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View Full Version : [UCL] 14.3: CHE - NAP & RMA - CSKA (settled)



Jezter
03-14-2012, 01:34 PM
Real Madrid CF chalked up their 30th win in 34 outings on Saturday to maintain their ten-point advantage over FC Barcelona at the Liga summit, but coach José Mourinho is taking nothing for granted as PFC CSKA Moskva come calling. Pontus Wernbloom struck with the last kick of the game three weeks ago as the Army Men secured a 1-1 first-leg draw, though Leonid Slutski's side have won just six of their last 24 outings in all competitions.

Real Madrid
Coach José Mourinho
We will play with three forwards. If we can feel our fans behind us, it will be a great help. Surprises happen in football and sometimes the best team doesn't win. We have good reason to believe we are in for a difficult match. They are a strong team and know how to defend. I took on CSKA with Inter [winning 1-0 home and away in 2009/10] and Chelsea [winning 2-0 and 0-1 in 2004/05], so I know what tough opponents they are.

Everyone has to do his best for the team. If CSKA win, it won't be a miracle; if they win it's because they played very well and we played very badly. I prefer to be optimistic and think we are going to win. This Madrid team has played 19 UEFA Champions League matches in the last two years and only lost once. The team is afraid of nothing.

Weekend result
Saturday: Real Betis Balompié 2-3 Real Madrid (Molina 10, Montero 55; Higuaín 25, Ronaldo 52 73)
Casillas; Arbeloa, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Özil (Benzema 89), Khedira, Kaká (Granero 75), Alonso, Ronaldo; Higuaín (Callejón 79).

• Cristiano Ronaldo took his tally to 46 goals in 45 games for club and country this season as Madrid recorded a tenth successive away victory in the Liga at the Estadio Benito Villamarín, establishing a new club record. The previous best of nine consecutive away wins was set in 2009/10.

Team news
Fabio Coentrão (hamstring) and Ángel Di María (bruised knee) are out of contention, but Gonzalo Higuaín and Karim Benzema should be available. "I had a problem when Benzema was injured and Higuaín was not in peak form," said Mourinho. "Now they are OK and I don't have a problem."

CSKA
Coach Leonid Slutski
There is no overriding method to stopping Real Madrid scoring, though counterattacks are when they are most dangerous. They will be at home and they have an aggressive style of play that means they will surely push for a positive result rather than settling for the 0-0 draw [that would send the Spanish side through on away goals].

Every minute will be a key minute in this match but we are not afraid. My players have experience and our goal remains to reach the quarter-finals. Mourinho has an impressive CV. How he is portrayed in the media is how he chooses to be portrayed, but isn't a true reflection of who he is. I met him when he was at Chelsea and he was very open and happy to share ideas.

Weekend result
Friday: CSKA 1-1 FC Dinamo Moskva (Doumbia 3; Semshov 75)
Chepchugov; A Berezutski, Ignashevich, Schennikov, V Berezutski; Mamaev (Necid 83), Wernbloom, Honda (Aldonin 46), Oliseh (Tošić 63), Musa; Doumbia.

• CSKA, without the suspended Alan Dzagoev, were left without a win in five league games after an equaliser from their former midfielder, Igor Semshov. Seydou Doumbia's goal was his first in eight outings for club and country in 2012; last year he scored 34 goals in 43 games.

Team news
Keisuke Honda faces a late fitness test on a thigh problem but Aleksandrs Cauņa is available after breaking his toe in January. Igor Akinfeev (knee ligaments) and Mark González (hip) are long-term absentees, although the goalkeeper is back in training with the rest of the squad.

Match fact
At this stage two years ago CSKA put out another Spanish team, Sevilla FC, with a 2-1 away win thanks to goals from Tomáš Necid and Honda. The home game had again ended 1-1, González scoring CSKA's equaliser.
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After two victories in as many matches at the Chelsea FC helm, Roberto Di Matteo is hopeful the Blues can make it a hat-trick at home to SSC Napoli on Wednesday – though they will need "a little bit of luck" if they are to overturn a 3-1 deficit. Visiting coach Walter Mazzari, whose side are on a six-game winning run, is certainly wary, telling his players they will need to defend like lions.

Chelsea
Interim first-team coach Roberto Di Matteo
We are looking forward to this game; I am excited. We know we have a big job on our hands but the squad is in good shape and everybody is available so we are confident. We want to finish the season in the best way and reach [our] objectives. We've started well in the first two games and obviously the more confidence you can build will be positive in light of this match.

Napoli have done really well and deserve credit for what they have achieved so far in the competition. We will need a great performance, and also a little bit of luck – if we get both of these things I am confident we can progress.

I've spent years here at Chelsea. I've got a past here. Personally it would be a proud moment if we can make it through to the next round – but more than anything we want to do well for the club and our supporters; we want a proud performance and a win tomorrow night.

Weekend result
Saturday: Chelsea 1-0 Stoke City FC (Drogba 68)
Čech; Ivanović (David Luiz 46), Cahill, Terry, Cole; Meireles (Mata 38), Mikel (Sturridge 67); Ramires, Lampard, Kalou; Drogba.

• Didier Drogba's 100th Premier League goal earned Chelsea victory after Stoke had Ricardo Fuller sent off midway through the first half. It was Chelsea's second win in seven league games, and only their seventh in 18 matches in all competitions.

Team news
Raul Meireles serves a one-match ban while José Bosingwa has been out since the first leg at Napoli on 21 February with a hamstring problem.

Napoli
Coach Walter Mazzarri
We know what to expect and what they can do. Obviously something has changed with the coach, but not much tactically – they've won two out of two since Di Matteo took charge, so that's a big morale boost and obviously worries me – but I'm confident in my team. If they play the type of game I'm used to seeing, we have nothing to fear. My players have improved a lot in the past few seasons, gaining respect and experience. We know that, at our best, we are a match for any team.

It's great that we've managed to achieve what Napoli did in the 1980s and 90s with players like Maradona doing well in Europe. It's been a great achievement for us to get to this stage, but we are getting so used to surprising everyone that it's becoming the norm. It's important we don't change the way we play, though I don't think my team could ever underestimate the importance of this game.

Any result that will get us through will be good for me, but because I like good football I would like to think we can score one or two goals. We must realise that the game has two phases, passive and active. When we haven't got the ball we must be like 11 lions and attack them constantly; when we do have the ball we must use it wisely and focus.

Weekend result
Friday: Napoli 6-3 Cagliari Calcio (Hamšík 10, Cannavaro 19, Astori og 30, Lavezzi 56pen, Gargano 70, Maggio 84; Larrivey 37 77 90+2)
De Sanctis; Campagnaro, Cannavaro, Aronica; Zúñiga, Gargano (Vargas 74), Inler, Dossena; Hamšík (Maggio 63), Lavezzi (Cavani 59); Pandev.

• Paolo Cannavaro headed in his first goal of the season as the Partenopei claimed a sixth consecutive victory, their longest winning sequence since Maradona inspired a run of seven in a row in January/February 1988. Friday's win was the highest aggregate score in Serie A since May 2005.

Team news
Napoli are almost at full strength, with Miguel Britos (foot) and Gianluca Grava (thigh) making the journey to England after missing the Cagliari game.

Match fact
Chelsea have not won any of their last five UEFA Champions League knockout home matches. Starting from the 2008/09 quarter-final their results have been: 4-4 v Liverpool FC, 1-1 v FC Barcelona (2008/09 semi-final), 0-1 v FC Internazionale Milano (2009/10 round of 16), 0-0 with FC København (2010/11 round of 16) and 0-1 v Manchester United FC (2010/11 quarter-final).

Goofy
03-14-2012, 01:52 PM
:tup:

Jezter
03-14-2012, 01:57 PM
YAY! I got it right! :D Almost wanted to add even more options, but thought to make my first one simple. :D

Jezter
03-14-2012, 07:42 PM
EDIT: Never mind. Goofy saved my ass.

Goofy
03-14-2012, 07:56 PM
:cool:

Jezter
03-14-2012, 09:38 PM
BETS SETTLED!


Real Madrid 4 - CSKA Moscow 1 (5-2 AGG)
Chelsea 4 - Napoli 1 (5-4 AGG)After Extra Time

Real Madrid and Chelsea advance

Goofy
03-15-2012, 12:52 PM
:woot: