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.

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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.

Liverpool vs PSV Eindhoven Champions League 08-09: Preview, Live Score

If you want to get the live score and updates of the PSV Eindhoven vs Liverpool match then visit the following link:

PSV Eindhoven vs Liverpool Live Score and Updates

Liverpool hosts PSV Eindhoven in a Group D Champions League encounter on Wednesday (1 October 2008) . The match will take place at Anfield with high flying Liverpool taking on Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven. Liverpool got off to a good start in their Champions League 2008-2009 campaign as the reds defeated Olympique Marseille 2-1 away from home. PSV Eindhoven, on the other hand, lost to Atletico Madrid 3-0 in their Champions league opener. On the back of recent derby triumph over Everton, Liverpool will look to continue their winning run in Europe too. PSV Eindhoven might come out full of confident, knowing that another defeat would bring an end to their hopes of progressing to the round of 16 in the tournament.

Match: Liverpool vs PSV Eindhoven, Group D, Champions League 2008-2009

Date: 1 October 2008, Wednesday

Venue: Anfield

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

Live on TV: Ten Sports TV Channel

Liverpool did not have very good domestic record for a number of seasons now. However, the club has seen a steady progress so far this season. With 14 points from 6 matches, Liverpool has ensured their best start to premier league in the recent past. Recently, Liverpool posted a morale-booster victory over city rivals Everton thanks to double strike from Spanish striker Fernando Torres. With this victory, Liverpool moved up to the second spot, just behind the leader Chelsea on goal difference. So, it is well-predicted that Rafael Benitez boys are now full of confident ahead of the Champions League showdown with PSV Eindhoven.

Unlike premier league, Liverpool remained as one of the strongest clubs in the Europe. In fact, Liverpool is most successful English clubs in UEFA Champions League with five titles so far. Even if you consider their recent performance in Europe, you would see them in the semi final for three times in the last four seasons; two times they made it to the final and won the title in 2004-2005 season. So, in Europe, most of the clubs do not usually like to travel to Anfield. Even in this season, Liverpool got an emphatic start in Champions League, winning away at Olympique Marseille. So, Liverpool players now have a number of sources to take inspiration from ahead of PSV Eindhoven’s visit to Anfield.

PSV Eindhoven is the defending champion of Eredivisie (highest domestic football league in Netherlands). However, the Dutch champions got an ordinary start in the season, picking up 9 points from four games so far this season. PSV Eindhoven now occupies second place with a point behind the leader Groningen. Recently, PSV Eindhoven defeated FC Volendam 1-0 to hold onto second place in the league table. They are one of the most successful Dutch clubs in Champions League. The won the European title in 1987-88 season for the first time and since then they could not add another European feather to their cap.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez will not get the service of defender Philipp Degen due to injury. The defender sustained two broken ribs in their 2-1 Carling Cup victory over Crowe. Javier Mascherano might feature against Eindhoven, though Rafael Benitez did not play him in their recent derby victory. Ryan Babel has already earned a tag of Liverpool’s substitute performer. The Dutch striker has proved his mettle as an effective players coming off the bench, but the forward is yet to impress Benitez for a regular place in the starting line up. With Captain Steven Gerrard and striker Fernando Torres back in form, manager Rafael Benitez is supposed to have no worry on his shoulder ahead of the Champions league encounter against PSV Eindhoven.

For PSV Eindhoven, young midfielder Ibrahim Afellay might be vital at Anfield. The 22-year-old young prospect has already shown what he can do in his day. Liverpool has an eye on this talented midfielder who has the ability to turn the result of the match in PSV Eindhoven’s favor by his own. No doubt, Ibrahim Afellay is the main strength of their midfield.

Liverpool and in PSV Eindhoven faced against each other on four occasions in which Liverpool won thrice and the other match was drawn. So, Liverpool is ahead of in PSV Eindhoven in terms of head-to-head meeting as well.

Online Live Score and Updates

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

Live Score

Goalzz

Live Football Scores

Goal.com

Footie Scorez

Liverpool seems to be favorite against PSV Eindhoven. However, the visiting side knows it very well that they need three points from the match in order to reach the next round. So, even though Liverpool has better chance in the match, I can not write off PSV Eindhoven because the Dutch Champions will be desperate for points against Liverpool. I think, Liverpool will find it difficult to pull of home victory over PSV Eindhoven. I guess, it is going to be a hard-fought match at Anfield on Wednesday.

AaB Aalborg vs Manchester United Champions League: Alex Ferguson Cautions United Players

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has warned his boys of Danish side AaB Aalborg ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League encounter at the Energi Nord Arena, Denmark. Though he thinks that the Danish champions got a point from the Celtic encounter, he also cautions his boys not to underestimate AaB Aalborg.

United boss is completely aware of the home advantage that his Danish opposition will have in the match. So, he also knows it very well that AaB Aalborg will come out with full of cinfidence, even though the club’s recent domestic form is poor.

The Times reported:

"Aalborg were lucky to get a draw at Celtic but they will be at home against us and my old mate Bruce Rioch will have them fired up," Ferguson said.

"They are playing Manchester United, they will have a sell-out crowd and the whole town will be up for it. Danish clubs are always battlers."

"Having dropped two points in our first game it is important we get it right against Aalborg," Ferguson said. "Going to Villarreal for a win will be very difficult and the last thing we need is to be going to Parkhead needing three points to go through."

Manchester United is greadually reaching at their prime, even though the defending champions of both premier league and Europe got off to a poor start to the seaosn. In fact, the club occupies the 9^th place ian the premier league point table with right points from five matches. This result card, for sure, does not go with the class and quality of Red Devils. However, the good thing is that United’s top two guns: Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney- are coming back to their prime form. There is no doubt anything less than three points from the match will go with the name of Manchester United.

Arsenal vs FC Porto Champions League 08-09: Cesc Fabregas Calling for ‘Good Reaction’ against Porto

Arsenal started their Champions League 2008-2009 campaign with a 1- 1 draw away at Dynamo Kiev thanks to a late strike from Captain William Gallas. However, the Gunners dominated the match and created a number of chances. However, the Gunners missed all of those chances and thus had to share points with hosts Kiev.

Now, ahead of next Champions league match against Porto, Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas said that Arsenal can not afford to miss as many chances as they did against Kiev. He also added that Arsenal was not happy with the performance against Kiev as, he thinks, Arsenal should have won the match. However, the Spanish midfielder is now confident that Arsenal will have a good reaction against the Portuguese side FC Porto.

Arsenal will face the French Champions on Tuesday (30 September 2008) in the Group G encounter. However, the Gunners have suffered a shocking 2-1 home defeat against newly promoted Hull City last weekend. So, a victory is badly needed for the premier league club, while Porto will also look for a morale-booster victory at Arsenal.

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