4 of the 8 games in this weeks Champions League had winners; 3 of those 4 winners were English teams. And yet, it is still conceivable for all four English teams to crash out. Improbable, but by no means impossible.
All four ties involving the Big Four still hang in the balance, though their dominance was plainly visible on Tuesday and Wednesday night (with the exception of Chelsea). Inter -- top of the Italian league by 9 points -- were once again shown up for the second-rate chumps that they are (which was just about the only prediction I got right). Their midfield is void of creativity, and their attack is void of nothing, what with a rotund Adriano taking up all the space. However, though United are favourites to progress, is it really beyond Inter to sneak a goal and defend like crazy? Not under Mourinho, that's for sure.
Liverpool bored their way to another victory, these time defeating the equally boring Real Madrid. However, should Robben decide to hit the target at Anfield then one goal from Madrid makes the outcome of this tie far from certain. Madrid are an awful team of course, but then so are Liverpool, yet that's never stopped them from getting unlikely results. My advice, stay clear of this game and watch the Chelsea-Juve clash. Could be your last chance to see Pavel Nedved in action.
Speaking of Chelsea-Juve, this was apparently the match of the round. A 1-0 win at home is a good result, but by all accounts Juve were the better team for large portions of the game, and this with Tiago and Sissoko in midfield. Bearing in mind that Chelsea lost 3-1 the last time they visited Italy, the outcome of this match is far from a foregone conclusion. Could this be the end of the Chelsea team as we know it? Don't bet against it.
Arsenal also won 1-0 at home, and of the four English teams they would be the ones I would be most confident of progressing, especially given the way they play away from home (cast your mind back to them outplaying Liverpool at Anfield last season and going 1 up, albeit with a slightly better midfield). I wouldn't be surprised if they beat Roma in Rome, but then again Roma do have a good record against English opposition at home, having just beaten Chelsea 3-1 in this year's competition. But then again, Arsenal have a good record in Italy, so who knows? Along with the Chelsea-Juve game this should be the neutrals choice come the second legs, so don't blame me after you watch United scrape a 1-0 win and see Liverpool grind out a 0-0 draw.
My predicitions (because I know you want them): Arsenal and Chelsea to go through, United and Liverpool to go out*.
* I say this because I am a firm believer that playing the second leg away from home is to your advantage. You know what you need to do, and if you need to get an away goal then it's not too late. Remember that games are not dicated by the crowd; they're dictated by how you approach them. Knowing what you need to do away from home gives you options - protect when you need to protect, go gung-ho when you need to score. Playing the away game first leaves things unsure. I'm sure there are those who disagree (like UEFA for example) so feel free to say as much in the comments section.
All four ties involving the Big Four still hang in the balance, though their dominance was plainly visible on Tuesday and Wednesday night (with the exception of Chelsea). Inter -- top of the Italian league by 9 points -- were once again shown up for the second-rate chumps that they are (which was just about the only prediction I got right). Their midfield is void of creativity, and their attack is void of nothing, what with a rotund Adriano taking up all the space. However, though United are favourites to progress, is it really beyond Inter to sneak a goal and defend like crazy? Not under Mourinho, that's for sure.
Liverpool bored their way to another victory, these time defeating the equally boring Real Madrid. However, should Robben decide to hit the target at Anfield then one goal from Madrid makes the outcome of this tie far from certain. Madrid are an awful team of course, but then so are Liverpool, yet that's never stopped them from getting unlikely results. My advice, stay clear of this game and watch the Chelsea-Juve clash. Could be your last chance to see Pavel Nedved in action.
Speaking of Chelsea-Juve, this was apparently the match of the round. A 1-0 win at home is a good result, but by all accounts Juve were the better team for large portions of the game, and this with Tiago and Sissoko in midfield. Bearing in mind that Chelsea lost 3-1 the last time they visited Italy, the outcome of this match is far from a foregone conclusion. Could this be the end of the Chelsea team as we know it? Don't bet against it.
Arsenal also won 1-0 at home, and of the four English teams they would be the ones I would be most confident of progressing, especially given the way they play away from home (cast your mind back to them outplaying Liverpool at Anfield last season and going 1 up, albeit with a slightly better midfield). I wouldn't be surprised if they beat Roma in Rome, but then again Roma do have a good record against English opposition at home, having just beaten Chelsea 3-1 in this year's competition. But then again, Arsenal have a good record in Italy, so who knows? Along with the Chelsea-Juve game this should be the neutrals choice come the second legs, so don't blame me after you watch United scrape a 1-0 win and see Liverpool grind out a 0-0 draw.
My predicitions (because I know you want them): Arsenal and Chelsea to go through, United and Liverpool to go out*.
* I say this because I am a firm believer that playing the second leg away from home is to your advantage. You know what you need to do, and if you need to get an away goal then it's not too late. Remember that games are not dicated by the crowd; they're dictated by how you approach them. Knowing what you need to do away from home gives you options - protect when you need to protect, go gung-ho when you need to score. Playing the away game first leaves things unsure. I'm sure there are those who disagree (like UEFA for example) so feel free to say as much in the comments section.
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