By Geoff Reid

Bordeaux vs Olympiakos From The Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux (Bordeaux leads 1-0 on agg.)
This tie is still on a knife’s edge and while Bordeaux should be favorites to go through ultimately with their 1-0 lead on aggregate, an away goal in the bag, and playing at home against a side that has just five wins in 13 matches. This however doesn’t mean the French champions will be expecting a cakewalk with Olympiakos having some very dangerous players in the final third. A prize of being in the top eight teams left in Europe is on the line, and Laurent Blanc has called on his squad to recapture the spirit of 2009 which brought them domestic glory in France to see them through, while Bozidar Bandovic believes cohesion mixed in with a little bit of luck can be enough to see the Greek’s through. Continue Reading…

By Geoff Reid

Sevilla vs CSKA Moscow From The Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, Seville (1-1 on agg.)

In what was a very interesting first leg matchup, a 1-1 draw between the sides in the Russian capital was a fair result. A fortnight ago, the Russians were still in pre-season on winter break and having been well rested as a result, we weren’t sure what kind of performance they would entail. As it turns out, Leonid Slutsky’s lads played very well although a little rust showed towards the end. On the other side of the coin, Sevilla got the result they very much would have taken before kick off having got the away goal in an intimidating setting. This does not mean the tie is practically over, far from it as the Russian clubs have performed very well in European competition and winning the UEFA Cup (now Europa League) proves that. Continue Reading…

By Geoff Reid

Real Madrid vs Lyon From The Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid (Lyon lead 1-0 on agg.)

This tie is set up perfectly in what should be an entertaining second leg in the Spanish capital. It’s fair to say that the Spanish giants were not at their best in the first leg in France, and were somewhat lucky to escape with a 1-0 defeat. However, they will be favored to progress being only a goal down on aggregate and with the fire power that is available to Manuel Pellegrini that is no surprise. There will be some holes in the side with Pepe (torn knee ligaments), Ryston Drenthe (torn left thigh) and former Lyon man Karim Benzema (groin) all out injured while Xabi Alonso and Marcelo are suspended. What will also be interesting is how three players, Alvaro Arbeloa, Iker Casillas, and Lassana Diarra are all one yellow card away from being suspended for the next match should they qualify, especially for Diarra who is traditionally a midfield enforcer. One area that the galaticos have shown they are very shaky in is at the back and after this weekend going 2-0 down against Sevilla before making a comeback to win 3-2 will give the French club confidence going into this match. Continue Reading…

By Geoff Reid

As we start the second leg match-ups of the last 16 of this season’s Champions League, there is not one tie that is already won. Before we preview the two ties tomorrow, it must be said that all of my predictions were well off base which just goes to show why we all love this game: unpredictability. Continue Reading…

By Geoff Reid

CSKA Moscow vs Sevilla from the Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow

This contest will be the first CSKA will play since December 8th when the Russians knocked off Turkish side Besiktas to qualify for the knockout phase of this seasons Champions League. Of course they have played in friendly matches leading up to this tie, but all of that does not matter now because this is the real thing. Sevilla boss Manuel Jimenez described this tie as a “double edged sword” because in one sense The Moscow club might be a little rustier then the Spaniards, however, they have had multiple time to prepare for this one compared to Sevilla have sometimes had two fixtures in a week so it could go either way. Continue Reading…

By Geoff Reid

Stuttgart vs Barcelona from the VFB Arena, Stuttgart

This tie will have the defending champions as overwhelming favorites, especially with the difficult season the Stuttgart have had. The Germans changed managers replacing former national team full back Markus Babbel with Swiss boss Christian Gross. Gross, knows all too well he has a tough job on his hands, but understands that if his team can be compact and smart, then they can certainly give the world club champions a run for their money. The goalkeeper, German international Jens Lehmann, was on the losing side of the 2006 final against Barcelona when he minded the net for Arsenal. Also, Belorussian midfielder Aliaksandr Hleb is on loan to Stuttgart from Barcelona, and at this point we’re not sure if the loan agreement will allow him to take part against the Catalans. Continue Reading…

By Geoff Reid

FC Porto vs Arsenal from Estadio do Drago, Porto

Back in 2004, these two clubs were flying with some of the best seasons in their history. Porto, under a guidance of a certain Jose Mourinho won the UEFA Cup in 2003, followed in 2004 by winning the Champions League beating AS Monaco 3-0. Arsenal on the other hand, just went through a whole season unbeaten domestically on their way to win the Premiership title for the third time under Arsene Wenger. Both squads have changed so much since then, and the remains of those two squads from 2004 are scattered all over the rest of the globe or in retirement. Heck the gunners were still playing at Highbury as Emirates Stadium was being built at this time. Today, Porto remains a power in the Portuguese Liga, with some very talented players, but not as big a player on the continent. Arsenal, haven’t won a trophy since the FA Cup in 2005 when Patrick Vieira was captain, before the move to the new stadium. However, both sides are pretty familiar with each other meeting in the group stages of last seasons competition when Porto beat Arsenal 2-0 at Drago, but in north London Wenger’s men trounced the Portuguese 4-0 with both clubs qualifying for the knockout stages. Continue Reading…