UEFA Cup Time, Baby

By: chris | April 10th, 2008

With apologies to PSV v Fiorentina (more) and Bayer v Zenit (less), there are two games today deserving of nearly the entire spotlight, for vastly different reasons. Getafe because of its chance to not even win a trophy but simply cause a massive upset, and Rangers with the opportunity to win so many.

Despite the obvious affection which has grown aside Getafe’s unforeseen Cinderella run in Europe, I feel like anything but a Bayern win would turn the universe upside down. After all the money they spent last summer (70m or so, was it?), it would seem they could simply steamroll getafe on their way to the semifinals. But I guess that sums up everything which is right about cup competitions.

After absorbing an early Luca Toni header, Getafe looked to be heading into the second leg needing a victory in Spain to continue their miracle. Enter the heroics of Cosmin Contra, and it’s now Bayern who need to force the issue in Madrid today. The little club that could keeps on chuggin’, taking out unsuspecting opponents and making its merry way into folklore. There is no better story in Europe, without a doubt.

Rangers, on the other hand, are looking for a helluva lot more than a feel good story. They, and I can say this fairly comfortably without the slightest bit of research, are the only team left in Europe with a chance at a legitimate quad, one including continental success. Mind blowing when you think about it.

Despite a shocking draw with Partick Thistle back on March 19th, they’ve got a chance to do it all over again for a seat in the semi-finals in the Scottish Cup. And even for someone who knows a skosh less than nothing about Scottish football (that’d be me), the remaining teams don’t seem all that frightening if/when Rangers pushes on through.

They’ve also got a seemingly insurmountable lead atop the SPL table, with a 7 point lead on a certain rival which shall go unnamed - along with a game in hand and just 6 to play. And they’ve already won the league cup, having defeated Dundee United in the final on the 16th of March (busy week for cups in Scotland, I gather).

It’ll probably take a small-to-medium sized act of God for a quad to occur, but it’s surely something interesting to keep an eye on in the process (unless you’re a fan of You Know Who). The UEFA Cup matter will be solved in Lisbon today, then onto the others, should things go smoothly.

We can without a doubt say they’re great stories, and maybe at the end of the day we’ll be able to say they’re great games. And what could be a better way to quell your nausea anticipating a third go around of Chelsea-Liverpool than with a little bit of Cinderella and quad action in the UEFA Cup? It can’t be any worse, can it?