Champions League Preview: Wednesday, February 20

By: Laurie | February 20th, 2008

Today we enter the second day of group of 16 competion with four interesting games being played.

It’s David vs. Goliath here, but anything is possible with Scottish teams. (Ask France.)

Celtic: Celtic are definitely the underdog in this match, but don’t underestimate Gordon Strachan’s boys, or the impact of thousands of crazed Scottish fans on the home team. Says Gordon Strachan: “You can only enjoy something if you compete and we hope we can compete so we can enjoy it.”

Midfielder Scott Brown is suspended, and right-back Andreas Hinkel is cup-tied (Sevilla)

Barcelona: Manager Frank Rijkaard is suspended. (I’m not finding the story in my cursory research. Anybody? I always find it entertaining when managers get suspended.) But his replacement will have the Fab Four at his disposal: Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry, and they’re going to be anxious to prove that they’re not the Real Madrid galacticos all over again. The big question: Who will start?

Lyon vs. Manchester United

Another David vs. Goliath situation, especially given Lyon’s recent form. But this Lyon fan has convinced herself that they can do it. Right? And to increase the intrigue factor, it’s now public knowledge that Sir Alex Ferguson wants Lyon’s Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa. How will that affect their play?

Lyon: Inara has a very detailed preview from a Lyon fan’s point of view. I can’t improve on it, so I’ll just quote from it.

I don’t know about you guys, but I personally am not ready to face those Mancs. And neither, I think, are the players. I’m being optimistic when I say that things aren’t quite so good over at the Gerland, and it’s obvious that Lyon are nowhere near the form they should be for the Champions League.

But then again, Lyon almost didn’t even make it into the knockout rounds and only managed to qualify on the last day (thanks for choking, Rangers!). And as France’s sole representative in this stage of the competition, maybe that elusive luck will smile once more on the French.

Manchester United: ManU sits second to Arsenal in the Premier League. That would be the same Arsenal that ManU thrashed last weekend in the FA Cup, 4-0. Without leading scorer Cristiano Ronaldo. They did get beaten by Man City recently, but in general this is a tough team to beat. The only players missing in action will be Mikael Silvestre, Gary Neville and Ben Foster.

Fenerbahçe vs. Sevilla

Both teams are dark horses in the competition, but both have the potential to advance.

Fenerbahçe
This is Fenerbahçe’s first trip into the knockout stages in five tries. Since I know very little about this team myself, I’ll hand you over to Goal.com.

The former Japan coach has assembled a good mix of young and experienced local talent as well as a generous touch of South American flair. There are as many as six Brazilian players in the squad – four of them with EU citizenships – and it is no wonder why the Turkish champions, with the help of a little samba magic, are enjoying their breakthrough season in the Champions League this term. …

They recorded their best ever finish this time, coming in strongly in second place behind Inter Milan in Group G, losing only one game – and that was at the Giuseppe Meazza. Their eleven point haul was also the best tally by a Turkish club in this competition, beating Galatasaray’s previous record of ten points in the 2000/01 season.

Semih Şentürk will probably be out with a knee injury, and Stephen Appiah is out with blood clots.

Sevilla:

Sevilla don’t have a lot of Champions League experience, (the last time they reached the quarter-finals was fifty years ago, before it was Champions League) but they did win the UEFA Cup last year against Espanyol, in one of the prettiest games I’ve ever seen. So they’re no slouches in international competition. They also managed to beat Arsenal in the group stages when Arsenal was at their peak form. Don’t underestimate this team.

Ernesto Chevantón will be out after knee surgery.

Arsenal vs. Milan

Of all the games, this one interests me most as a neutral. (Flamini vs. Gattuso! Ooh!!) It’s last year’s champions, Milan, vs. an Arsenal team that’s currently top of the EPL table but not playing at their best.

Arsenal

Arsenal was thrashed last weekend by Manchester United in the FA Cup, 4-0. They’ve been plagued by injuries. But Arsene Wenger will have Gael Clichy, Mathieu Flamini and Emmanuel Adebayor back in the lineup, which should help considerably. And Arsenal are a young, fast, gutsy side. Don’t expect them to fold under pressure.

Manuel Almunia is out ill, so “Mad Jens” Lehmann will be in goal again. That alone makes the game worth watching in my book. Tomas Rosicky, Robin van Persie and Abou Diaby are all out with longterm injuries.

Milan

Milan are…not young. But AFP describes them as a “resolute, battle-hardened team,” and that covers it pretty well. Defender Paolo Maldini is thirty-nine. He has played 1,000 professional matches. He hobbles when he walks. He’s had more surgeries than your average ninety-year-old. But he’s a war horse with a history of getting the job done.

Milan are currently fifth in Serie A, but they tend to play above their league form in international competitions. And they have Kaka, the multiple-award-winning goal scorer, as their not-so-secret weapon. (They may have their new weapon, Pato, also. Chris tells me it’s a “game-time” decision.) Goalkeeper Dida is out (and some will say this is not a bad thing), so it looks like ~~Valerio Fiori~~ Kalac will be betwen the sticks.