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An early goal from defender Naldo gave Werder Bremen a slender 1-0 advantage to take with them into the second leg of their UEFA Cup last-16 tie with St Etienne. It’s unfortunate since the German side could and should have scored more, but it wasn’t to be. Hugo Almeida was guilty of missing the most chances as Bremen probed from start to finish, but only had one goal to show for their efforts.

It’s a draw according to the odds I picked last night (Bremen gave -1).

However, I should be happy with CSKA Moscow‘s result with Vagner Love’s penalty early in the second half which was enough to give CSKA Moscow a 1-0 first-leg advantage over Shakhtar Donetsk in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup. With CSKA gave -1/2, it’s absolutely a deserved WIN for me!

For a complete UEFA Cup result, visit Results page.

The two sides were regular opponents in the days of the Soviet Union and have met three times since in a pre-season friendly tournament held in Israel, with Shakhtar prevailing 3-1 in their most recent encounter in January.

The match will be the first meeting in European competition between CSKA and Shakhtar, the latter of whom dropped into the UEFA Cup from the Champions League group stages. Both CSKA and Shakhtar eliminated English teams, as they profited from the fact that Aston Villa and Tottenham were concentrated on their domestic competitions.

Team News
CSKA‘s Tomas Necid is ineligible for this encounter, although coach Zico will be boosted by news that there are no suspension worries. Yury Zhirkov, though, is one booking away from missing a match. The side generally line up in a 4-2-3-1, with Vagner Love leading the line.

For Shakhtar, other than the doubtful Mykola Ischenko, there are no real injury worries, with Dmytro Chygrynskyy recovering in time to take part. Lucescu has recently been experimenting with a lone forward formation in both the UEFA Cup and the league, and could try the same again here. There are no suspensions, but Dmytro Chygrynskyy, Tomas Hubschman, Oleksandr Kucher and Darijo Srna are all one yellow card away from missing the second leg.

Prediction
These two sides have plenty of energy, given the make-up of their domestic seasons, and this historical game will be taken lightly by neither. But in the end CSKA Moscow have enough strength to manage a convincing home win – not convincing enough, though, to render the second leg anything less than a contest…

My prediction: CSKA Moscow -1/2

 

Werder Bremen
Bremen are without a win in six Bundesliga games and lie in the bottom half of the table after finishing as runners-up to FC Bayern München last season. However, of late Bremen have been showing signs of their best football, and none more so than when they knocked Milan out of the UEFA Cup in the last round.

Bremen’s record against French clubs is not that good though, P11 W3 D3 L5. Their first meeting with a Ligue 1 side was a memorable one as it came in the 1991/92 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup final, when they beat AS Monaco FC 2-0 in Lisbon.

St-Etienne
The UEFA Cup remains the bright spot in an otherwise rather dismal season for St-Etienne. ‘Les Verts’ find themselves down in 17th in Ligue 1 just three points and one place off the relegation places.

In contrary, St-Etienne are unbeaten in their last 12 European games since losing 4-0 at FC Bohemians Praha in the second leg of a 1982/83 UEFA Cup second-round tie on 3 November 1982. That run has comprised seven wins and five draws. Their six away games since that defeat in Prague have ended in four wins and two draws.

Team News
Thomas Schaaf has a few players returning from injury to boost his squad for Thursday’s UEFA Cup tie.  Clemens Fritz and Christian Vander are poised to return following spells on the sidelines while Torsten Frings and Claudio Pizarro are also expected to be fit.

The main absentee for trainer Alain Perrin is Greek defender Stathis Tavlaridis, who is suspended. His place in the squad has gone to attacker Boubacar Mansaly. Bafetimbi Gomis (sprained ankle) and Ilan (pain in a leg) have made the trip to North Germany, but it remains unclear whether they will play. Loic Perrin (thigh), Christophe Landrin (adductor) and Sylvain Monsoreau (Achilles tendon) are still unavailable though.

My prediction: Werder Bremen -1

Meanwhile, Porto also made it through to final eight of Champions League after drawing 0-0 with Atletico Madrid at home and Barcelona‘s five goals absolutely outclassed Lyon, especially in midfield, and are worthy last eight contenders.

Record for Champions League matches: 1 WIN, 1 DRAW, 2 LOSE.

Good or bad? Your call

The clash between Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho is back yet again and this could boil up this time as only one man can progress to the next round. Sir Alex Ferguson is chasing for his second successive UCL trophy,while Jose Mourinho wants to prove that he is still the “Special One”.

Manchester United and Inter Milan have met three times before in European competition. Ten years ago, the clubs met at the quarter final stage of the CL with United progressing on a 3-1 aggregate and two weeks ago the first leg of this tie ended in a 0-0 draw.

Manchester United have hosted an Italian club on 15 occasions, losing twice (against Juventus and AC Milan), winning 11 and drawing two.

Internazionale have won three of their 13 visits to English clubs (against Norwich City, Newcastle United and Arsenal). Of the others, one was drawn, nine lost.

Ryan Giggs (United) and Javier Zanetti (Inter) played in all three matches.

Manchester United
The injury cloud hanging over John O’Shea (heel) and Rio Ferdinand (ankle) has cleared in time for kick-off. Right-backs Wes Brown (metatarsal), Rafael (ankle) and Gary Neville (illness) are still out, whilst Owen Hargreaves (knee) continues his lengthy rehabilitation programme from season-ending surgery.

Inter Milan
Jose Mourinho comes to Old Trafford with a serious hole in his options at centre-half as Marco Materazzi (thigh), Nicolas Burdisso (knee) and Christian Chivu (groin) remain at home in Italy, and some doubts persist  over Walter Samuel’s (calf) participation.

PREDICTION
This game is almost impossible to call as Sir Alex Ferguson’s cavalier attack faces Jose Mourinho’s immovable defence. Manchester United have a very good record against Italian teams in Old Trafford.

My prediction: Manchester United -1/2

Both sides comes into this match with their main concerns being in the attacking department as Arsenal will be missing Togo Striker Emmanuel Adebayor while Roma are sweating on the fitness of Captain Francesco Totti ahead of this clash.

Arsenal
Arsenal are in a much better position as they welcome back two players from the treatment table in the form of Brazilian born Croatia striker Eduardo who scored in the FA Cup against Burnley while Theo Walcott also made his appearance coming on for 20 minutes. While Theo Walcott is unlikely to start chances are Eduardo will start this match and the Gunners will seek to defend a 1-0 lead from the first leg. They could have won by a greater margin had their finishing been better on that day. Arsene Wenger admitted that it would be foolish to go there and defend so they will also go and attack at every chance they can and try to score.

AS Roma
For the hosts A.S Roma, they have to score if they are to avoid being eliminated. They are hoping that Francesco Totti can recover in time from an injury that he has suffered all season. Apart from Francesco Totti, there are also doubts on his replacement Mirko Vucinic and also attacking midfielder Simone Perrotta will definitely miss out while midfielder Daniele De Delio Rossi is out suspended. They also have doubts on goalkeeper Doni as well as midfielder Jeremy Menez, Alberto Aquilaniand David Pizarro while Brazilian Cicinho is already out for the season with knee ligament damage.
This makes it even harder for them to score here and in the last two seasons previously they have been knocked out by English opposition in the form of Manchester United.

My prediction: Arsenal +1/4

Source: Cruiser

Panathinaikos

Panathinaikos’ fans will hold nothing back as 70,000 of them cram into the Spiros Louis stadium for this key European clash, but they may find their heroes on the pitch being a good bit more reserved.

Henk ten Cate’s men carry a one goal advantage from the first leg, in which they played a disciplined, defensive game in the altogether more intimate atmosphere of the Madrigal.

That pressure-cooker of a ground didn’t faze them too much as the Greens took a fizzer of a lead through Giorgios Karagounis’ superb long-range strike, but an equaliser later in proceedings has made the task at home all the harder.

However, all indications are that Panathinaikos will use their trademark strength and determination to attempt to secure passage to the final eight for the first time since 2002.

Villarreal

Villarreal, meanwhile, haven’t been in the best run of form recently. The Yellow Submarine are still flying high in La Primera, but with the weekend win over Espanyol being both narrow and fortunate, questions are being asked of this side.

Indeed, were it not for the form of goalkeeper Diego Lopez, not to mention some awful finishing from the Perequitos, Villarreal would almost certainly have suffered defeat, or at least a draw, against one of the Liga’s weakest sides.

So, the clean sheet in that 1-0 win will not be treated as fully secure by coach Manuel Pellegrini, who must realise that his troops need to improve significantly if they are to find their way through.

However, there is a snag: they are obliged to score at least once, necessitating some balance in midfield. As such the wide players are likely to be of a creative bent, and with Giuseppe Rossi playing up front there is always the chance that a moment of genius could see Pana punished.

Suspensions & Injuries

Ioannis Goumas is suspended for the Spaniards’ visit, while Sotiris Leontiou remains out due to injury. Sotiris Ninis and Silva Cleyton have been omitted from the squad list, as in the first leg. Junior Simao, Gilberto Silva, and Nikolaos Spiropoulos are one booking away from suspension. Henk ten Cate is liable to go with a defensive formation, probably of the 4-5-1 nature with Silva, Mattos, and of course Karagounis in the middle.

Coach Manuel Pellegrini called up 21 players for the journey, the only regular absentee being Gonzalo, who is sidelined through injury. A 4-4-2 setup seems likely for this side, or Giuseppe Rossi could start alone up front in order to allow a more 4-1-4-1 style. Nobody is suspended for the Yellow Submarine, with Joan Capdevila and Guille Franco returning from their respective sanctions. Franco, along with Ariel Ibagaza, Angel Lopez, and Marcos Senna, will miss the next game if booked.

Prediction

This cagey match will be decided in the details, and Pana will grab a late, late goal to see them clear into the final eight. Villarreal, then, will pay the price for a bit of tiredness, but will go down fighting nonetheless.

My prediction: Panathinaikos Level

Source: Ewan Macdonald, Goal.com

Overview

Tonight is going to be Juventus and Chelsea first meeting in the Champions League this season. In the first leg at Stamford Bridge two weeks ago, a goal from Didier Drogba bring Chelsea a slim success 1-0 win. ‘The Blues’ won, but Juve did not play bad.

Despite playing away, Claudio Ranieri troops played offensively. They threatened Chelsea’s defense and created many opportunities. Unlucky for them, there was no goal created.

Today, Juve will act as host. Bianconeri optimistic they can qualify to the next stage, but so did Chelsea.

Facts

• Juventus have not been getting a victory in their last eight meetings with the English clubs.
• In addition to never winning, The Old Lady also never score a goal in their last three meetings with the English club. Last time they conquered Newcastle United in 2002 with Alessandro Del Piero’s 2 goals.
• Chelsea have a record one win and four draw when visiting Italian clubs in European Cup. This means they had not lost when playing against Italians.
• However, Juventus also has a good record at home. They are unbeaten in 15 matches in front of their supporters in all European competitions.
• The first defeat in the first leg is not the case for Juventus. Recorded, they have four times successfully reversed the situation in the second leg and pass to next round.
• If qualify, this will be the sixth quarter final for Chelsea in the Champions League. Meanwhile, for Juventus, this will become the eighth to them.
• Mohammed Sissoko, Claudio Marchisio, and Amauri Carvalho will be suspended when they receive yellow card in this match. Meanwhile, Chelsea’s players who have conditions like this is captain John Terry.

Prediction

I feel the level handicap on offer here is a fair one, and I would have gone for a draw myself if not for Juventus’ magnificent results at home in Europe. I have a feeling Hiddink’s Chelsea could come unstuck in this match. With Chelsea having not won away from home in Europe on their last 6 travels in a row, I cannot imagine how they would be able to turn that around. That means the level handicap is safe if you are punting on Juventus. Now throw in the fact that Juventus cannot seem to lose at home and that makes for an even safer bet.

My predictions: JUVENTUS Level

Thanks to Mexican teenager Carlos Vela and Eduardo either side of half-time and Emmanuel Eboue’s late strike which set the Gunners up for a home tie against Hull in a fortnight’s time.

See the goals on WebTV

For complete results of my posted tips, please check the Results page.

GO TIPSTERS!