Champions League Draw Preview: The Big Guns Enter

At 12:00 CET on Friday 6 August 2010 the draw for the play-off round of the Champions League 2010-11 will take place at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. The results will be given as they happen on this Goal.com article.

As per Michel Platini's overhauls since taking over as FIFA chief, there are two routes to this play-off draw. Ten teams will enter the Champions route, which will see two seeded pots drawn to face each other, with the five winners each taking a place in the group stage.

Then there are ten teams, mainly from larger nations, in the Non-Champions route, who must undergo the same test.

These teams will join twenty-two other clubs in the Champions League group stage, which is to begin on the 14 September, following the draw on August 26.

But what have we to look forward to?

Unsung Heroes

For the Champions, it's a chance for lesser-represented countries to make their mark on the European stage. Debrecen and APOEL found themselves in the group stage last year, and players around modest clubs such as Zilina are hoping for the same.

Meanwhile the lowest-ranked team left, Sheriff Tiraspol, are hoping to bring Champions League football to the Moldovan league for the first time. In their impressively modern Sheriff stadium this wealthy club has aspirations beyond their locality, but first must face the likes of Anderlecht or Hapoel Tel-Aviv.

Meanwhile Sparta Prague just squeeze into the seeding section, but could still face a tough test: on-form RB Salzburg and Norwegian giants Rosenborg are both seasoned European competitors. Basel, meanwhile, are top dogs, while Partizan Belgrade enter in the non-seeded stage.

Tough Test For Big Dogs

Stat Shot

Champions League
Teams Remaining:
Round 1Q: 76
Round 2Q: 74
Round 3Q: 57
Playoff: 42 Then there's the non-champions route, which many would argue is actually stronger. Sevilla are recent European heavyweights; Werder Bremen need no introduction; Tottenham Hotspur come from the glitz and glamour of the Premier League; Zenit are Europa League winners; and Ajax won this contest just over a decade ago.

And that's just the seeded teams! In the other pot are Dynamo Kyiv, an Eastern force, while Sporting Braga shocked all in Portugal to finish second and earn their spot at Europe's top table. Sampdoria ousted the likes of Juventus to end up fourth in Italy, while France's Auxerre and the Young Boys of Bern both have quality midfields.

It's hard to say whom the seeded teams would most like to avoid. Sampdoria, led in attack by the unmistakable Antonio Cassano, are decent contenders for that title, but it's fair to say that they do not have quite the same sheen that they did at certain points last season. Braga, while vanquishing Celtic to arrive at this stage, similarly lack continental pedigree. Dynamo Kiev cannot rightly any longer be called a trip into the unknown - they are very much renowned and their players well-studied - but that's a title that could go to Young Boys. Meanwhile Auxerre have been largely out of European contention for some time but have stormed back from recent poor seasons to become a French force.

For those unlucky teams in the unseeded pot, there's scarcely an appealing tie in the lot. Ajax, far from their glory days, are maybe the easiest side - not just as far as seedings go, but also because their recent continental adventures have ended in disaster. Nonetheless they have quality throughout the side - needless to say, so do the other four.

It's set to be quite a draw, and you can follow it all here...

Draw

Champions Route (PRE-DRAW)

Teams will be drawn from the left pot and right pot against each other at 12:00 CET.

Seeded Unseeded
FC Basel Rosenborg
Anderlecht RS Salzburg
FC Copenhagen Partizan Belgrade
Hapoel Tel Aviv
Zilina Sparta Prague
Sheriff Tiraspol

Non-Champions Route (PRE-DRAW)

Teams will be drawn from the left pot and right pot against each other at 12:00 CET.

Seeded Unseeded
Sevilla Dynamo Kyiv
Werder Bremen Sporting Braga
Zenit St. Petersburg Sampdoria
Tottenham Hotspur Auxerre
Ajax Young Boys

Procedure

One team from each of the two-legged ties will progress, meaning five from each path and ten in total. Ties will be played on 17-18 and 24-25 August 2010.

These ten teams will then be drawn as part of a seeded group stage, comprising eight pools of four, along with the following clubs:

Inter Valencia Lyon CFR Cluj
Chelsea Roma Rubin Kazan Benfica
Man Utd
AC Milan Spartak Moscow Bursaspor
Arsenal Bayern Munich Shakhtar Donetsk Panathinaikos
Barcelona Schalke Twente Rangers
Real Madrid Marseille

Mourinho = " The Special One "

Mourinho proved it again! He can now leave Inter Milan with head high as he earned his carrier second CHAMPIONS LEAGUE with a competent squad. There has been numerous speculations about the former Chelsea coach being called " The Special One" . Many complained about his defensive mind set and tactical approach to game instead of the free flow of football. But the players whom he coached loved it actually. Thats what evident from the emotions shown earlier by Chelsea players and now Inter ones when "Mou" says good bye to Italy conquering all that he can in Italy.

Mourinho's Inter was been in the best of their forms last two years and they have conquered almost everything. And now that the Champions League is also in their bag , Mou is left with nothing to look at. So he is flying high to conquere another domain - The Spanish League , that too with the most prestigious post " COACH OF REAL MADRID" .

Mou won Champions League with his PORTO side years back and then EPL three times with his Chelsea men and now Seria A twice and Champions League with Inter. His acheivements so far justifies why all call him as " The Special One" . No doubt , he is the best tactician in the football world now.

Now that he announced his good bye to Milan and set to join Real Madrid , we will wait and watch how he is going to pull the triggers against the mighty Barca next season.

Inter The CHAMPIONS

Bayern Munich 0-2 Inter


Inter have been crowned champions of Europe after they emerged victorious against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final. Diego Milito scored twice either side of half time.

The Nerazzurri started on the front foot, trying to take the game to the Germans, but the danger of FCB was evident when Arjen Robben led a counter-attack in the third minute and was quickly brought down by Walter Samuel.

The Argentine then had to make an excellent defensive header to keep Ivica Olic from heading in from close range, before the Italians went on the counter-attack but Wesley Sneijder's through ball crept away from Goran Pandev.

Bayern looked the more comfortable team in possession, biding their time as they looked for an opening. After 10 minutes, Robben was again the instigator of an attack as he took the ball past Cristian Chivu and Walter Samuel before cutting the ball back for Olic, but he couldn't get a shot on target from close range.

Robben was at the centre of most of the early action, and it was the Dutchman's cross on 15 minutes that led to the first major penalty appeal of the evening. Maicon's arm appeared to beat the ball into the box away, but Howard Webb ignored FC Hollywood's protests.

Sneijder brought a good save from Hans-Jorg Butt with a long-range free kick moments later, before Esteban Cambiasso's close-range volley was blocked. The tempo of the game dropped as both teams adopted a more patient approach, but Robben was impatient midway through the half as he snatched at his shot as the ball broke to him on the edge of the box.

With 35 minutes gone, the deadlock was broken emphatically. Julio Cesar's long ball was flicked on to Sneijder by Milito, and the Dutchman played it back to the Argentine who raced into the penalty area, held off two players and clipped the ball over Butt into the roof of the net.

Just before the break, the duo combined again when Sneijder fed Milito as Inter counter-attacked at pace. The striker drew Martin Demichelis towards him before picking out his team-mate in the penalty area with a perfect pass, but Sneijder's shot was straight at Butt.



Bayern should have equalised only seconds after the restart as the Nerazzurri's defence fell apart. Altintop squared a great ball across the box for Thomas Mueller to shoot from 12 yards but Julio Cesar made a good save to parry the ball out.

Barely a minute later, Milito cut the ball back for Pandev to shoot from just inside the penalty area but Butt made a superb save as he flew to his left to tip the ball over the crossbar.

The second half had started in electric fashion; Bastian Schweinsteiger found himself in space 25 yards from goal but chose to pass instead of shoot before Sneijder curled a free kick over the bar from 20 yards. Altintop pulled a shot wide following an error by Lucio in the 54th minute as FC Hollywood tried to get back on level terms as soon as possible.

Little was happening for them in the final third though as they wasted a number of corner kicks, with the pressure of the situation beginning to show. Inter had every man behind the ball when the Germans attacked, forcing them to try and play the perfect pass to open them up.

Bayern had another set piece opportunity when Robben was brought down on the hour mark by a combination of Chivu and Pandev on the edge of the box. The Dutchman's shot was blocked by the cluster of players in the six yard box, and Mueller's follow-up shot also failed to reach Julio Cesar as Cambiasso headed the scuffed effort away.

The Brazilian had to make a save five minutes later though when Robben curled a shot from 20 yards towards the top corner, only to see the keeper tip the ball away magnificently. Daniel van Buyten then showed equally proficient defensive prowess as he stretched his leg to its limit to hook Sneijder's clipped ball away from the onrushing Milito in the penalty area.

Van Buyten could do nothing in the 70th minute, however, as Inter doubled the lead. Eto'o picked out Milito 30 yards from goal, and the Argentine jinked past the defender before opening his body and curling his shot past Butt into the far corner.

Time was rapidly ticking away from van Gaal's side as they struggled to break down the Beneamata's resilient backline. Lucio and Samuel were confidently dealing with the balls into the box, while Zanetti was more capable of dealing with Robben than Chivu after he was moved to left back.

Bayern piled forward in the last 10 minutes in an attempt to salvage something from the final, and in the 82nd minute Schweinsteiger won a free kick 25 yards out in a central position. Robben stepped up to take it, but it was straight into the wall and Inter were able to reorganise.

As the final whistle neared, Mueller tried to take matters into his own hands and clipped a neat ball over the top for Miroslav Klose to head towards goal but it just evaded the substitute and bobbled out for a goal kick.

The referee signalled for three minutes of added time, halfway through which Milito was replaced to a standing ovation from the travelling Inter fans. His brace made the difference on club football's biggest stage, and the final whistle marked the start of a long night of celebrations for the Nerazzurri.

Inter 3-1 Barcelona: The Nerazzurri Storm Back To Stun Holders

Inter came from a goal behind to record a famous victory over European Champions Barcelona at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, as the Italian giants move into pole position to reach the Champions League final.

Pedro had given the Blaugrana an early lead, but the Nerazzurri roared back thanks to goals from Wesley Sneijder, full-back Maicon and Diego Milito, and it is advantage Jose Mourinho heading into the second leg next week.

The pre-match team news saw Pep Guardiola offer Zlatan Ibrahimovic a return to his former stomping ground for the second time this season, after proving his fitness, and the Swede partnered Lionel Messi and Pedro in attack.

Jose Mourinho, meanwhile also employed an offensive formation, with Diego Milito and Samuel Eto’o offered capable support by the roving Wesley Sneijder.

The atmosphere crackled from kick-off, and was befitting of the occasion. The Giuseppe Meazza positively rocked, but the home support was left frustrated by a pair of debatable calls in the opening ten minutes.

Firstly, the wily Milito looked to have timed his run perfectly to spring Barcelona’s offside trap, but the assistant referee’s eventual flag for offside was met by a chorus of disdain from the Nerrazzuri faithful. Moments later, they were up in arms once more, as Eto’o looked to have legitimately robbed Maxwell of possession, and he was shown an early booking for kicking the ball away in disgust as play was halted.

Then, we had the first sight of goal of the contest. Samuel Eto’o picked up the ball on the edge of the area, and his curling effort could only be beaten away by Victor Valdes. However, Milito on the follow up slammed his effort straight across goal.

But for their vibrant start, you just cant afford this Barcelona team chances, and the reigning champions hit a hammer blow on the 19th minute.

Maxwell, a former Inter player, was allowed to roam freely to the by-line almost unchallenged, and his cutback landed perfectly at the feet of Pedro, who coolly slotted home from 15 yards.

It was the young winger’s 20th strike of a hugely fruitful campaign, and even this early in the tie, Inter faced a monumental task. They had failed to score against the Blaugrana in the last four meetings, and now they would be forced to chase the game.

However, to the credit of Mourinho’s side, they were undeterred from their game plan. Milito should have perhaps looked to pick out Eto’o but instead curled wide of the post from the corner of the six-yard area.

Moments later, though, The Argentine showed inspired awareness to divert Eto’o’s low cross into the path of Sneijder, who beat Valdes calmly from just inside the area, and the match was level on the half-hour mark.

It was a frenetic opening 45 minutes, in contrast to the closely-fought tactical tussle many had foreseen, but Guardiola’s side sought to slow down the contest as the interval approached. The Catalan side enjoyed a spell of possession, with Xavi at the heart, probing and searching for the slightest gap, but Inter stayed resolute.

At the beginning of the second half, Inter immediately appeared to press further up the pitch in an attempt to allow Barcelona less time to control the pace of the game, and Mourinho watched in satisfaction as his team turned the match on its head.

Milito again peeled away from Pique to pull out wide, and provide the pass into the feet of Maicon. The Brazilian still had plenty of work to do, but his control and volleyed finish was perfect, and he nestled his effort into the corner.

Inter were most definitely in the ascendency, and Barcelona, uncharacteristically, appeared shaken.

However, there was almost an instant response, as the incessant tempo of the match continued unabated. Firstly, Messi stung the gloves of Julio Cesar with a long range shot, then Sergio Busquets somehow headed straight at the Brazilian number one from just six yards out.

But Inter were hugely impressive throughout the contest, and their comeback from going behind so early on was complete when Diego Milito added a deserved third.

Thiago Motta started another Inter counter-attack from deep in his own half, picking out Samuel Eto’o on the wing. His cross found Sneijder arriving late, but while his effort looked to be heading off target, Milito was in the right place to simply nod into the net past the exposed Valdes.

It was 3-1 – Barcelona’s players looked around in disbelief; it was the first time this season they have conceded more than twice in a single match.

Guradiola’s response was to remove the utterly ineffective Ibrahimovic, who barely touched the ball during the entire match, and bring on Eric Abidal and reshuffle his side.

Barcelona were the dominant force in the closing stages, knowing that another away goal would swing the pendulum back in their favour. Gerard Pique camped in the Nerazzuri penalty area, causing havoc, and on a number of occasions almost found the killer touch to net a vital consolation.

Then, controversy. Daniel Alves stumbled under the challenge of Wesley Sneijder, and it appeared to be a cast-iron penalty kick. However, the referee booked Alves for simulation, to the disbelief of the Brazilian.

Barcelona continued to attack, throwing forward wave after wave, but the damage had already been inflicted, and in the end it was a famous night for Inter and their coach Jose Mourinho.

However, this tie is far from over yet.

Who is it gonna be Mourinho or Guardiola ?

As Inter Milan and Barcelona meets each other on 20 th April at Camp Nou for first leg of Champions League semi finals , all eyes will be on two charismatic managers of the season Mourinho and Pep Guardiola. Guardiola have been leading the invincible Barcelona squad last two seasons with alot of glory. While Mourinho who joined Inter last season is gleaming with confidence as his side defeated his previous club Chelsea in the pre quarters and CSKA Moskov in the quarter finals.

                                              The Barcelona side has a mental edge as they are coming after a 2-0 comprehensive victory against Real Madrid in the El Classico meet and also thrashing Arsenal for 4-1 in the second leg of quarter finals. With Messi and Xavi at the best of their form , Pep Guardiola expects his side to secure its place in finals or the consecutive second time.

                                                               But the task won't be that easy as Barcelona has to face "The Special One's " Inter Milan. Mourinho has been famous for his tactical brilliance and grace that he transfers to his team. But the recent failures in Serie A could make some amount of tension in the Italian Squad. Mou is very much confident about his side and he beleives the former Barcelona man Eto is going to be the key. Also the in form Snjider can pose a great threat to Barcelona defence.

                                                                    Who ever wins , it is going to be a great football match we are going to watch on April 20th. Lets see who over takes whom.

Key Players :
Barcelona :
        * Messi
        * Xavi

Inter Milan
         * Eto
        * Snjider

Quarter Finals First Leg Results

Lyon 3-1 Bordeaux

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 Two goals from Lisandro ensured Olympique Lyonnais have a wonderful opportunity to reach their first ever UEFA Champions League semi-final after Claude Puel's team got the better of domestic rivals FC Girondins de Bordeaux in a pulsating game.

Bordeaux's chances of an eighth straight victory in the competition diminished in the tenth minute when Lisandro opened the scoring, and though Marouane Chamakh quickly levelled, Michel Bastos re-established the hosts' advantage before the break. Although Laurent Blanc's team rallied in the second half, Hugo Lloris was in stunning form, and when he was beaten the crossbar denied Wendel an equaliser. Lisandro's 76th-minute penalty capped a wonderful night for Lyon, soured only by the yellow cards picked up by Lisandro and Sidney Govou who will miss the second leg in south-west France on 7 April.

Bayern Munich 2-1 Manchester United 

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Ivica Olić struck in the dying seconds as FC Bayern München turned the tables on Manchester United FC to gain the upper hand in their quarter-final tie.

Olic Struck in the death to claim a win

Bayern suffered one of the UEFA Champions League's most dramatic reversals at the hands of United in the 1999 final, but got a measure of revenge with Olić's goal deep into added time. United looked set to maintain their 100% away record in the competition this season after Wayne Rooney fired home with less than two minutes gone. Franck Ribéry, though, levelled 13 minutes from time when his free-kick ricocheted off Rooney before Olić seized the initiative for Bayern ahead of next Wednesday's second leg at Old Trafford.

Arsenal 2-2 Barcelona

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Arsenal FC mounted an unlikely comeback in the final quarter to fight back from two goals down against FC Barcelona and keep alive their chances of reaching the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in a pulsating contest.

The holders were at their scintillating best from the first minute, and only an inspired display from Manuel Almunia in the home goal kept the scoresheet blank at the break, only for Zlatan Ibrahimović to finally beat the goalkeeper with a fine chipped finish less than 60 seconds after half-time.

The same player doubled the advantage 13 minutes later but substitute Theo Walcott's 69th-minute effort brought the Gunners back into the contest. Five minutes from time they were level when Carles Puyol was sent off for bringing down Cesc Fàbregas, the Arsenal captain – who will miss next week's second leg after his booking here – making no mistake with the resulting penalty to level the tie.

Inter Milan 1-0 CSKA Moskva

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FC Internazionale Milano will be hopeful of reaching the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for the first time in seven years after overcoming PFC CSKA Moskva at San Siro, but a fine performance from goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev means Diego Milito's goal is all that separates the sides.

Millito made the victory for Inter

Milito scored midway through the second half after a sustained spell of Nerazzurri pressure, but Inter may rue a succession of late chances that could have given them more daylight. Akinfeev was largely responsible for that, though suspensions to Miloš Krasić and Evgeni Aldonin, who both picked up bookings, could prove just as telling in the second leg.

Inter Milan , CSKA Moskva , Barcelona and Bordeaux go into Quarter Finals as Chelsea crashes out

Inter Milan 1-0 Chelsea
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José Mourinho said he is "the happiest person on earth" after guiding FC Internazionale Milano into the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals at the expense of his former club, Chelsea FC. Although the Inter coach believed the visitors were "the best team by far" throughout the 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge − secured by Samuel Eto'o's 78th-minute goal − Mourinho urged caution by stressing that the "road to Madrid is still long". Counterpart Carlo Ancelotti admitted the Nerazzurri were deserved winners because of the way they pressurised his players into mistakes.

CSKA Moskva 2-1 Sevilla
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As Manuel Jiménez reflected on a "disastrous" defeat for his Sevilla FC side, PFC CSKA Moskva counterpart Leonid Slutsky was typically phlegmatic. His Army Men marked their first appearance in the UEFA Champions League knockout stages by booking a quarter-final place, but the coach preferred to reserve judgment. He did praise his players for keeping their heads after Diego Perotti had cancelled out Tomáš Necid's opener, however, "controlling the course of the game" after Keisuke Honda's 55th-minute effort restored their advantage.

Barcelona 4-0 Stuttgart
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Josep Guardiola hailed his FC Barcelona side's "great intensity", VfB Stuttgart's Christian Gross their exhilarating pace, but in the end one man dominated both coaches' thoughts – Lionel Messi. After Messi scored two and set up another goal in the 4-0 win at the Camp Nou, Gross compared the 22-year-old to Diego Maradona while Guardiola called him "simply the best".

Bordeaux 2-1 Olympiacos
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Laurent Blanc was left breathing a sigh of relief after FC Girondins de Bordeaux were made to sweat for a UEFA Champions League quarter-finals place, Kostas Mitroglou cancelling out Yoann Gourcuff's opener midway through the second half to set up a tense finale. With each team down to ten men after Matt Derbyshire and Alou Diarra had been dismissed, home nerves were not settled until Marouane Chamakh's clinching late header which left Blanc "wholly satisfied" and opposite number Božidar Bandović bemoaning a lack of belief.

Mourinho confident of glory at Stamford Bridge

José Mourinho will be the centre of attention when FC Internazionale Milano visit his former club Chelsea FC in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League first knockout round tie. The coach, though, hopes his players steal the limelight as they seek to press home a 2-1 advantage and reach the quarter-finals for the first time in four years.

"The good thing is that I don't have far to walk," he told UEFA.com as he looked forward to Tuesday's encounter. "From the dressing room to the bench is five metres – I don't have to cross the stadium, I don't have to feel the emotions and reactions from the crowd. I will just sit there and play my game.

"The players play on the pitch, I play outside," he continued. "They are much more important than me, because on the pitch you win matches, not on the bench. But I will be there with my heart fully on either side. That's what a professional does. I don't hide that Chelsea are a very important part of my life."

Mourinho can nonetheless be confident of getting the required result in west London. As Chelsea manager, he went 60 league games unbeaten at Stamford Bridge and won back-to-back Premier League titles. He also claimed the Scudetto in his first year in Milan last season, although the Nerazzurri fell short in the UEFA Champions League – losing to Manchester United FC at this stage. Mourinho, a European champion with FC Porto in 2004, believes Inter are now better placed to advance, because "year after year, the tendency is to improve".

"If the coach does well and the club supports [him], and this is the case; we always modify to improve," the 47-year-old explained. "We bought a few players, the type of player we did not have last year – a purely creative attacking midfielder in Wesley Snijder. We have more solutions in attack with [Diego] Milito, [Samuel] Eto'o and [Goran] Pandev.

"Of course we lost Zlatan Ibrahimović, but with these three players we have more solutions and more options. Also, Lucio is the type of central defender we didn't have – tall, strong in the air. I think we are more adapted to the needs of the modern game."

Lucio was outstanding in the 2-1 defeat of Chelsea on 24 February, keeping a close watch on Didier Drogba, while Sneijder, a close-season capture from Real Madrid CF, also caught the eye. "He is an Ajax player, and normally Ajax players – with the coaching they have since they are kids – are technically superb," Mourinho said.

"The left and right foot are exactly the same, the way they think about football is very smart, and they have their eyes open to read the game. It is the consequence of the youth work in that beautiful culture that is Ajax. [At Inter] now there is a structure that can give Sneijder the freedom to play as he likes. Sometimes I think he is a striker because he has so much freedom to play. Here he has found the environment to express his potential."

Inter's improvement is not just down to recruitment. According to Mourinho, they are also mentally stronger. January's derby victory against AC Milan was one example – achieved despite finishing the game with nine men. The 4-3 win against AC Siena was another marker, resulting from a stoppage-time goal by a centre-back, Walter Samuel, playing as a centre-forward. Even the goalless draw with UC Sampdoria on 20 February, when Inter played with nine men for more than an hour, showed an ability to a grind out results.

"The Siena match is a good example of what we are," Mourinho said. "We were losing and scored the equaliser for 3-3 in the 91st minute. A normal team, normal players and coaches, would have said: 'Okay, we did it, we have a point, we did not lose, it's done.' But I was shouting to the players: 'Three minutes to go, three more minutes.' You can win or you can lose. We won.

"Samuel was asking me, 'Do I go back?' My reply was, 'No, don't go back – stay up for three more minutes and see what happens.' It was my decision, but a coach can only be arrogant, can only have this winning mentality, if he knows the players' response is good." The Portuguese recognises, however, that not even a winning mentality will guarantee UEFA Champions League glory.

"It's really about details – lucky or unlucky in the draw, if the ball that hits the post goes in or out, the player that is suspended and cannot play a crucial game, the timing of injuries whereby a team goes into a game missing two or three key players, a refereeing decision that can go for or against you. Of course, only a very good team can win the Champions League, but I can find seven, eight, nine teams who can win the competition. It's so hard to predict."

Bayern 2-3 Florentina ( Agg 4-4 )

Cesare Prandelli was left to ponder how his ACF Fiorentina team managed to win six out of the eight UEFA Champions League games and still get eliminated on away goals. The difference, he concluded, was FC Bayern München's superior experience, though counterpart Louis van Gaal warned his side would not get away with so "many individual errors" in the quarter-finals.

Cesare Prandelli, Fiorentina coach
I have always said that when we have a full squad available we can do great things. We have only had problems [this season] when we have had a crisis with injuries. Vargas was injured but showed great spirit to play and score anyway. We are out of the competition despite winning six games out of eight and facing teams superior to us on paper.

We should really have defended better after twice taking a two-goal lead; most likely [Bayern's] experience at this level made the difference. I congratulated and thanked the whole team as I could not have asked for more tonight. I'm proud of what we achieved in the Champions League this term.

Louis van Gaal, Bayern coach
Under those circumstances [the strong winds] we played some good football, but made too many individual mistakes, especially at the back. It was not easy for us in this weather, but wasn't easy for Fiorentina either. We should have used the space better in the last ten minutes and really, we performed better than a 3-2 defeat suggests. But we made too many individual errors, which made life difficult.

Franck Ribéry put in a strong performance in the second half but for the second goal he did not mark his opponent. He played a big part in that success by brilliantly setting up our first goal. But today, we have also seen what we are still lacking. We have to improve on that. We can play a dominant game, but we did not do so over 90 minutes today, the way we should. But we are through, and in the end that's what counts

Arsenal thrashes Porto ( Arsenal 5-0 Porto [ agg 6-2] )

Arsenal FC manager Arsène Wenger played down talk of perfection but nevertheless reflected on "a very good performance" as Nicklas Bendtner scored a hat-trick in a 5-0 defeat of FC Porto which spectacularly overturned a 2-1 first-leg deficit. The Frenchman is already looking ahead to the 19 March draw for the quarter-finals, and a potential meeting with another English club; opposite number Jesualdo Ferreira could only look back and pinpoint Arsenal's ruthlessness as the source of his team's demise.

Arsène Wenger, Arsenal manager
It's never perfect but that was a very good performance, very strong. We had a very good first half. They played well for ten to 15 minutes at the start of the second, but after Nasri scored the third goal that made a big difference; from then on it was easy. Nasri's goal was individual brilliance but overall it was a good, solid team performance.

The hat-trick shows how quickly football changes. [Bendtner] played well on Saturday without scoring and had less chances today and scored three goals. I hope it will give him the desire to work even harder. I don't know [about the quarter-finals] but have a funny feeling that it would be good for us to play an English team. We haven't done well against Chelsea and Man United this year and it would be a good opportunity to put that right.

Jesualdo Ferreira, Porto coach
We started well but Arsenal capitalised on our mistakes. The result looks harsh given how the game developed; they took advantage of almost all their chances and we didn't take advantage of ours. We had to do what we could because at this stage it's about goals and not points. We had to attack to try to score but this made it easy for them to take advantage as they're a very talented and mature squad.

We could have closed down the spaces and defended better but we had to play our game and push. We made mistakes which were unusual for this team but we were never lucky at crucial moments and they didn't make the same mistakes we did.

Lyon puts the 'Million Dollar Baby' out of Champions League { Real Madrid 1-1 Lyon (agg 1-2) }

Claude Puel was basking in a "great achievement" as Miralem Pjanić's late goal took Olympique Lyonnais into the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals at the expense of Real Madrid CF. Cristiano Ronaldo's early opener had revived home hopes of reaching the final at the Santiago Bernabéu on 22 May but instead Manuel Pellegrini could only ponder a "very big setback".

Claude Puel, Lyon coach
It's a great achievement, especially considering how the game started. We escaped a disaster in the first half. The early goal lifted Madrid's confidence and put us on the back foot. That meant the first half was tough, and half-time was too. [Jean-Alain] Boumsong and [Jean II] Makoun had to be substituted with groin injuries, and Lisandro also had a problem but he was able to last the whole game. The substitutes were key, they did a fine job. We changed the system and totally reshuffled the team. Mire [Pjanić] moved up to support Lisandro and that made us more fluid. On top of that, he scored the goal.

The first leg was good and we did the same job in the second leg. We were in trouble as they played quickly from deep, and had a bit of luck when they hit the post. We changed the system in the second half and played ten metres higher as Madrid were tiring having produced lots of effort before the break. We were more fluid, there was more quality in our game. We could play wider and made them run as they enjoy having the ball at their feet. When you look at the second half, we deserved to go through. This squad is writing its own story. We must now go on.

Manuel Pellegrini, Madrid coach
The first responsibility is mine, but we have to overcome this blow and keep fighting for the Liga title. It is a very big setback. We played well in the first half but had two chances and failed to convert them. After the break the team were growing anxious until the Lyon goal came. It was a dream for all of us to play the final at the Bernabéu. The players are hurt by a painful elimination, but we have to lift our mood and keep working. That's all I can do; keep working. It's a big blow but we must look ahead.

We had a great first half and could have scored a second. That would have opened Lyon's defence and made things easier. In the second half we tried more individual actions but that was because we were concerned about it only being 1-0, and then we began to feel the effort of the first half. The chances we missed in the first half are really to blame. It's a very strong setback suffered by Madrid for the sixth consecutive season but we have to keep fighting.

Manchester United 4-0 AC Milan ( Agg 7-2 )

Sir Alex Ferguson was in bullish mood after watching his Manchester United FC side overwhelm AC Milan 4-0 at Old Trafford, inspired by the "sensational" Wayne Rooney. Counterpart Leonardo bemoaned a succession of injuries but conceded the better side had won and is already turning attention to the Rossoneri's Serie A title ambitions. For United it is onto next Friday's draw, though for Sir Alex it "doesn't matter who we play next".

Sir Alex Ferguson, United manager
It was a marvellous second-half performance. We got the break with the early goal in the second half and after that we played very well. When we play with that tempo we're difficult to play against; it was a solid United performance.

It's a challenge [for Wayne Rooney to beat Cristiano Ronaldo's 42-goal haul of 2007/08]. I was happy with him getting to 30 to be honest with you. He just keeps improving and tonight again he was sensational. Ji-Sung Park showed sacrifice, intelligence and discipline and we needed that against [Andrea] Pirlo because he's a very good player for them. With the kind of team we've got it doesn't matter who we play next.

Leonardo, Milan coach
We will have to analyse many things about the game but this is not the time to do it. We deserved something more in the first leg but this time around United's victory was clearly deserved. They had a brilliant start, scored early on and everything became easier for them.

We did some good things in the Champions League this season. I thought we had a chance after our first-leg performance but we were up against a very good side. We lost [Alessandro] Nesta a few hours ahead of the game, than his replacement [Daniele] Bonera in the first half. I took a risk by fielding [Massimo] Ambrosini in defence, but it didn't pay off.

It will be impossible to quickly put this game behind us but we are just four points adrift of Inter in Serie A with 11 games to play and we have to try to catch them.

Arsenal lose Ramsey to broken leg

Arsenal FC have confirmed that midfielder Aaron Ramsey will miss the remainder of this season after sustaining "fractures to the tibia and fibula in his right leg" in Saturday's win at Stoke City FC.
UEFA Champions League hopefuls Arsenal FC will be denied the services of Aaron Ramsey for the rest of the season after the midfielder suffered a broken leg in his team's 3-1 win at Stoke City FC on Saturday.

Ramsey, 19, was taken to hospital immediately after leaving the field on a stretcher in the 71st minute following a challenge by Ryan Shawcross. "During yesterday's match against Stoke City, Aaron Ramsey sustained fractures to the tibia and fibula in his right leg," read an official statement by Arsenal. "Yesterday evening he underwent surgery. The operation successfully reduced the fractures and whilst it is too soon to state an exact timescale for recovery, Aaron will certainly miss the remainder of this season."

The victory took the Gunners within three points of Chelsea FC at the Premier League summit and they will look to overturn a 2-1 deficit when they host FC Porto in their UEFA Champions League first knockout round decider on 9 March.

Clubs will be restricted to spend what they earn as football revenue - Platini

UEFA president Michel Platini recently launched a 'financial fair play' initiative revolving around the idea that clubs should only spend the money they earn through football revenue.

General secretary Gianni Infantino has now stated that from 2012-13 clubs will have to break even - spending only what they earn - if they want to play in the Champions League or Europa League.

"What we are doing, with the support of all the stakeholders in the game including the major professional clubs, is to try to improve the long term stability of European club football by encouraging clubs to live within the revenues that they generate," Infantino said to the Daily Telegraph.

"We are concerned, and many of the clubs and owners are concerned, about the sustainability of the game. We surveyed more than 650 clubs all over Europe, and found that 50 per cent of those clubs are making losses every year, and 20 per cent of them are making huge losses, spending 120 per cent of their revenue every year.

"Our intention is not to make all clubs equal with the same money to spend," he highlighted. "What we see is that the rich owners already go to the big clubs because they make more money.
"We want a healthier environment which will allow smaller clubs to invest in their infrastructure and be able to compete with the bigger clubs, knowing that they can only spend what they earn."

I Am Not In A Rut, The Goals Will Come - Cristiano Ronaldo

Speaking to the press before Real Madrid's friendly match against Albanian side Gramozi Erseke in Albania today, Cristiano Ronaldo spoke of his goal drought in 2010, after having finished 2009 in hot form.

The Portuguese winger denied being worried about his inability to find the back of the net in Madrid's past three matches in comments reported by Marca.

"I am not worried, things like this come naturally because I continue to work in the same way. I am not in a rut and the goals will surely come," said CR9, who has not scored since Madrid demolished Zaragoza by 6-0 in the Santiago Bernabeu before the Christmas break.

Puel makes Liverpool promise

Lyon coach Claude Puel says they will be doing their all to beat Fiorentina, despite already booking their place in the last 16 of the Champions League.

The Reds' bid to progress is out of their hands after Lisandro Lopez's late goal denied the English side all three points in France on Wednesday night.

Rafael Benitez's men need results to go their way if they are to have any chance of progressing as a win for Fiorentina against Lyon next time out would dump the Merseysiders out of the competition.

However, Puel has vowed Lyon will do their best to help Liverpool's cause by trying to beat Fiorentina in Florence later this month.

"We will play fair, we want to win the group and avoid getting a tougher draw in the next stage," said Puel.

"Liverpool have no need to fear what may happen.

"We will play to win the game and that will leave the situation in Liverpool's hands to win their last two games and go through themselves."

Benitez: I don't fear for my job

Rafael Benitez insists he does not fear for his job even though Liverpool now need a miracle to reach the last 16 of the Champions League.

The Liverpool boss had seen victory snatched from his team by Lyon, who equalised through Lisandro Lopez in the dying seconds of their Group E clash at the Stade Gerland on Wednesday night.

Ryan Babel had fired Liverpool ahead with just seven minutes to go, but they still left with a 1-1 draw despite a vastly improved performance.

Liverpool now must rely on Lyon winning away to Fiorentina in their next match, and hope they will still have their destiny in their own hands in their final group matches against Debrecen and the Florence club.

Benitez's own position has been under threat during Liverpool's recent horror run, but when asked if he feared for his job, the Spaniard was quick to respond.

"No, I am only thinking about the next game, nothing else," he said.

Benitez, who also revealed that striker Fernando Torres played through the pain barrier for the 87 minutes he was on the pitch, remains hopeful his side can still progress even though the odds are stacked against them.

He said: "We have to be really disappointed, we had so many chances and we were almost there.

"But again it was a late goal by Lyon, and it is a massive difference for us.

"Clearly it is difficult now, but not impossible. We have to win our next game in Debrecen and wait to see what the result is between Fiorentina and Lyon.

"We have to keep going and try to win. We have achieved miracles before and we can do it again."

On his own feelings and the pressure he is under, Benitez said: "It is simple for me to keep my head high, and that is by watching the players on the pitch and see their performances. Hearing the fans singing after the game because they know that we are improving and getting better.

"But football is like this, sometimes you have to have some luck and we did not have any luck at the end of the match.

"We were not caught out by them at the end, we were not caught on the break and had plenty of players in the box to defend.

"We just made a mistake, but not because we were thinking about attacking and caught out.

"I have not seen the replay so I do not know whether (Michel) Bastos was offside in the build-up to their equaliser. We just had to do better, we had too many players around the scorer and should have stopped him.

"It is something we have to improve on because it has happened before. When we are winning we have to close the game out and stop teams scoring against us at the end of matches, like Lyon have done in both games against us.

"We have to learn to keep the ball at times and be stronger in the challenge."

He added: "Torres was playing with pain, and that is not easy. He was inconsistent, he had to keep stopping and starting again because of the problem.

"He was playing with pain, hopefully he will now have some time for us to work with him and we will see how he progresses.

"The players must not give up hope, Lyon can win away to Fiorentina. We need to win against Debrecen and not talk too much about the other game.

"We must do our job properly first, then we will look at the other result. We will see what happens and hope to take it to the last game when we are at home to Fiorentina."

Ferguson: We're almost there

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Man United are now well on course for the Champions League knock-out stages after edging past CSKA Moscow.

United maintained their 100% record in Group B after Antonio Valencia struck a late goal to secure a 1-0 win in the Russian capital on Wednesday evening.

With three games still remaining, Ferguson hopes his side can now secure their passage with something to spare.

Ferguson said: "We are very pleased with our performance.

"The situation in the group is now nine points. I have always maintained that you need 10 to qualify.

"We now have a home game against CSKA in two or three weeks' time which we hope can take us to the next stage."

Ferguson felt his team had produced a professional performance on the Luzhniki Stadium's artificial pitch.

He added: "In the first half I think we played with a lot patience, which is necessary when you are playing away from home.

"Experience in these sort of situations is always vital.

"In the second half I think we increased the tempo of the game and got more penetration.

"We created some good goal opportunities and if we have to wait to the 86th minute, so be it.

"We had to have the patience to win, and we did that."

He added: "The issues of the surface were not a problem. As I said before the game, good footballers can play on that quite easily."

Ferguson expressed his satisfaction with the performance of former Wigan star Valencia, who moments before his goal had rattled the crossbar.

It was Valencia's second goal for the club, following on quickly from his first in last weekend's win over Bolton.

Ferguson said of the Ecuador international: "He has been the plus point for the last two weeks.

"He is settling into the club, his confidence is stronger and he has tremendous assets for a wee player - strength, balance, feet and a good crosser of the ball.

"The area he hadn't shown was goalscoring ability.

"We said when we signed him this was his challenge to progress as a footballer.

"Now he has scored two in two games and that will help him."

Ferguson confirmed his decision to substitute Rio Ferdinand just before the hour was merely precautionary ahead of Sunday's Premier League trip to rivals Liverpool.

United had already travelled to Russia without the likes of Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Patrice Evra, Darren Fletcher and Park Ji-Sung.

Defender Fabio, who impressed on the left, was carried off late on but Ferguson said his problem was only cramp.

Defeat left CSKA Moscow with three points from their opening three games in the competition but new manager Juande Ramos remains hopeful of progress.

Ramos, the former Tottenam manager who took charge last month, said: "We had our chances but we didn't take them.

"I think we had a very good first half and in the second half we had chances in the first 10 minutes.

"We made it very hard for them for an hour.

"We have lost but we still have three games and we are going to fight for our chances."

Pellegrini worried by big-match failures

Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini admits he is concerned that his team have failed in the big matches so far this season.

This follows losses to both AC Milan and Sevilla - in the Champions League and Primera Liga respectively.

Madrid have won eight of their 10 competitive games this season, but in arguably their toughest challenges they have come unstuck, going down 2-1 to Sevilla in La Liga earlier this month and then losing 3-2 at home to Milan in the Champions League last night.

When asked about this following the Milan loss, Pellegrini said: "Every defeat is worrying. Both teams (Sevilla and Milan) are more settled than we are and they've played together for a lot longer. I don't consider it something normal, it's worrying and we have to continue improving."

The loss to Milan came after Madrid had beaten FC Zurich 5-2 and Marseille 3-0 in their opening two games, but they surrendered top spot in Group C to the Italians following last night's result, with the other two sides now three points behind at the midway point of the group stages.

Pellegrini said: "We have two objectives: To qualify for the next round of the Champions League, and we will try to recover the points in the return game against Milan; and in the league, where we are on the right path but know that we have to work harder."

Madrid had looked on course for their third successive win in Europe when Raul took advantage of a bad mistake from visiting goalkeeper Dida to give the home side a half-time lead, but Milan turned the game on its head after the break when, against the run of play, they scored twice in a four-minute spell through Andrea Pirlo and Alexandre Pato to go 2-1 ahead.

Royston Drenthe brought Madrid back on level terms with 14 minutes to go when he drove home a low shot from the edge of the box, but it would be Pato who had the final say as he volleyed home at the far post to earn Milan an 88th-minute winner.

Madrid have now lost two of their past three games including the Sevilla match, but Dutchman Drenthe insists there is no reason to press the panic button.

"It's not a crisis, we can also lose games. We will play in Gijon and then against Milan over there. Why talk of crisis? We are fine in the league and the Champions League," he said in AS.

"The people don't understand that the Madrid players are people and that we can also lose.

"This is football, anything can happen."

A delighted Leonardo, the Milan coach, said of his side's victory: "I`m very happy and I have a very positive feeling. The second half was much better than the first.

"After Raul`s goal it was difficult to reorganise the team and the second half was incredible. We created chances, we went 2-1 ahead, they drew level but we never thought about losing and that was key. The result was fair."

Walcott out for four weeks

Arsenal forward Theo Walcott is facing three to four weeks on the sidelines with knee ligament damage.

Walcott was hurt in a challenge with Birmingham's Liam Ridgewell during the Gunners' 3-1 victory at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday and limped out of the action in the 33rd minute.

The England international was making his first start of the season having been unavailable since the summer with a back problem but is now facing another spell in the treatment room.

Walcott is certain to miss Tuesday's Champions League trip Holland to face AZ Alkmaar and is unlikely to be back in time for the reverse fixture against the Dutch side on November 4.

He will also miss Sunday's trip to West Ham, the Carling Cup fourth-round clash at home to Liverpool and the North London derby date with Tottenham.

Arsene Wenger will also be without midfield playmaker Tomas Rosicky for Tuesday's Group H clash, but left-back Gael Clichy is available again.

Nicklas Bendtner, Denilson, Eduardo, Lukasz Fabianski and Johan Djourou remain out of action and will not travel to Holland.