₦airaland Forum

~Sauron~:
Wipe the pus rolling down the corners of your eyes.

blind obertan!

Football is a team game. . . . .
When a defender attacks the ball, his co-defenders clean up after him.
Watch Vidic and Rio attentively and stop bawling like a mongrel.

Well. . . . .Rio wasn't on the pitch and that was why Burnley scored.
The ball came to Evra. . . .He is a professional. He mighta thunk putting the ball out of touch is inviting more pressure on his team.
What is to say Burnley couldn't have scored from the resulting corner kick. . . . You are so knee-deep in your hind-sight analysis.

If then bla bla bla,
Simple questions: Against burnley, should the ball have been put into touch or played back into the box? Against Milan, why did ur paddy jump like a kangaroo?
I am sure you will show your idiocy again by going on a rant instead of giving a simple answer

Your IQ is relevant because there's no point in me debating with someone functioning on a single digit IQ.

Says the obertan with a negative IQ score.

U can tattoo this statement on your greasy head for all u care.
In the last 3 seasons, Evra has won the PFA team TWICE!!!
Was part of the defence unit that didn't concede in 14 league games in the toughest league in the world.
Get some perspective.

According to you, Rio and Vidc have been covering his shambolic mistakes, and once they are absent it all becomes all too obvious.
Santon, Cole and Clichy are better than Evra! Engrave it on that speck of dust you call a brain!

Useless Obertan!!!!

~Sauron~:
It was Heinze that jumped into Evra's way and not the other way.
You must be suffering from acute conjuctivitis.

You are either blind as a bat, or just simply out of your mind. Anyone watching the video can see that Heinze was on his feet and the poor bloke didnt know what hit when paddy ran him over like an okada wey fail brake

The likes of Baresi, Maldini and Nesta have made graver mistakes. . . . .  .
Instead of putting the ball into touch and reh reh reh. . . . .Shouldn't the other defenders be closing down on the action.
This is where the likes of Rio and Vidic are the best in Europe. . . .Rio woulda read the situation wella by closing down on Blake.

Please give us examples of these 'graver mistakes' and stop whinning on about excuses for your failure of a defender.
So the likes of Rio are expected to cover his arse so that the world doesnt see his brain farts eh?
Rio wasnt on the field so dont try to use him as an if-maybe excuse. The ball came to evra, right decision was to put it into touch, instead he basically laid it on for blake. Burnley 1-0 ManU

I can bet his IQ is better than yours. . . .

My IQ is irrelevant

Ashley Cole? The same Ashley Cole that controlled a pass in the path of Fernando Torres? What a laugh!!!
Santon? After what an ageing Ryan Giggs did to him, i doubt he would ever make it in the world of football?
Gael Clichy? He single-handedly ruined Arsenal's season when he failed to deal with a simple back pass against Birmingham.
Why do u think Gallas went haywire after Birmingham equalised? U have selective amnesia.

Yet they are all still better than your paddy!

Sauron is back with his stupid yarns.
Go and look at the video of the Kaka goal again and come and explain the stupidity that made ur paddy evra jump into the air and crash into his own team mate, giving Kaka a clear run at goal.
The best left back in the world shouldn't be making such stupid decisions on the field.
Against Burnley, instead of putting the ball in to touch like a sensible defender, he opted idiotically to put it back into the box in the direction with no visible team mate and only a burnley player.
The guy has a very low footballing IQ and has no business being considered the best in the world. The likes of Cole, Santon and Clichy are far better.

Former Real Madrid Full Back Michel Salgado Signs For Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers have completed the signing of Michel Salgado on a two-year deal.
The former Real Madrid full-back was released by the Spanish giants in the summer and reports suggest he has had to prove his worth to the Ewood Park board.
Sky Sports News reports that Salgado, who has over 50 caps for Spain, had to prove his fitness before Rovers would complete the deal.
The signing of the thirty-three-year-old echoes back to manager Sam Allardyce's spell at former club Bolton Wanderers.
Allardyce completed the signing of former Real Madrid stars Youri Djorkaeff and Ivan Campo as well as flair player Jay Jay Okocha.
The signing helped Allardyce transform bolton from relegation candidates to European contenders and he appears to have embarked on the same trick once again.
Salgado made over 250 appearnces in his decade at The Bernabeu and has openly admitted his desire to play in England.
https://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/46229000/jpg/_46229469_salgado226.jpg

Burnley deserved  their win. They worked their socks off, and for the most part played an open game for a club of their level.
ManU were never in full stride and the team lacked coherence (too many out of step passes). When they did have the few moments of brilliance, the Burnley keeper rose to the occasion.
Owen is still far from posing a genuine goal threat (he kept on missing the ball0 while Berbatov stayed too deep. Several times the ball was played into the box but there were no ManU players attacking it.
Still, it is too early to make much of the defeat. ManU typically finish stronger than they start.

So who is posting the leader boards for those of us not participating?

FL Gators:
I swear, my bro dayo knows how to make ppl believe things

@jaybee
no mind am jare. na style he dey rake to yab my flat chest

I know you are just trying to be modest. Anyone, particularly fans of ManChester united, dat has seen ur pic can testify dat u have a very salient and broad attack, led by a sharp duo, with a lot of play down the flanks.

dayokanu:
Best Left back in the world?

I laugh in tongues

Only someone with a short memory would call Evra the best left back in the world

[flash=480,385]http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/NlgWAkbsii4&NR[/flash]

Like the commentator said, "I don't know what really Evra was doing. He made a real mess of it"

The guy has an history of committing blunders. A left backs primary job is to defend. If he cant do that adequately enough, he has no business being considered as the best in his position.

FL Gators:
Yes, and so are you

That is not possible, given that I am outside of the sample space of NL women.

FL Gators:
nwando, how many morenike do we have on nl na?

@Post
Thatz a woman jor.

Most of nl women don't have boobs as large as hers.

Should we take it that the list includes you too?

OT: Mary, Did You Know? is a really nice song. Though I prefer the Reba version.

I think the popularity of the EPL is a result of various factors which include language, availability for viewing in Naija, many Nigerians played(or used to play) there and population of Nigerians in UK.

Commercial centers should pay more than the regular fee, but the extra charge should be based on estimated viewing capacity, with about 2x the base residential price for the first 50-100 viewers and a 25% increase for each additional 50. e.g. A place with a capacity of 200 should pay about 2.5x of the base price, while a place with a capacity of 500 would pay about 4x the price.

The fact that they are using it for commercial purposes means that they have become indirect competitors to the broadcaster and they should pay more than the average home, else we would have entire estates subscribing to one account and denying the company genuine customers. Yet the company should not go to the extreme of charging almost 4x the base residential price.

Petrov goal against Barca

[flash=480,385]http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/J1hacEcMDRk[/flash]

Nice game against Barcelona in which Citeh were on the back foot for most of the game. They still need one central defender.
Hughes should just forget about Lescott. 22M can get you some defenders of much better quality than lescott from outside the premiership.

Borussia Dortmund 0-5 Real Madrid

[flash=480,385]http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/2XFI4tRthro[/flash]


In other news: Barcelona 0 - 1 Manchester City 

Final scores

Panathinaikos FC 2 - 3 Club Atlético de Madrid


PFC Levski Sofia 1 - 2 Debreceni VSC


Olympique Lyonnais 5 - 1 RSC Anderlecht


FC Salzburg 1 - 2 Maccabi Haifa FC


FK Ventspils 0 - 3 FC Zürich

Pre-season continues tonight with our game against Borussia Dortmund (Metzelder's former club) at Dortmund, to mark their 100th anniversary.

Players called up
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Dudek
Defenders: Pepe, Marcelo, Albiol, Metzelder, Garay, Arbeloa, Drenthe
Midfielders: Lass, Sneijder, Robben, Granero, Xabi Alonso, Kaká
Forwards: Raúl, Benzema, Higuaín, Cristiano Ronaldo

Kickoff: 20:15 (CET)

bgees:
Listen to coach Biina analyse Babel. Nonsense!

Obviously u haven't watched our games well enough.

Then please correct me. It would be interesting to see how much you have seen of Liverpool before Benitez was appointed, what you have seen of Benitezh before and after he joined liverpool, and what you have seen of Babel before and after he joined liverpool.

You need to get off the fanboism juggernaut. Your childish tantrums on this board will not affect the price of fish at the club

Anderlecht out to end Lyon run

Match preview
Olympique Lyonnais are looking to book their tenth consecutive group-stage place but standing in their way are an RSC Anderlecht side whose coach Ariël Jacobs is banking on "the illogical side of football" to take his men through.

Quotes
Claude Puel, Lyon coach: I have a lot of respect for this Anderlecht team. They are very solid, very physical. This is a team with a lot of good points so we know it will be difficult. The heat causes a difficulty; it will play into the hands of the team defending most. They have a very good midfield with a big physical presence, but with some technically gifted players as well who can make the difference with the ball. We missed a lot of chances on Saturday [a 1-0 win against Valenciennes FC], but I would like to focus on the fact that we created so much – the goals will come. It could be an open tie over the two legs. I am generally satisfied with my team but we still have a lot of room for improvement.

Ariël Jacobs, Anderlecht coach: They are the logical favourites for this game but I believe in the illogical side of football. We have no specific plans to stop Lisandro. Lyon's strength is not down to one player, but their team as a whole. They have a quality side with a lot of individual talents. The Champions League is very different from the domestic league or the pre-season matches. Even if Lyon have not been prolific in front of the goal this season, we have to underline that they create a lot of chances. It is often said that playing the second leg at home is an advantage, but football is not an exact science and we will have to look at this tie as a whole. I do not think they will underestimate us because the stakes are so high. Lyon have the right to think that Anderlecht was a good draw, that might be true, but they will have to prove it on the pitch.

Key facts
• The two sides traded 1-0 home wins in their only previous encounters in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League group stage. Brazilian midfielder Juninho Pernambucano decided the first game from the penalty spot before Finnish defender Hannu Tihinen avenged the loss in Brussels.
• Sidney Govou and Anthony Réveillère contested both games for Lyon, while Daniel Zítka and Olivier Deschacht featured twice for Anderlecht. Current assistant coach Besnik Hasi also appeared for the Belgian outfit.
• Anderlecht's record in France reads two wins, four draws and one loss. Paris Saint-Germain FC are the only French side to have eliminated Anderlecht in Europe, in the UEFA Cup in 1992/93.
• Anderlecht's most recent group stage appearance came in 2006/07 and since then they have succumbed to Fenerbahçe SK (2007/08) and FC BATE Borisov (2008/09) in qualifying.

How they reached the play-offs
• After winning the Ligue 1 title seven years in succession, Lyon relinquished their crown to Bordeaux last term, finishing third and having to settle for a play-off round place. Les Gones have only failed once previously in UEFA Champions League qualifying, losing 3-0 on aggregate to NK Maribor in the third qualifying round in 1999/2000. The following season, they overcame FK Inter Bratislava to reach the group stage for the first time, going on to earn an automatic place every year since.
• A dramatic season in the Eerste Klasse ended with Anderlecht finishing level on points with R. Standard de Liège at the summit, necessitating a title play-off decider that Standard clinched 2-1 on aggregate. Defeat set up Jacobs' team with a third qualifying round tie against Turkish side Sivasspor. They promptly recorded a 5-0 home win, with Tom De Sutter twice on target, before Jelle Van Damme scored in a 3-1 away loss.

Team news
• Lyon
Out: Sidney Govou (thigh), Anderson (groin), Mensah (calf), Clerc (thigh)
Suspended: none
Misses next game if booked: none
• Anderlecht
Out: Daniel Zítka (ankle), Sébastien Bruzzese (shoulder)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Jelle Van Damme

Previous competitive results
15/08/09 Lyon 1-0 Valenciennes FC (French Ligue 1)
(Gomis 37)
15/08/09 Anderlecht 3-0 KVC Westerlo (Belgian Eerste Klasse)
(Van Damme 28, Suarez 44, Boussoufa 73)

Did you know?
Lyon are looking to book their tenth consecutive UEFA Champions League group-stage place.

Panathinaikos obstacle for Atlético

Match preview
Vastly experienced at navigating a route through UEFA Champions League qualifying, Panathinaikos FC will need to be at their best to deny play-off round rivals Club Atlético de Madrid a group-stage place.

Quotes
Henk ten Cate, Panathinaikos coach: Atlético are a very good side, with quality players performing in a very competitive league – it will be tough for us but I believe every team have a chance to qualify and I trust in my players and their ability. With their pace and Sergio Agüero, Diego Forlán, Maxi Rodríguez and Simão, Atlético are dangerous away from home and it's very important for us to avoid conceding. We will try to attack with intelligence, without neglecting our defence – I would prefer to win but wouldn't mind a goalless draw.

Abel Resino, Atlético coach: This is a very important tie for the players, the club and the fans of Atlético. I expect the match to be intense, with lots of pressing from both sides. Panathinaikos have Kostas Katsouranis and Giorgos Karagounis in midfield, players with lots of presence, and they usually play counterattacking football. They will press from the first minute, aided by their fans, but we must keep in mind that football is eleven versus eleven and not be overawed by the atmosphere. My players could even be motivated by it.

Key stats
• The teams' most recent meeting came in the group stage of the 2007/08 UEFA Cup which Atlético won 2-1 in the Spanish capital. With both sides already through to the Round of 32, Panathinaikos took a first-half lead through Dimitris Salpingidis only to be pegged back with 16 minutes remaining when Luís García equalised. Atlético were reduced to ten men following Raúl García's 81st-minute dismissal, but deep into stoppage time Simão struck from a free-kick.
• Panathinaikos's participation in last year's UEFA Champions League was ended by Spanish opposition, Villarreal CF triumphing in the first knockout round. The two teams drew 1-1 in Spain before the Yellow Submarine prevailed 2-1 in Greece.
• That was the Greens' first home loss to a Spanish club, taking their record on their own turf to three wins, five draws and one defeat.
• Atlético have yet to triumph in Greece, having recorded two draws and two defeats on four previous visits.
• They have tasted victory in two of four two-legged ties with Greek teams – the most recent a 9-6 aggregate win over PAOK FC in the 1997/98 UEFA Cup. OFI Crete FC proved too strong in the 1993/94 UEFA Cup, by contrast, as did Panionios GSS in the same tournament in 1971/72.

How they reached the play-offs
• Third in the Greek Super League last term, Panathinaikos topped a four-team play-off tournament to book a third qualifying round berth. There they staged a dramatic 3-0 second-leg victory over AC Sparta Praha to win 4-3 on aggregate. José Sarriegi, Kostas Katsouranis and Dimitris Salpingidis all struck in Athens.
• Los Colchoneros finished fourth in the 2008/09 Spanish Liga to enter the play-off round and are aiming to reach the group stage for a third time. They defeated FC Schalke 04 in their only previous tilt at qualifying last season.

Team news
• Panathinaikos
Injured: Cédric Canté (knee)
Suspended: José Sarriegui
Misses next match if booked: Djibril Cissé, Gabriel

• Atlético
Injured: Mariano Pernía (broken collarbone), Ignacio Camacho (hip)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none

Did you know?
Panathinaikos midfielder Gilberto and Atlético forward José Antonio Reyes were Arsenal FC team-mates from 2004-07, while Greens striker Cissé and Atlético forward Florent Sinama-Pongolle were at Liverpool FC between 2004 and 2006.

In L1, Leeds (and charlton) are up to a perfect start this season with 3 wins out of 3. I am hoping they get promoted this season and be back on their way to the premiership. I really liked them back in the day under O'leary.

FINAL SCORES:

FC Sheriff 0 - 2 Olympiacos FC
[] [Dudu 46', Mitroglou 81']

FC København 1 - 0 APOEL FC
[Pospěch 54']

Celtic FC 0 - 2 Arsenal FC
[] [Gallas 43, G. Caldwell (o.g.) 71]

FC Timişoara 0 - 2 VfB Stuttgart
[] [Gebhart 28(pen), Hleb 30]

Sporting Clube de Portugal 2 - 2 ACF Fiorentina
[Vukčević 58, Miguel Veloso 66] [Vargas 6, Gilardino 79

Many away wins is making next week less interesting

Game simply boiled down to a difference in quality of players.

Fox has such a low footballing IQ. He has been making wrong decisions all night.

A goal from a deflection is always cruel, luckily it was close to half time. Now to see how celtic respond to it.
I expect Arsenal to slow mdown the pace, pseudo close shop, and look tpo catch them on the counter.

I have never liked 'obstruction' calls. What do they want - for the guy to get out of his way?

The pace of the game is very fast. Someone has to Bleep up soon

København told to get ruthless

Match preview
FC København coach Ståle Solbakken has warned his players they must take their chances against an APOEL FC side whose own trainer, Ivan Jovanović, is expecting a "difficult" assignment in the first leg of their play-off tie in Denmark.

Quotes
Ståle Solbakken, København coach: We're facing a very experienced team – they've got many different nationalities and their players are used to international football with their national sides. They are exceptional defensively, which will make it difficult for us, but over the two legs we have a fair chance of going through. I don't expect the tie to be decided tomorrow but if we can keep a clean sheet and score then I will be very pleased. We must be more clinical with our finishing than we have been so far this season – we have wasted too many chances, especially at home. Your defensive errors get punished more severely in Europe than domestically and the games are often decided by pieces of individual brilliance so we need to keep our composure and concentration for 90 minutes.

Ivan Jovanović, APOEL coach: When we drew FC København we knew immediately that we were up against opponents of great quality. They are one of the best sides in Scandinavia with great experience of playing in Europe. We have tried to get the best preparation possible but it will be difficult as they have a lot of skilled players. I like their style of football. They are attack-minded but still keep a tight organisation. I believe this tie is more difficult than our tie in the last round against [FK] Partizan, but our team are in good shape. We badly want to qualify for the group stage, and for that to happen we’ll need to stay focused for the entire match and keep our mistakes to a minimum.

Key stats
• Although, technically speaking, the sides have never met before, APOEL did face one of København's parent clubs, Boldklubben 1903, precisely 30 years ago. The merger of B1903 with Kjøbenhavns Boldklub in 1992 created the modern-day København, but prior to that, in 1979/80, B1903 took on APOEL in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup preliminary round. The Danish side won the first leg 6-0 at home on 15 August 1979 and completed a resounding aggregate triumph with a 1-0 victory in the return on 8 September.
• København's goal is to secure their first appearance in the group stage since they first made it through in 2006/07 by defeating Myllykosken Pallo-47 and AFC Ajax in successive qualifying rounds. Those triumphs reversed a trend that brought the Danish side defeats at the qualifying stage on four occasions (2001/02, 2003/04, 2004/05 and 2007/08).
• The Copenhagen side also fell short of the group stage in an earlier version of the competition format in 1993/94, losing 7-0 on aggregate to AC Milan in the second round.
• APOEL are looking to follow the lead of their compatriots Anorthosis Famagusta FC, who became the first Cypriot club to reach the UEFA Champions League proper last term.

How they reached the play-offs
• København swept aside Montenegro's FK Mogren 12-0 on aggregate in the second qualifying round before a more closely contested tie against Stabæk IF. The Danish champions won 3-1 in Copenhagen – Jesper Grønkjær and Cesar Santin the scorers – before holding on for a goalless draw in Norway.
• APOEL secured a surprise 2-1 aggregate success against FK Partizan in the third qualifying round. After a 2-0 home victory via goals from Nenad Mirosavljević and Marcin Żewłakow, Jovanović's men limited the Serbian titleholders to a single-goal victory in the return in Belgrade. They had earlier defeated Faroese side EB/Streymur 5-0 on aggregate in the second qualifying round.

Injury news
København
Out: None

APOEL
Out: None

Disciplinary information
København
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Mikael Antonsson, Mathias Jorgensen

APOEL
Suspended: Joost Broerse, Savvas Poursaitidis
Misses next match if booked: Nektarios Alexandrou, Marinos Satsias, Żewłakow

Last competitive results
15/08/09 København 0-1 AGF Århus (Danish Superligaen) (Graulund 33)

APOEL n/a

Did you know?
Both clubs competed in the UEFA Cup in 2008/09. København reached the Round of 32, while APOEL were knocked out in the first round.

http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/fixturesresults/round=2000027/match=2000347/report=pr.html

Olympiacos face Sheriff threat

Match preview
FC Sheriff coach Leonid Koutchouk may consider Olympiacos CFP as "the strongest opponents we could have drawn" but he refused to rule out an upset as he welcomed the Greek champions to Tiraspol with his side's sights set on becoming the first Moldovan team to reach the group stage.

Quotes
Leonid Koutchouk, Sheriff coach: Olympiacos were the strongest opponents we could have drawn, but it will make this tie even more interesting. We have played against similarly strong opponents in Europe several times and gained experience. I do not like it when people consider one side as favourites. Who would have imagined [FC] BATE Borisov reaching the group stage last season? We have raised our standards very high this season and now we can try to go higher. As for my suspension, we have an organised and disciplined team and my absence from the bench should not be a major factor.

Temuri Ketsbaia, Olympiacos coach: Sheriff are a very disciplined team, who are capable of punishing you for any mistakes. We should pay special attention to their set-pieces, which is one of their strong suits, but they also play good football and have fast strikers. We can't lose like last year – we have to make the group stage and we can't afford to underestimate our opponents. We will try to win the tie in the first leg and will do everything to achieve this goal, although a draw would not be the worst result.

Key stats
• Sheriff have already gone further than ever before by reaching this final hurdle in qualifying, but blocking their path are an Olympiacos side determined to make amends for missing out on the group stage last season.
• Olympiacos suffered a surprise loss to Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta FC in the 2008/09 third qualifying round, then the last step before the competition proper. If the Greek titleholders need reminding of that defeat, they do not have to look far, as their new coach Temuri Ketsbaia was in charge of Anorthosis at the time.
• Prior to that loss, Olympiacos had competed in the UEFA Champions League group stage for eleven consecutive seasons and they advanced to the last 16 in the 2007/08 season before losing to Chelsea FC.
• Sheriff fell in the second qualifying round for eight years running before this season, when the change in the qualifying format meant they entered the competition at that same stage.

How they reached the play-offs
• Sheriff beat FC International Turku 2-0 on aggregate in the second qualifying round, Alexandru Suvorov scoring from the penalty spot in both legs. They then secured their passage to the play-off round by defeating SK Slavia Praha on away goals following a 1-1 aggregate draw. José Nadson scored the decisive equaliser in Prague three minutes into added time to send the Moldovan champions through.
• Olympiacos entered the competition in the third qualifying round, where they recorded 2-0 victories both at home and away against ŠK Slovan Bratislava.

Injury news
Sheriff
Out: Abdul Mamah (hamstring), Nadson (knee)

Olympiacos
Out: None

Disciplinary information
Sheriff
Suspended: Koutchouk
Misses next match if booked: Benjamin Belima, Jymmy França, Abdul Mamah

Olympiacos
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Enzo Maresca

Did you know?
As a player, Olympiacos coach Ketsbaia once scored a winning goal in Moldova for his national team. Ketsbaia fired the only effort of the match as Georgia won a FIFA World Cup qualifier there in September 1997. He figured in two other internationals against Moldova: a 2-0 home win in that same World Cup qualifying competition and a 3-2 away loss in EURO '96™ qualifying in 1995.

http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/fixturesresults/round=2000027/match=2000344/report=pr.html

Sporting wary of Viola menace

Match preview
Sporting Clube de Portugal coach Paulo Bento admitted his team would have to step up a gear if they are to put aside their poor record against Serie A opposition and gain a first-leg advantage against play-off rivals ACF Fiorentina in Lisbon.

Quotes
Paulo Bento, Sporting coach: We want to win over the fans, we are not performing well and they
are not happy. To win without conceding would be ideal but if not, a 0-0 would not be a bad result. We will be facing a good side with strong collective organisation. Defensively they are always strong with good players up front. Against Italian sides having the ball is not a sign of control. They don't do that much but are always a step away from scoring and we have to prevent that by defending properly. Our aim is to impose our style of play and when we don't have the play to stop their key men giving us problems.

Cesare Prandelli, Fiorentina coach: We respect Sporting a lot. They have 50 years of history in European football. It will be an open tie and we don't feel we are favourites. Sporting play vertical football with lots of possession in midfield – they have good midfielders and attackers who play from deep. We are wary of them as a team rather than of any specific players, although they do have quality individuals. We've prepared in pre-season for these two matches and are very motivated to win through. With our new tactical approach [Cristiano Zanetti in place of Adrian Mutu] the team is better balanced and able to move the ball more quickly.

Key stats
• Sporting have a miserable record against Italian sides having won just four of 23 matches. They at least boast the upper hand at home courtesy of three wins, six draws and two defeats.
• Fiorentina's record in Portugal reads one win, no draws and two losses, and they have prevailed in just one two-legged tie against a Portuguese club, beating SL Benfica 2-1 on aggregate in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.
• Sporting are bidding to make their fourth consecutive group-stage appearance and have featured in the group stage five times overall. Their only previous experience of progressing through the qualifiers came against Beitar Jerusalem FC in 1997/98, while their two failures came against Italian sides – Udinese in 2005/06 and Inter three years before that.
• Fiorentina have twice appeared in the group stage, earning their place through qualifying on both occasions. They overcame SK Slavia Praha last season and RTS Widzew Łódź in 1999/2000.

How they reached the play-offs
• Runners-up in the Portuguese Liga last term, Sporting opened their bid against FC Twente in the third qualifying round. Following a goalless first leg in Lisbon, Twente took an early lead in the Netherlands but Sporting advanced on away goals after Peter Wisgerhof put through his own net in added time to make it 1-1.
• Prandelli's men booked their play-off round place by finishing fourth in Serie A last season, above Genoa CFC courtesy of a better head-to-head record.

Injury news
Sporting
Injured: Marat Izmailov (tendinitis)

Fiorentina
Injured: José Ignacio Castillo (meniscus)

Disciplinary information
Sporting
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Hélder Postiga, Miguel Veloso

Fiorentina
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none

Last competitive results:
15/08/09 CD Nacional 1-1 Sporting (Portuguese Liga)
(João Aurélio 27; João Aurélio og 75)

Fiorentina n/a

Did you know?
Sporting coach Paulo Bento played all 90 minutes and Viola striker Mutu was an unused substitute when Portugal downed Romania 1-0 at UEFA EURO 2000™.

http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/fixturesresults/round=2000027/match=2000352/report=pr.html

Timişoara target Stuttgart scalp

Match preview
FC Timişoara coach Ovidiu Ioan Sabau has called on his players to reproduce the heroics that toppled UEFA Cup holders FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the previous round when they take on Bundesliga challengers VfB Stuttgart in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off round tie.

Quotes
Ovidiu Ioan Sabau, Timişoara coach: We are a small and inexperienced team, but we have our strengths – first of all, our ambition. We will have to fight and to play as we did against Shakhtar and I am appealing to my players' intelligence, to their total commitment and their refusal to give up until the last second of the second leg. We have to be well-organised, and to do what we know, not try something else. Stuttgart are not a perfect team, they have their weaknesses, and it's up to us to exploit these weaknesses. Of course, having so few players at my disposal is not ideal but we don't want to look for excuses.

Markus Babbel, Stuttgart coach: We have the chance to fulfil a dream which we worked so hard for during the past six months. In the second half of last season we caught up with the teams above us to take third . Playing in the group stage would be amazing, but we know how good Timisoara are – they are well-organised and have some very skilful individuals and the fact that they eliminated the UEFA Cup holders speaks for itself. Tomorrow we will not sit back but will attack. It is an advantage to play the second leg at home but it would be a big mistake to rely on that. Timisoara proved against Shakhtar that they can play well away, too.

Key stats
• While Timişoara are newcomers to the competition, Stuttgart will be looking to earn a third tilt at the UEFA Champions League group stage after gaining automatic access in both 2003/04 and 2007/08.
• In their only other appearance, during the inaugural edition of the competition in 1992/93, they failed to reach the group stage under a different format, losing out to first-round opponents Leeds United AFC following a 2-1 play-off loss at Camp Nou.
• Stuttgart's sole previous encounter with a Romanian side ended in victory as they defeated FC Rapid Bucureşti 2-1 during the UEFA Cup group stage in 2005/06. Recent FC Bayern München signing Mario Gómez fired both their goals. Current Stuttgart coach Babbel contested the match as a player, while Timişoara duo Valentin Bădoi and Artavazd Karamyan turned out for Rapid.
• Stuttgart's Thomas Hitzlsperger and Timişoara's Bucur were on opposite sides when Germany beat Romania 3-1 in a friendly on 12 September 2007, though they were not on the pitch at the same time.

How they reached the play-offs
• Hosts Timişoara earned themselves a spot in the third qualifying round after finishing second in the Romanian Liga 1 last term, three points behind champions AFC Unirea Urziceni and two ahead of FC Dinamo 1948 Bucureşti. Their reward was a tough tie against Shakhtar, but after Gheorghe Bucur struck twice in Ukraine to seal a 2-2 draw, Sabău's troops then held on to a 0-0 stalemate at home to progress on away goals.
• Stuttgart ended their own domestic campaign in third spot to book a play-off round ticket, falling five points short of the tally amassed by Bundesliga champions VfL Wolfsburg and three short of Bayern.

Injury news
Timişoara
Out: Winston Parks (left knee), Srgian Luchin (adductor)
Doubtful: Alexandru Curtean (adductor), Dare Vršič (ankle)

Stuttgart
Out: Khalid Boulahrouz (shoulder), Roberto Hilbert (slipped disc), Martin Lanig (cruciate ligament), Ricardo Osorio (shoulder), Jan Šimák (back), Alexander Stolz (back), Christian Träsch (broken wrist)
Doubtful: none

Disciplinary information
Timişoara
Suspended: Alexandru Bourceanu
Misses next match if booked: Dan Alexa, Arman Karamyan, Artavazd Karamyan, Lukáš Magera, Stellian Stancu

Stuttgart
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none

Last competitive results:
14/08/09 Timişoara 1-0 FC Rapid Bucureşti (Romanian Liga 1)
(Karamyan 33)

15/08/09 Stuttgart 4-2 SC Freiburg (German Bundesliga)
(Pogrebnyak 53, Elson 65 (pen) 76, Schieber 88; Idrissou 70 85)

Did you know?
Former Romanian international forward Ioan Viorel Ganea played for both teams, turning out for Stuttgart between 1999 and 2003 and spending the 2007/08 campaign at Timişoara.

http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/fixturesresults/round=2000027/match=2000351/report=pr.html

Celtic geared for Gunners test

Match preview
Celtic FC have lost only once at home to English opposition before but manager Tony Mowbray is under no illusions about the size of his side's task against last term's beaten UEFA Champions League semi-finalists Arsenal FC in their cross-border play-off round contest.

Quotes
Tony Mowbray, Celtic manager: We are under no illusions, we are aware of the world-class players Arsenal have got. But we are looking forward to it and we have confidence. Arsenal are exceptionally good at keeping the ball and going forward but we are going to try and win. We lost the first match here against a very good [FC Dinamo Moskva] side and managed to win the away game. They might be tight games but let's hope it's a good game for British football. I don't think many teams, if any, can beat Arsenal at their own game yet every match has a different way of unfolding and we will see how this pans out.

Arsène Wenger, Arsenal manager: I still feel we are under pressure to perform because it is a massive game for us. On the other hand, you want games with this kind of pressure because you want the opportunity to show how good you are. We know we can gain respect if we perform against a team like Celtic because still many people expect a difficult game here. The atmosphere is always heated in Scotland but at the end of the day, it's eleven v eleven on the pitch and that's all that matters. We've been all over Europe in some very heated places and we know by experience that what matters is how we will play. If we can keep the atmosphere low-key it would be good and the only way to do that would be down to our performance.

Key stats
• Though these two sides have never met before, Celtic have enjoyed the better of their meetings with English teams on home soil, where their record reads four wins, three draws and one defeat.
• Celtic's most recent encounters with Premier League opposition came in UEFA Champions League Group E last term, when eventual finalists Manchester United FC followed a 3-0 home win with a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park.
• Arsenal have never faced Scottish opposition, but Gunners manager Arsène Wenger recorded a pair of league wins over Celtic counterpart Tony Mowbray last season, while the latter was in charge of West Bromwich Albion FC.
• An Arsenal legend as a player and current head of youth development at the club, Liam Brady managed Celtic from 1991-93.

How they reached the play-offs
• Runners-up in the Scottish Premier League last term, Celtic owe their place in the play-off round to Georgios Samaras's last-gasp strike at FC Dinamo Moskva, Scott McDonald having struck at the end of the first half as Celtic recorded a 2-0 victory following their 1-0 reverse in the opener.
• Arsenal enter the fray at this stage courtesy of their fourth-placed finish in the Premier League last season. The Gunners have contested eleven consecutive group stages, earning an automatic spot each time until 2006/07, when they defeated NK Dinamo Zagreb in qualifying. They then progressed past AC Sparta Praha in 2007/08 and FC Twente last term.

Injury news
Celtic
Out: Barry Robson (groin)
Doubtful: Glenn Loovens (knee), Shaun Maloney (unspecified)

Arsenal
Out: Johan Djourou (knee), Łukasz Fabiański (knee), Samir Nasri (broken leg), Tomáš Rosický (hamstring), Theo Walcott (back)
Doubtful: Cesc Fàbregas (hamstring), Bacary Sagna (unspecified), Denilson (groin)

Disciplinary information
Celtic
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Andreas Hinkel, Chris Killen, Landry Nguemo

Arsenal
Suspended: none
Misses next game if booked: none

Last competitive results
15/08/09 Aberdeen FC 1-3 Celtic (Scottish Premier League)
(Aluko 61; McGeady 29 42, McDonald 44)

15/08/09 Everton FC 1-6 Arsenal (English Premier League)
(Saha 90; Denilson 26, Vermaelen 37, Gallas 41, Fàbregas 48 70, Eduardo 89)

Did you know?
The only visiting team to have returned south of the border with a victory at Celtic Park were Nottingham Forest FC, 2-1 winners in the 1983/84 UEFA Cup third round.

http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/fixturesresults/round=2000027/match=2000350/report=pr.html