UEFA Champions League

UEFA Champions League Third Qualifying Round Draw

The draw for the third qualifying round of the 2008-2009 UEFA Champions League has been announced. It pits Arsene Wenger against former Boro and England manager Steve McLaren as the Gunners face Dutch side FC Twente. The last time Wenger met McLaren ( if my memory serves me right), resulted in a 7-0 thrashing for Boro at Highbury. Twente finished fourth last season under the guidance of Fred Rutten, whose current team Schalke 04 face Atletico Madrid. The Enschede club have lost some key players- Orlando Engelaar has gone to Schalke. Karim El Ahmadi has moved to Feyenoord.

A couple of other tricky draws ( apart from the Schalke vs Atletico)that I see-

Galatasaray vs Steaua Bucharest
Fiorentina vs Slavia Prague

The first leg will be played on 12/13 August, with the return legs taking place a fortnight later- on 26/27 August.

UEFA Champions League Third Round Draw

Anorthosis/Rapid Vienna vs Olympiakos

Vitoria Guimaraes vs IFK Gothenburg/Basel

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Manchester United vs Chelsea- Champions League final review

The fates wanted Manchester United to win. This is the line most Chelsea fans, and even some Man U fans, will have on their lips after United won the the 2007-08 Champions League title on penalties in Moscow. Sir Alex’s second Champions League title, coming fifty years after the Munich air crash, sees United complete the double, with Roman’s Chelsea ending the season empty handed.

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Liverpool vs Arsenal Champions League second leg match review

Liverpool 4-2 Arsenal

Abou Diaby (13)

Sami Hyypia (30)

Fernando Torres (69)

Emmanuel Adebayor (84)

Steven Gerrard ( p) (86)

Ryan Babel (90)

*- Bold indicates Liverpool player.

Even if you are a Liverpool supporter, take a moment to clap for Arsenal. Arsene Wenger’s young guns played extremely well, and were the better side over the two legs. But as it so often happens, the better team does not necessarily progress; the luckier team does. And that, precisely, is how I’d describe Liverpool getting into the last four of the Champions League.

Benitez chose to start with both Crouch and Torres, thereby forcing Gerrard to play on the left.

And for the first thirty minutes, it was all Arsenal. Liverpool did not have the time to get settled as Arsenal pounded away relentlessly in search of the crucial away goal. After all, Liverpool had drawn 1-1 at the Emirates Stadium, and they were quite capable of enforcing a shutout.

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