in England. Liverpool has also been in great form in Europe. So, many fans are dreaming for a double trophy this season.

One interesting thing to me is that Liverpool and Manchester City have started some debate about each other. For example, Liverpool player Dirk Kyut has said that Manchester City might have the cash, but they do not have class. He thinks that Manchester City is not a good team and they are only just wasting money. This kind of psychological warfare is very interesting. It normally happens before the world cup matches. I am excited to see that this kind of psychological exchanges is happening before such a league match in the early stage of the tournament.

You can find live score from some websites and I am giving some names of websites that will cover the match:

Live Score

Goalzz

Live Football Scores

Goal.com

Footie Scorez

I think that a lot will depend on the performance of Robinho in this match. If Robinho can shine then Liverpool will have a very difficult time to adjust with him. So, let us see what happens in this match.

Related article:

Sky Sports

Setanta Sports

Blackburn Rovers vs Manchester United EPL 08-09: Preview, Live Score

Manchester United travels to Ewood Park on Saturday to face Blackburn Rovers in a tricky premier league encounter. On the back of a 3-0 Champions League triumph over Aalborg BK away at the Energi Nord Arena in Denmark, the Red Devils is expected to come out full of confidence against Blackburn Rovers away at Ewood Park. Home side Blackburn Rovers will also try to build on their recent performance that saw the Rovers seeing off Everton 1-0 in the league cup and pulled off a 2-1 victory away at Newcastle United. So, both the sides are playing some of their good football at this moment.

Match: Blackburn Rovers vs Manchester United, English Premier League 2008-2009

Date: 4 October 2008, Saturday

Venue: Ewood Park

Kick off: 17:30 BST (British Standard Time)

Manchester United started their title defense campaign poorly. However, the defending champions are gradually coming back to their prime form. From the drawn match at Chelsea, Manchester United has been getting better with time progresses. However, it is noteworthy that the Red Devils are still at the 11^th position with eight points from five matches. So, Alex Ferguson boys can not afford to lose any more points at this stage of the competition as the difference with leader Chelsea has already gone up to six points with United having a match at hand.

For Blackburn Rovers, it is going to be a hard game, considering Manchester United’s recent good form. However, Blackburn also has some good reasons to go all out against Manchester United. They can take inspiration from the fact that they could settle for a point against United in last season’s corresponding fixture thanks to a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park. So, the Rovers will look to build on last season’s home success. Moreover, Paul Ince’s side has been in good run since their 4-0 humiliation to Arsenal at home. Since that defeat, Blackburn Rovers won over Fulham 1-0 at home, knocked out Everton 1-0 in the league cup and recently, they pulled off an excellent 2-1 away victory over Newcastle United. So, Blackburn Rovers seems to have enough reasons to be confident before going into the match.

Manchester United also has something to cherish on ahead of the visit to Ewood Park. In their last five matches in all competitions, Manchester United won three and drew the others without suffering any defeat. In their last three outings, Manchester United scored eight goals, while conceded only one. In the league cup, United defeated Middlesbrough 3-1 at home, then picked up an easy 2-0 home victory over Bolton Wanderers and after that came the emphatic 3-0 victory over Danish champions Aalborg BK in the midweek.

Manchester United has some other things to count on. First of all, their record summer signing Dimitar Berbatov found his scoring form for his new club, scoring two goals in Manchester United’s 3-0 Champions League victory in Denmark. Wayne Rooney has also found his scoring form back and played very well in the last couple of games. Last but not the least, their ace attacking player Cristiano Ronaldo is also back with his prime form. So, manager Sir Alex Ferguson seems to have no worry ahead of the trip to Ewood Park. However, the truth is that bad news is also there around the corner. Manchester United will reportedly be without their experienced midfielder Paul Scholes for up to ten weeks, as the player suffered knee ligament damage during United’s 3-0 Champions league win over Aalborg BK in Denmark.

Blackburn Rovers is also missing their no. 1 goalkeeper Paul Robinson who suffered an injury during their Carling Cup victory over Everton and was limped off during the match. Reserve goal keeper Jason Brown help Bolton keep it clean sheet and ensure a victory. The Wales goalkeeper got his much-awaited first premier league start against Newcastle United, ending his two year’s wait for a place in the starting line up for a premier league encounter. He did not take too much time to impress his boss Paul Ince, saving an important spot kick taken by Michael Owen that eventually helped Blackburn picking up a 2-1 away victory. Jason Brown is now gearing up to face Manchester United.

Ahead of the match against Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers boss asked his players to come out with killer instinct. Though Blackburn won three points against Newcastle, the manager is not quite happy as his players, he thinks, should have pulled off a convincing win over Newcastle United.

Online Live Score and Updates
Here, I am giving some names of the online live score websites from where you can get the live score and updates of the match:

Live Score

Goalzz

Live Football Scores

Goal.com

Footie Scorez

As I mentioned earlier, it would be a tricky match for Manchester United with Blackburn Rovers looking to settle for at least a draw and enjoying their recent good form. If both sides can continue their recent form and go into the match full of confident, then it is going to be an excellent match at Ewood Park.

CFR Cluj Held Chelsea 0-0, while Didier Drogba Sustained a Serious Injury

Romanian Champions CFR Cluj continues their dream run in their debut Champions League season. The Romanian giants may not be in good shape in domestic league, but they are showing their talent and skill in Europe. After creating one of the biggest ever upsets in Europe thanks to their 2-1 away victory over Italian club AS Roma in the first match, CFR Cluj held high-flying Chelsea to a goalless draw last night at home and currently secures the second place in the league table with 4 points. Chelsea also has 4 points to their credit, but leads the table only on goal difference.

Chelsea came into the match full of confidence as all of their players were in good shape. In fact, the Blues has been in excellent goal scoring form under their new coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. Chelsea scored 2 and 2/1 goals on an average in their first eight games this season. So, it was not easy task for a newcomer to win a point against Chelsea. However, manager Scolari said that it was impossible to do more to clinch a victory, but he admitted that the players were tired and they should be blamed for that.

However, the most sustainable wound Chelsea suffered in the match against CFR Cluj was not losing two points. Rather, the Blues lost their important striker Didier Drogba as he was stretchered off the field following a collision with an opposition defender in the second half. With Drogba entering into the treatment room, Chelsea’s injury list is only getting larger.

Related article:

Bloomberg

Liverpool Pulled off 3-1 Home Victory over PSV Eindhoven in Champions League 08-09

Liverpool continued their winning run in Champions League as the All Reds defeated PSV Eindhoven 3-1 at home. However, still they are not leading the point table of Group D as Atletico Madrid with equal six points are leading the tabel on goal difference. PSV Eindhoven, on the other hand, has lost both the matches they played so far in Champions League this season.

Captain Steven Gerrard got his 100^th goal for the Merseyside club. Moreover, summer signing Robbie Keane scored the first goal for Liverpool. However, Liverpool was put ahead in the match by a Dirk Kuyt goal. In the other match of Group D Atletico Madrid defeated Marseille 2-1 at home.

Related article:

Reuters

Shakhtar Donetsk 1- 2 Barcelona: Lionel Messi Saves the Catalans

Barcelona was down 1-0 with three minutes off the time and it looked that Barcelona was going to slip at Ukraine once again. However, the Catalans ended up winning three points from the match thanks to two late goals from Argentina star Lionel Messi who came on as a substitute.

Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk, who defeated FC Basel 2-1 away in the opening match of the Champions league, went ahead in the match as Brazilian Ilsinho scored in the first half. Howver, Messi turned into rescuer and scored the equalizer in the 87^th minute of the match, and then scored the winner in the fourth minute of the stoppage time.

With this victory Barcelona leads the Group C point table with 6 points from 2 outings, while Shakhtar Donetsk, who earned three points away at Basel in the first match, is now left in the third place with the same three points from 2 matches. There is no doubt, Barcelona is now in a good position in the group after winning an important away match.

Related article:

xinhuanet

Bordeaux vs Roma Champions League 08-09 Preview

Bordeaux is going to entertain Roma on 1 October 2008. It is going to be Group A match of Champions League2008-09. This is a match in which I think no one is favorite. Roma has a strong side and it is gradually improving in Italian Serie A. This Sunday, Roma defeated Atlanta 2-0. The only bad news is that Roma will be without their ace striker Francesco Totti who is still injured. So, I think that without Totti Roma attack will become weaken. Some other players are also injured too. However, there is some good news for them Julio Baptista and Daniel De Rossi will come back to the line up after injury and one match ban respectively. So, the midfied of Roma will look strong. This season has not been so good for Roma so far for Roma.

On the other hand, Bordeaux has the same problem. In the first match of the group, Bordeaux suffered 4-0 humiliation to Chelsea. Of course, Chelsea has been in good form and last season Chelsea reached the Champions league final and got out only in penalty shoot out. So, this defeat should be counted that heavily. I think that there can be a draw tonight. I do not see too much goals to be scored in the match between Bordeaux and Roma.

Related article:

Sky Sports

Inter Milan vs Werder Bremen Champions League 08-09 Perview

Later tonight, Inter Milan is going to face German side Werder Bremen in a Group B match of UEFA Champions League 2008-09. At this moment, in group B, Inter Milan is leading the table with one win. Inter Milan defeated Panathinaikos in the first match. On the other hand, Werder Bremen only got only one point as they drew their opening match. It is very early still in Champions league as you can see that only one match has been played for each team in group B.

However, this match and every match of Inter Milan in Europe will be important for their coach Mourinho. Untill now, Inter Milan is often criticized and ridiculed that they are a big giant in Italian football, but they are very weak in Europe. This is at to some point true. In fact, Inter Milan has not won the trophy of Champions league since 1965. So, it is more than 42 years that Inter Milan is without a trophy in Europe. So, this is a top priority for coach Mourinho. The fans do not care if Inter Milan play badly in Italy, but they want their club to do very well in Europe and get a reputation and prestige in European level.

Of course, it will be very difficult for Inter to win the match convincingly tonight. You have to remember that Werder Bremen is not a team to neglect. In fact, in the last two matches in German Bundesliga, Werder Bremen has scored 10 goals. It shows that it has a very strong team who are capable of picking up big margin victory. However, I am not so sure if Werder Bremen can do something outstanding at Italy tonight. Let us see what happens in tonight’s match.

Related article:

Sky Sports

Real Madrid Defeated Zenit St. Petersburg 2-1 in Champions League 2008-2009

Real Madrid ended a seven-match win-draught on the road in Champions league after pulled off an impressive 2-1 away victory over UEFA Cup Champion Zenit St. Petersburg last night. Real Madrid got the first goal thanks to an own goal and then their Dutch striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy scored the winner for the Spanish champions. With this victory, Real Madrid has six points from two matches and thus leading the Group H point table.

Real Madrid manager Bernd Schuster is very much happy with the performance of his boys in Russia. The managers said that Real Madrid earned a very important victory over Zenit St. Petersburg. The coach also thinks that pressure was mounting on Real Madrid, specially in the second half of the match. However, he is now delighted with the points Real Madrid pick up last night because he thinks these points are crucial for Real Madrid’s next two match as he sees Real’s two victories as morale-booster for the visit to Turin to face Juventus.

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xinhuanet

Manchester United Defeated AaB Aalborg 3-0 Thanks to Dimitar Berbatov Double

Manchester United’s excellent 3-0 away victory at AaB Aalborg was marred by a seemingly serious injury sustained by midfielder Paul Scholes. However, the Red Devils went into the match on the back of two confidence booster domestic victories and they could build on those victories in last night’s Champions League encounter. Moreover, Manchester United’s record signing Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov, who was making his Champions league debut, at last scored for his new club.

Two strikes from Dimitar Berbatov made the task easy for United to ensure three points from the match. The striker played very well and in fact, he showed his best performance since joining the club over the summer in a move from Tottenham Hotspur. Manchester United started their Champions league campaign with a goalless draw at home against Villarreal. Now, Manchester United is leading the Group E with 4 points from two matches.

Related article:

Telegraph

Arsenal Defeated FC Porto 4-0 in Champions League 08-09

Arsenal made a strong come back from their 2-1 home defeat to premier league’s newly promoted Hull City as the Gunners defeated French giant FC Porto in an emphatic way. The 4-0 score line does not reveal the fullest of Arsenal’s dominance in the match. The North London club could have won by six or seven goals in the match. Robin van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor scored two goals each to secure the 4-0 home victory over Porto in a Group G match up of Champions League 2008-2009. Arsenal started the campaign with a satisfactory 1-1 draw away at Dynamo Kiev. With two victories Arsenal is now leading the point table with four points, while Porto secures the second place with 3 points from two outings.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is happy with the performance of his young boys. He said it was necessary to respond quickly in a convincing way after receiving a setback from Hull City at home. He also added that Arsenal was focused and he was happy with the attitude of the players.

Related article:

Telegraph

Shakhtar Donetsk vs Barcelona Champions League 08-09: Preview, Live Score

Shakhtar Donetsk will welcome Spanish giants Barcelona tomorrow (1 October 2008) in a Champions league showdown. The match will take place at the RSK Olimpiyskyi stadium, Ukraine. Both sides are going through a bad patch in their respective domestic leagues, but started their Champions league campaign with impressive victories. So, it is expected to be a hard-fought match.

Match: Shakhtar Donetsk vs Barcelona, Group C, Champions League 2008-2009

Date: 1 October 2008, Wednesday

Venue: RSK Olimpiyskyi Stadium

Kick off: 19:45 BST (British Standard Time)

Shakhtar Donetsk is the defending champion of Ukrainian premier league. However, the Ukrainian champions got off to a poor start to their title defense campaign this season. Having played nine matches so far this season, Shakhtar Donetsk occupies the 11^th position in the league table, securing only 9 points, 13 points behind the league leader Dynamo Kyiv. There is no doubt that Shakhtar Donetsk is now way out of their title defense challenge in Ukrainian premier league, having won only one of their nine matches. In their last five matches in all competitions, Shakhtar Donetsk won two and drew three. So, here it is clear their recent form is not satisfactory. In their very recent league match, they settled for a 1-1 drew against second placed Metalurh Donetsk.

However, Shakhtar Donetsk started off well in Champions league with a 2-1 victory away at FC Basel. So, their poor domestic run may not affect their Europe form. Here, I want to mention one thing that Shakhtar Donetsk failed to get into the round of 16 last season, even after starting brilliantly by winning the first two group stage matches. So, they have to hold on to their current form of Europe in order to make it to the round of 16 this time. They will face Barcelona at home and they can relish on the fact that Western European countries stumbled at Ukrainian teams many time in the past due to weather and condition. However, Barcelona will not have to face freezing condition this time as it is now summer in Ukraine.

Spanish giants Barcelona will find it a tricky trip to RSK Olimpiyskyi stadium of their Ukrainian opposition. Barcelona’s failed to make a good start in La Liga this season. Barcelona’s domestic form has so far been unimpressive and disappointing. The Catalan club managed to pick up only one point from their opening two league matches. However, the good thing is that Barcelona is gradually returning to their prime form. In their last five matches in all competitions, Barcelona won four and drew one. In fact, the Barcelona won their last four matches including a 6-1 thrash over Real Sporting de Gijon. Barcelona won the Catalan derby at Espanyol 2-1 last weekend. Now, after five matches, Barcelona stands at the 5^th place with10 points under their belt. Out of five league matches, Barcelona won three, lost one and drew one.

Moreover, Barcelona defeated Sporting CP Lisbon 3-1 in the Champions league opener. So, the Spanish club will go into the match against Shakhtar Donetsk with full of confidence. So, Shakhtar Donetsk and Barcelona have some similarities in terms of their domestic form and European form. Both the clubs started off poor at home, while they got impressive victory in their respecting opening match schedule in Champions league. The only difference is that Barcelona’s recent form indicates that they are come back with their prime form, while Shakhtar Donetsk’s recent form does not imply any quick improvement.

Online Live Score and Updates

Here, I am giving some online live score and updates from where you can get live score and updates of the match:

Live Score

Goalzz

Live Football Scores

Goal.com

Footie Scorez

I think, this is too close a match to call. Shakhtar Donetsk will enjoy the home condition and get the support of home fans, while Barcelona has a number of quality players like Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o in the attacking line up and Carlos Puyol and Gerard Pique in the defense. So, it is not going to be an easy affair for either side.

Kay Kay Menon Hopeful About Upcoming Movie ‘Drona’

Kay Kay Menon, who plays villain in the upcoming Bollywood flick Drona, has said that people will react well to the movie Drona which will get released worldwide on 2 October. Asked if audience will accept supernatural fantasy film Drona as reality films have worked well lately at the box office, Kay Kay Menon has said that people are matured enough to accept all sorts of movies.

Kay Kay Menon has also talked about his role in the fantasy film Drona. Directed by Goldie Behl, Drona tells the tale of a young man, Aditya/ Drona, protagonist in the film (played by Abhishek Bachchan). Based on comic books, graphic arts and Indian mythology, the movie portrays a young man who has royal inheritance, but he does not know about his true identity. Once he realizes his identity as part of a royal family, a royal responsibility of saving a precious thing from an evil magician comes to him. In the end, he confronts the magician, who wants to gain immortality by capturing that precious thing. Kay Kay Menon plays that villainous role of the magician in the movie, while Abhishek Bachchan plays the role of that young man. Priyanka Chopra plays a bodyguard of Abhishek, while Jaya Bachchan portrays the role of a queen who turns out to be the mother of that young man.

Kay Kay has admitted that he never played a role like that in the past. He says that he did the role because that attracted him and he thinks, an actor should not be stick to a certain kinds of roles in the name of creating image. Rather, Kay Kay, who has a MBA degree in his academic career, feels that an actor will get recognition only if he possesses talent. Kay Kay has been in Bollywood arena since 1996 when he was launched by Saeed Mirza's movie Naseem. However, the versatile actor rose to stardom nine years after his arrival in the industry through the Sudhir Mishra directed 2005 movie Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi. Since then, there is no looking back for the actor and his career wheel is rolling on. Now, let us see if Bollywood moviegoers accept Kay Kay Menon in his new avatar in the movie Drona.

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Sify

Fiorentina vs Steaua Bucharest Champions League 08-09 Preview

Italian club Fiorentina is going to welcome Steaua Bucharest tonight at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence, Italy. Fiorentina started their Champions league campaign with a 2-2 draw away at Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon), while Romanian club Steaua Bucharest started their Europe mission with a 1-0 home defeat to favorite Bayern Munich. So, Steaua Bucharest can not afford to suffer another defeat in their pursuit to reach the next round of the competition, while Fiorentina will look to continue their winning run in Europe, despite a sluggish start in Serie A.

Match: Fiorentina vs Steaua Bucharest (Bucharesti), Group F, Champions League 2008-2009

Date: 30 September 2008

Venue: Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence, Italy

Kick off: 19:45 BST (British Standard Time)

Fiorentina has so far been unimpressive in Series A, having played five matches. With two victories, two defeats and a draw, Fiorentina has managed only 7 points and currently stands 12^th in the league standing. Steaua Bucharest, on the other hand, has had a better domestic form as the Romanian club occupies third place in Liga 1 (Romania’s top football league) with 20 points from 9 matches. In their recent league schedule, Steaua Bucharest drew against defending champion Cluj. However, Steaua Bucharest must win at least a point in their visit to Florence as they lost all three points in their opening match against Bayern Munich.

Both the sides have some injury woes. Fiorentina player Manuel Pasqual will miss tonight’s encounter against Steaua Bucharest. However, Alessandro Gamberini is expected to be available after recovering his dislocating shoulder injury two weeks ago. Moreover, Gianluca Comotto might also be fit in time to face the Romanian club at home.

Steaua Bucharest needs to contend with the injury news of Emeghara and Plesan. Both the players have been ruled out of the match with injury. However, Banel Nicolita will be back in the line up after serving a match ban. The visiting side has no other injury woes ahead of the match.

Fiorentina may have a poor domestic form, but Steaua Bucharest can not relish on the recent form of Fiorentina. Rather, Steaua Bucharest will have to face very hard challenge from Fiorentina. For Fiorentina, it is a must win match, considering the fact that they are taking on the seemingly weakest side of the group at home. The Italian club still has away fixture at Bayern Munich and at Steaua Bucharest later on. So, Fiorentina will play for all three points, while Steaua Bucharest might be happy with a point from the match.

Fenerbahce vs Dynamo Kiev (Kyiv) Champions League 08-09 Preview

Turkish giant Fenerbahce will take on Ukrainian club Dynamo Kiev tonight at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, Kadıkoy-İstanbul, Turkey in a Champions league meeting. The Group G encounter will see out-of-form Fenerbahce hosting in-form Dynamo Kiev. Fenerbahce has been unimpressive so far this season. With six points from five matches so far, Fenerbahce recorded their worst start to Super League in 20 years. The Turkish club secures 10th place in the point table. Moreover, Fenerbahce started their Champions league campaign with a 3-1 away defeat at Porto. Dynamo Kiev, on the other hand, managed to clinch a point from their Champions league opener thanks to their 1-1 home draw against English giant Arsenal. So, confident Dynamo Kiev will face Fenerbahce who are yet to appear with their prime form this season.

Match: Fenerbahce vs Dynamo Kiev (Kyiv), Group G, Champions League 2008-2009

Date: 30 September 2008, Tuesday

Venue: Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, Kadikoy-Istanbul, Turkey

Kick off: 19:45 BST (British Standard Time)

Fenerbahce lost four out of their last seven matches overall. The Istanbul based club has received another blow recently as they were beaten by Sivasspor 2-1. However, Coach Luis Aragones thinks that his side’s poor domestic form will not affect his players in Champions league because he feels Champions league is a different motivation. Well, the Turkish club has a fearsome home record in Champions league. In their way to quarter final in Champions league last season, Fenerbahce won every match they played at home. At the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, they are currently on 14-match unbeaten streak since November 2004. So, Dynamo Kiev can not fancy at Fenerbahce’s poor league form. However, the head to head record favors Dynamoo Kiev. The two sides faced each other twice in 2006 in Champions league with Kiev winning at home 3-1, while sharing points at Fenerbahce thanks to a 2-2 draw.

Dynamo Kiev may have good domestic record so far as they are leading the point table with 22 points from 9 matches. Moreover, they will look to build on their recent 3-0 league victory over Kryvbas in the upcoming Champions league meeting with Fenerbahce. However, here I want to mention one thing about Kiev’s recent from of Champions league. Though Dynamo Kiev started off well in Champions league with 1-1 home draw against Arsenal, the fact is that the point they won against Arsenal is the first point they have won in their last eight group stage Champions league encounters.

Fenerbahce striker Semih Senturk is doubtful for the showdown against Dynamo Kiev. New signing Juan Pablo Josico, midfielder Gokcek Vederson and defender Edu Dracena are doubtful for tonight’s encounter. Last but not the least, Captain Alex De Souza, the star midfielder of Fenerbahce side, might also miss the match with injury. However, the good news for the Fenerbahce fans is that striker Daniel Guiza might be available for the Kiev match as the players is expected to recover fully from his injury problem.

Dynamo manager Yuri Semin does not need to contend with any major injury problems like his counterpart Luis Aragones needs to do. Yuri Semin is happy with the way Dynamo Kiev started their Champions league campaign. Dynamo might feature the same squad that faced Arsenal at home in the opening match. Midfielder Roman Eremenko played very well against Arsenal, while scorer Ismael Bangour also threatened to Arsenal defense many times throughout the match. Attack midfielder Oleksandr Aliyev has been in excellent form and scored two goals in Friday’s confidence-booster 3-0 league victory.

I think, Fenerbahce will be strong enough to be broken by Dynamo Kiev, even though the Turks are not at their prime form now. Dynamo Kiev will face hard challenge from the host side. Fenerbahce will also be motivated to pull off a resounding victory against Dynamo Kiev in order to compensate their domestic form. Moreover, after losing the first match to Porto, Fenerbahce need to come out with three points from this match in their pursuit to get into the round of 16 in Champions league.

BATE Borisov vs Juventus Champions League 08-09 Preview

Italian giant Juventus takes on Belarus club BATE Borisov today (30 September 2008) in the Group H Champions league encounter. The match will take place at the Haradzki Stadium, Borisov, Belarus. Juventus is yet to return to their prime form this season, even though they remained unbeaten after 5 games so far in Italian Serie A. The Turin based club now occupies seventh position in the league table with 9 points. However, they started their European mission with a victory over Group H opponent Zenit St. Petersburg. That 1-0 home victory over Russian champions must have given some confidence to the old lady of Turin, because with two victories and three draws, they hardly have anything in their league performance to inspire themselves.

Match: BATE Borisov vs Juventus, Group H, Champions League 2008-2009

Date: 30 September 2008, Tuesday

Venue: Haradzki Stadium, Borisov, Belarus

Kick off: 19:45 BST (British Standard Time)

BATE Borisov has been in excellent form in Belarus premier league. Having played 23 matches so far this season, they are undefeated and currently leading the point table with 53 points. Juventus must be careful against BATE Borisov, because their home performance shows that they are pretty much consistent and defensively very well. However, BATE Borisov got off to a bad start in their Champions league mission as they were defeated by Spanish champions Real Madrid 2-0 in the first match. No doubt, BATE Borisov is underdog in Group H in the presence of Real Madrid, Juventus and Zenit St. Petersburg. However, if they have any hope of getting into the next stage of Champions League then they can not afford to suffer any more defeat. However, today they face Juventus in front of the home fans. So, they will have the home advantage in the match.

Juventus player David Trezeguet will miss today’s affair against BATE Boriso as the French international has been out of action until next year with knee injury. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and defender Christian Poulsen have been ruled out of their trip to Belarus as both of them are recovering from minor knocks. However, the good news for Juventus is that Nicola Legrottaglie will be available for the trip as he has recovered from injury problem. BATE Borisov will miss veteran midfielder Aleksandr Ermakovich as the player underwent a knee surgery recently and will not be able to return to action until next year. Except this, BATE Borisov has no other major injury problem.

Though BATE Borisov lost to Real Madrid, the Belarus club looked impressive at Bernabeu. This indicates that Juventus will face strong challenge away at BATE Borisov. Moreover, Juventus’ recent form is unimpressive as the Italian giants failed to score in their last two matches. So, it is pretty sure that BATE Borisov is going to take a stern test of Juventus.

Villarreal vs Celtic Champions League 08-09 Preview

Villarreal welcomes Scottish club Celtic on Tuesday (30 September 2008) in a Group E Champions leagu encounter. The match will take place at Estadio El Madrigal. Villarreal started their Champions league campaign with a goalless draw against Manchester Untied away. Celtic also started their mission Europe with a goalless home draw against Danish Champion AaB Aalborg. Both Villarreal and Celtic stand second in their respective domestic leagues.

Match: Villarreal vs Celtic, Group E, Champions League 2008-2009

Date: 30 September 2008, Tuesday

Venue: Estadio El Madrigal

Kick off: 19:45 BST (British Standard Time)

Villarreal secures the second place with 13 points from five matches. Scottish club Celtic occupies second place with 16 points from seven outings. Their recent form is satisfactory well. Villarreal won five out of their seven matches in all competitions with the other two matches being drawn. Celtic also won five out of their last seven games overall, but they lost a league match against arch-rival Rangers.

In terms of strength and recent form, both the clubs seem to be equal. So, I think, it would be an exciting match and a very close match. Celtic midfielder Barry Robson is available for selection for the encounter against Villarreal after recovering from groin strain. Defender Andreas Hinkel has been ruled out of the match with thigh injury. In his absence, Mark Wilson will continue his job at right-back position. Moreover, Gary Caldwell has returned from suspension and will be considered for the first team contention for the match against Villarreal. Celtic manager Gordon Strachan might have to take a tricky decision to choose between two in-from strikers: Jan Vennegoor and Georgios Samaras, if he decides to feature one striker in the starting line up.

Villarreal is also hit by injury. Nihat Kahveci is forced out with injury and striker Giuseppe Rossi si expected to replace his place. He limped off the ground at the half time in Villarreal’s recent 1-0 victory over Sporting Gijon. Midfielder Matias Fernandez, who was also came off at the half time in that match, has been out with injury. Defender Pascal Cygan has been out of the 19-member squad of Villarreal for the Celtic encounter. New signing Jozy Altidore will also miss the important match.

Related article:

BBC

Bayern Munich vs Olympique Lyon Champions League 08-09 Preview

After defeating Steaua Bucharest in the Champions league opener 1-0, German club Bayern Munich hosts Olympique Lyonnais on Tuesday (30 September 2008). However, Lyon started their season with a 2-2 home draw with Fiorentina in Champions league. So, the French giants do not afford another defeat in their pursuit to get into the round of 16 in Champions League 2008-2009. Bayern Munich might have won the opening match of Champions league, the German club has been in poor form in German Bundesliga this season.

Match: Bayern Munich vs Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon), Group F, Champions League 2008-2009

Date: 30 September 2008, Tuesday

Venue: Allianz Arena

Kick off: 19:45 BST (British Standard Time)

Bayern Munich’s recent domestic form is poor as the German club lost two of its last two league matches, the recent one being against Hannover 96 1-0. They are currently in the 9^th position with eight points from six matches. Olympique Lyonnais, on the other hand, has been in good form in French League 1. After seven matches, Lyon is leading the point table with 19 points. They have not suffered any league defeat yet. So, in terms of domestic performance, Olympique Lyonnais has much more things than Bayern to be inspired ahead of the visit to Allianz Arena.

French striker Franck Ribery is gearing up to play his first ever Champions league match. The French international has not played in Champions league in his career. However, he is doubtful for the showdown against Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon) with injury. The striker came back in action recently after sitting out for three months with ankle injury. However, he is not confirmed for the match against Olympique Lyonnais. Martin Demichelis and Lucio will come back at the heart of Bayern Munich defense. Ze Roberto will be back in the starting line up in place Jose Ernesto Sosa.

Lyon does not have any major injury problem. Rather, manager Claude Puel will find some of the previously injured players available for contention. Brazilian international Juninho has returned to training recently after recovering from groin injury. Ivory Coast international Kader Keita is expected to be back in contention for the first team line up after spending few weeks in the sideline with an arm injury.

Zenit St. Petersburg vs Real Madrid Champions League 08-09 Preview

Real Madrid will travel to Zenit St. Petersburg tomorrow (30 September 2008) in their second match of Champions League 2008-2009 campaign. In the opening match, Real Madrid pulled off an easy 2-0 victory over BATE Borisov from Belarus, while Zenit St. Petersburg was beaten by Italian giants Juventus 1-0. Real Madrid will go into the match on the back of a poor recent away record in Champions League. The Spanish champions have not won any of their last seven matches on the road in Europe. So, Real Madrid will have an eye to put an end to their seven-match winless string away from home in Champions league.

Match: Zenit St. Petersburg vs Real Madrid, Group H, Champions League 2008-2009

Date: 30 September 2008, Tuesday

Venue: Petrovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia

Kick off: 17:30 BST (British Standard Time)

Real Madrid is the defending champion of Spanish La Liga, but they are currently in the 3^rd position after five matches with 12 points under their belt. However, Real Madrid’s recent form has been pretty much satisfactory. In their previous league match, Real Madrid defeated Real Betis 2-1. Real Madrid won their last five matches in all competitions. So, Real Madrid players must be full of confident while taking on Zenit St. Petersburg.

Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster admits that it will be a very difficult game in Russia. In this crucial match, Real Madrid will miss a key midfielder Wesley Sneijder who has been ruled out of the match with leg injury. Guti and Fernando Gago are also out with leg injury. So, Bernd Schuster will have to contend with the injuries of some of his key players ahead of the trip to Zenit St. Petersburg. New signing Rafael van der Vaart will not have to play a crucial role in the midfielder in the absence of some important players. The good news is that Rafael van der Vaart has been in good from with highest four goals for Real Madrid so far this season. After sitting out Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory over BATE Borisov on suspension, midfielder Ruben is also ready to feature against Zenit St. Petersburg. However, Real boss Bernd Schuster has a number of options in his attacking line up in the presence of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Gonzalo Higuai and club Captain Raul Gonzalez. In fact, all of the three strikers are in good form.

Russian champions Zenit St. Petersburg has got off to a poor start in domestic league and they are already way out of title defense challenge. Even coach Dick Advocaat admitted that Zenit’s aim would be now to finish the league at second or third position so that they can qualify for Champions League next season. Moreover, Zenit lost the first game to Juventus. So, the match against Real Madrid is a crucial match and another defeat would seemingly bring an end to their hopes of progressing to the next round. The Russian club defeated Lokomotiv Moscow 3-0 in their recent league match.

Zenit St. Petersburg will miss defender Ivica Krizanac who has been sidelined by the team manager on disciplinary ground. Vladislav Radimov will also miss the Champions league showdown against Real Madrid as he pulled muscle during practice session. However, long-term absentee striker Fatih Tekke is expected to come back in the starting line up against Real Madrid after recovering from knee injury. Moreover, star midfielder Andrei Arshavin will be back in action after sitting out Zenit’s 3-0 recent victory over Lokomotiv Moscow due to suspension. Now, he will be fresh enough to take on Spanish champions Real Madrid.

CFR Cluj vs Chelsea Champions League 08-09: Preview, Live Score

An in-from Chelsea will face an inspired, confident CFR Cluj on Wednesday (1 October 2008) in a Champions league showdown. Both the sides are confident ahead of the match. Premier league club Chelsea started their Champions league 2008-2009 campaign with a 4-0 victory over French club Bordeaux. CFR Cluj, on the other hand, is not as big a club like Chelsea, but they are the defending champion of Romanian Liga 1 and thus qualified for the Champions League group stage for the first team. Most importantly, CFR Cluj produced the biggest upset of the tournament so far, defeating Italian club Roma away from home in their very first match in Champions League. No doubt, they are now looking to build on their impressive 2-1 victory at Roma.

Match: CFR Cluj vs Chelsea, Group A, Champions League 2008-2009

Date: 1 October 2008, Wednesday

Venue: Dr. Constantin Radulescu, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Kick off: 19:45 BST (British Standard Time)

Live on TV and Radio: Sky Sports Extra, Sky Sports HD3, BBC Radio 5 Live

Chelsea started off well this season under their new boss Luiz Felipe Scolari. The Blues are currently leading the premier league point table with 14 points from six matches. Their top form has been proven enough to dominate both in premier league and domestic league. Scolari has not suffered any defeat since joining the West London club in summer. Out of their last seven matches in all competitions, Chelsea won five and drew two. So, it is for sure that Chelsea will go into the match with full of confidence.

Romanian champion CFR Cluj stunned the football world with their excellent away victory at Roma in their Champions league opener. I think, this is one of the biggest upsets by a debut team in Champions league. Interesting thing is that CFR Cluj is the first Romanian club from outside Romanian capital Bucharest to have entered into Champions League group stage. So, CFR Cluj has already showed what they can do in their days.

However, the defending champions could not make a good start in Liga 1 this season. After 9 matches, CFR Cluj secures 5^th place with 15 points, 7 points behind leader Dinamo. Since their away defeat at FC Vaslui 2-1, CFR Cluj has been playing consistently well. In their recent league encounter, Cluj drew 1-1 against title challenger FC Steaua Bucuresti. In their last seven outings in all competitions, CFR Cluj won three, drew three and lost one. Though their domestic performance has not been as good as it was supposed to be, CFR Cluj has impressed all with their victory over Roma in Champions league.

CFR Cluj will have home advantage against Chelsea. So, that would also help the Romanian club to hope for another stunning performance. They will surely look to build on their 2-0 victory against Roma. The man who was instrumental behind CFR Cluj’s historic victory at Roma is Argentine midfielder Juan Emmanuel Culio who joined the club in 2007, after being overlooked by many Argentine clubs. After 18 months of his arrival in Romania, football fans in Romania call for giving him the Romanian citizenship so that he can play for Romanian national team. No doubt, the midfielder will have to play a vital role against Chelsea too in order to bring out another impressive performance in Champions league.

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari may not have any worry for the performance of Chelsea. However, the Brazilian manager has a lot to worry as his injury list is only extending day by day. Michael Essien, Anderson, Deco and Ricardo Carvalho are already out with injury for a number of weeks. Now, he has got to worry about two of his first choice wingers- Joe Cole and Salomon Kalou. Joe Cole missed Saturday’s 2-0 away victory at Stroke City with slight tear in his thigh muscle, while Salomon Kalou was limped off the field with an ankle injury at the half time. Manager Scolari could not say anything about Kalou’s injury, but the manager would assess the condition of Joe Cole. However, he confirmed that Deco and Ricardo Carvalho are out of CFR Cluj encounter.

Well, despite the injury list mounting, Luiz Felipe Scolari is glad with the performance of his boys. He also thinks that Chelsea is now in good shape and the players are playing at their best.

The Press association reported:

He said: "My team is in good condition and we are keeping our shape well. We are now at our best. All my players know their position and how to cover for each other if necessary. If a player makes a mistake, another one helps him out and that is important."

He added: "We have won most of our matches and drawn only two. We have confidence as we have good players."

So, it is pretty much sure that Chelsea is very confident ahead of their trip to Cluj-Napoca, Romania, despite the injury problems. The good news for Chelsea is that Michael Ballack is now in his way to return to form. The German Captain played very well against Stroke City, supplying flurry of chances for the strikers. So, Ballack will have to play an important role against CFR Cluj in the absence of two key midfielders: Michael Essien and Deco.

Online Live Score and Updates

Fans of both sides are eagerly waiting for the match. Though the match will be telecast in television, still many fans might miss it due to lack of time. So, for those who will not be able to watch the match on television, here I am giving some names of online live score websites from where you can get the live score and updates of the match:

Live Score

Goalzz

Live Football Scores

Goal.com

Footie Scorez

Considering the strength and experience, Chelsea is definitely favorite against CFR Cluj. However, Roma was also favorite against CFR Cluj. So, starting the match wit favorite’s tag may not work for Chelsea unless they continue their top football and keep the pressure on CFR Cluj. As the host side has nothing to lose, they might play all out football from the beginning. So, Chelsea’s injury-hit midfield and defense have to face strong challenge from the home side. However, one or two early strikes for either side in the match might be decisive because both the sides have some quality defenders to defend an early-taken lead in the match.