CL This week.

[Jumbie]

Fellas in canada can catch games on TSN...

Dec 5th     UEFA Champions League Highlights     1:30 PM
Dec 5th    UEFA Champs. League Soccer Matchday #6: Barcelona vs. Werder Bremen    2:30 PM
Dec 5th    UEFA Champs. League Soccer Matchday #6: Barcelona vs. Werder Bremen    8:00 PM
Dec 6th    UEFA Champs. League Soccer Matchday #6: Roma vs. Valencia    12:00 AM
Dec 6th    UEFA Champs. League Soccer Matchday #6: Manchester United vs. Benfica    2:30 PM


Barca desperate to avoid premature exit (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=394594&cc=5901)

LONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Barcelona face the prospect of spoiling their record as the first club to play 400 European matches this week by becoming the first Champions League title holders to be eliminated at the group stage.

The desire to avoid such ignominy and celebrate such a milestone with a victory at their Nou Camp stronghold will no doubt spur Barcelona to the win they need against Werder Bremen in Group A on Tuesday.

Anything less than victory in the final round of group matches, and Frank Riijkaard's side will hand the trophy over to another contender before even having a go at the knockout phase.

There is no shortage of creditable aspirants to the crown, starting with Chelsea, the team that put Barcelona in this tricky spot.

Chelsea will watch from the comfortable vantage point of a home game against Levski Sofia, who have lost all five matches in Group A, scored only once and conceded 15 goals. Only a huge upset and a Werder shock in Barcelona can rob Chelsea of top spot in the group.

Arsenal, playing away to 2004 champions Porto in Group G on Wednesday, could help produce a double shock if they and Barcelona were both to lose and end up in the UEFA Cup.

If there is a draw at Porto, the Portuguese side will go through with Arsenal, but CSKA Moscow are waiting to pounce if there is a winner. The Russian side can take one of the berths if they win at Hamburg SV, who have lost all their matches, and leap into second place.

Liverpool, the champions the year before Barcelona, return to the scene of their 2005 final victory over AC Milan in Istanbul to play Galatasaray on Tuesday with top spot in Group C in the bag.

PSV Eindhoven are also through and Girondins Bordeaux, the team they entertain, have secured a UEFA Cup berth.

Premier League pacesetters Manchester United, looking to win the European Cup for the third time, must at least draw at home against Benfica in Group F on Wednesday to avoid the embarrassment of a second successive group stage elimination.

United should have gone into the match leading the group after beating Benfica 1-0 in Lisbon in September - avenging their shock group stage elimination by the Portuguese team last season - but a penalty miss by Louis Saha handed Celtic a 1-0 win and qualification in the all-British clash in Glasgow last month.

Wayne Rooney should give United the necessary inspiration but a defeat would send Benfica, their rivals in the final when they won the trophy for the first time in 1968, through instead.

AS Roma host twice finalists Valencia needing a draw to be sure of finishing second in Group D behind the Spanish side, who travel short of several first-choice players through injury and suspension.

If the in-form Francesco Totti's team should lose in Rome's Olympic Stadium they could hand qualification to Shakhtar Donetsk, who must beat Olympiakos Piraeus away.

There is also a place up for grabs in Group H, where six times champions AC Milan have already secured theirs. Lille are playing Milan at San Siro looking for a shock victory to stand a chance of climbing from third place.

But they need AEK Athens, looking for a hat-trick of wins after failing to register any victories in their first 21 Champions League games, to lose at Anderlecht.

The impressive Olympique Lyon, who host Steaua Bucharest, and record nine times European champions Real Madrid, away to Dynamo Kiev, are already through in Group E. Steaua have qualified for the UEFA Cup.

In Group B, only top spot is at stake when Bayern Munich host Inter Milan, one of the pre-tournament favourites who made life difficult for themselves by losing their first two matches including the visit of the German champions to San Siro.

Sporting, who upset Inter 1-0 in Lisbon in their opening match, can secure a UEFA Cup place with a draw at home against Spartak Moscow.

[Gladman]

Camp Nou awaits

Frank Rijkaard must ensure that FC Barcelona do not slip up in Camp Nou, a stadium where Werder Bremen have never managed to record a victory. More than ever a home win is vital.


With history on the Blaugrana's side, this is the first decisive game of this season's Champions League. The home team are favourites to win and continue their good run against Werder, who have lost on each of their last three visits. In 1968 the Germans were beaten 3-0 in the Gamper Trophy, they then lost 2-1 in the European Super Cup in 1993 and were also beaten 3-1 in the Champions League group stage last season, a result which saw Barça through to the last 16.

Away day blues

The record books also show that Werder have beaten Barça, with the Blaugrana winning four times and drawing three in the seven meetings between the two sides. Two of those may have been friendlies, but the facts are there. Werder have also struggled to perform away at at some of Europe's biggest names. In the last three campaigns, Werder have won only three times away from home in 11 games and have lost at such places as Inter, Lyon, Barça, Chelsea and Juventus.

Juve knockout

Against Juve last season, Werder were eliminated after they were beaten 2-1 by the Turin-based club thanks to an unlucky late goal that allowed the hosts to edge through to the next round. Playing that day for the Italian outfit were Lilian Thuram and Gianluca Zambrotta.

Barça in Europe under Rijkaard

Curiously, Juve are also the last team to taste victory in Europe at Camp Nou. It was in the second leg of the quarter finals in 2002-03 that the Barça side, coached by Radomir Antic, lost 2-1 at home after drawing 1-1 in Italy. Marcelo Zalayeta netted the winning goal that night. Since then Barcelona have embarked on a run of 16 games without tasting defeat at home in Europe under Rijkaard. The team has chalked up eleven victories and five draws in that time.


Nothin less than ah barca win 2morrow.Where d Barca fans!!!!!!!!

[boss]

I say 0-0. Barca wins the UEFA Cup. 

[Peong]

Check excuses for de dive.  That is why I will laugh when Man U get knocked out.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/preview?id=205518&campaign=rss&source=soccernet&cc=5901

Man Utd v Benfica: Preview

Sir Alex Ferguson backed Cristiano Ronaldo in his condemnation of Gareth Southgate's cheat allegations and insisted the Manchester United winger did not dive to win a penalty at Middlesbrough on Saturday.


``He (Southgate) stopped playing football last year. He needs to understand football much better,'' Ronaldo said.

``I was trying to get past the goalkeeper. I lost my balance and the referee gave a penalty.

``I realise people criticise me for anything I do. They love to do that ever since the World Cup. But it doesn't bother me. When I go on the pitch I do what I love, which is play football and do my best for the team. That is my aim.''

Ferguson branded Southgate's comments 'naive', adding ``he is a young manager, we need to give him time to settle in.''

But the Scot soon launched into an unprompted defence of Ronaldo, the player he persuaded to remain at Old Trafford this summer following the criticism which came his way over Wayne Rooney's sending-off in the World Cup quarter-final in Gelsenkirchen.

``It is revenge for the English press,'' he said.

``They have been waiting months to do this since the World Cup. What is more serious in our game, preventing the best players playing or going on for three days about a dive that wasn't a dive?''

Ferguson's initial post-match reaction was that Ronaldo had not dived, a stance he is sticking by having viewed the incident again numerous times on video.

``I have looked at it a million times and Cristiano lost his balance completely.

``But it is difficult for players who run as quickly as he does. For instance, if you were driving at 70mph in a car and another car comes out in front of you, do brake or carry on?

The lack of free-kicks given in Ronaldo's favour has been a recurring theme of Ferguson's.

He is still troubled at the thought officials are overlooking fouls on the winger purely because of the reputation Ronaldo gained for going to ground too easily early in his United career.

And it must also be a worry German referee Herbert Fandel, who will take charge of the Old Trafford encounter, has controlled three previous United games - against Deportivo La Coruna, FC Porto and AC Milan - all of which have ended in defeat.

``It is possible referees are still judging Cristiano on the way he played in his first season,'' said Ferguson.

``The first thing that happened to him at Middlesbrough on Saturday was that he was hacked from behind. The referee did not book the player, which only encourages players to keep kicking him and kicking him.

``All I know is that Cristiano is the most fouled player in the Premiership and the stats are there to back it up.''

[breezers]

Let's Go Barca....we go show all de doubterz wuh is de scene!!
We goin & put ah couple on Bremen....Dinho in dey waist!!

[Small Magician aka Wazza]

Check excuses for de dive.  That is why I will laugh when Man U get knocked out.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/preview?id=205518&campaign=rss&source=soccernet&cc=5901

Man Utd v Benfica: Preview

Sir Alex Ferguson backed Cristiano Ronaldo in his condemnation of Gareth Southgate's cheat allegations and insisted the Manchester United winger did not dive to win a penalty at Middlesbrough on Saturday.


``He (Southgate) stopped playing football last year. He needs to understand football much better,'' Ronaldo said.

``I was trying to get past the goalkeeper. I lost my balance and the referee gave a penalty.

``I realise people criticise me for anything I do. They love to do that ever since the World Cup. But it doesn't bother me. When I go on the pitch I do what I love, which is play football and do my best for the team. That is my aim.''

Ferguson branded Southgate's comments 'naive', adding ``he is a young manager, we need to give him time to settle in.''

But the Scot soon launched into an unprompted defence of Ronaldo, the player he persuaded to remain at Old Trafford this summer following the criticism which came his way over Wayne Rooney's sending-off in the World Cup quarter-final in Gelsenkirchen.

``It is revenge for the English press,'' he said.

``They have been waiting months to do this since the World Cup. What is more serious in our game, preventing the best players playing or going on for three days about a dive that wasn't a dive?''

Ferguson's initial post-match reaction was that Ronaldo had not dived, a stance he is sticking by having viewed the incident again numerous times on video.

``I have looked at it a million times and Cristiano lost his balance completely.

``But it is difficult for players who run as quickly as he does. For instance, if you were driving at 70mph in a car and another car comes out in front of you, do brake or carry on?

The lack of free-kicks given in Ronaldo's favour has been a recurring theme of Ferguson's.

He is still troubled at the thought officials are overlooking fouls on the winger purely because of the reputation Ronaldo gained for going to ground too easily early in his United career.

And it must also be a worry German referee Herbert Fandel, who will take charge of the Old Trafford encounter, has controlled three previous United games - against Deportivo La Coruna, FC Porto and AC Milan - all of which have ended in defeat.

``It is possible referees are still judging Cristiano on the way he played in his first season,'' said Ferguson.

``The first thing that happened to him at Middlesbrough on Saturday was that he was hacked from behind. The referee did not book the player, which only encourages players to keep kicking him and kicking him.

``All I know is that Cristiano is the most fouled player in the Premiership and the stats are there to back it up.''

Peong you truly are a c**t....

Cristiano did lose his balance...   it was very very very obvious that he dd not dive

he did however dive for the freekick...   but all great players do it...   

so stop being a hater.. just realise you are now what? 13 points behind us now?  and no Henry till January? 

hush ya f**king ass and concentrate on your French shtty ass side