Champions League Match Day 4 (Nov 3rd, 2010) - Preview of Groups G and H
Group G:
AC Milan vs. Real Madrid
AJ Auxerre vs. AFC Ajax
Last night, it was Inter Milan vs. Tottenham that was the marquee fixture but the match tonight dwarfs the criticality of the tie as the two of the greatest teams in the history of Europe go head to head for yet another time in the competition.
Real Madrid and AC Milan have won 16 titles between them, more than any other team and tonight Jose Mourinho’s men will travel to San Siro to take on the Rosseneri at their own den.
On Match Day 4, Real ran riot at the Santiago Barnabeau when just a minute of madness by Cristiano Ronaldo settled the tie in favour of the Les Meringues.
Tonight, the Milan defenders will have the unenviable task of trying to stop a raging bull in Cristiano Ronaldo who has recently found his goal scoring touch and is causing havoc all around.
Ronaldo has now scored 10 goals in his last 4 league fixtures and will prove to be a handful for the ageing legs of Milan defenders tonight if they are not on their toes.
The Rosseneris will have to make sure that they do not suffer the same fate as Inter as they look to take the next stop towards the qualification into the last 16.
The group is quite tight as Milan ad Ajax are both tied on 4 points. With Ajax travelling to France to take on Auxerre, who are pointless after three matches, both the ties of this group will have dire repercussions for the losers.
A win for both Ajax and Milan is of extreme importance as it will be an uphill task for both if they lose tonight but the task for either side will not be easy as both the teams will be facing stiff oppositions.
Clubs
Pld
W
D
L
F
A
+/-
1
Real Madrid CF
3
3
0
0
5
0
5
9
2
AC Milan
3
1
1
1
3
3
0
4
3
AFC Ajax
3
1
1
1
3
4
-1
4
4
AJ Auxerre
3
0
0
3
1
5
-4
0
Group H:
Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Arsenal
Partizan Belgrade vs. SC Bragahttp://www.espnstar.com/football/champions-league/news/detail/item524422/Rubin-Kazan-vs-Panathinaikos-Preview/
Group H of Champions League is also tight as Arsenal are leading with a 100% record and 9 points but below them are Shakhtar Donetsk on 6 points followed closely by SC Braga with 3.
Arsenal will travel to Ukraine to take on Shakhtar and a win or a draw will be enough for them to qualify for the last 16.
Arsenal will be without their midfield talisman, Cesc Fabregas who is out injured but they will hope to continue their goal glut that has seen them score 14 goals in the three outings in this competition.
In the other game of the group, Partizan Belgrade will host SC Braga knowing that anything less than a win will end their stint in the competition.
If Shakhtar lose and Braga win, they both will be tied on 6 points and all will depend on the Match Day 5 when the two teams meet for a feisty encounter.
Partizan can still mathematically qualify for the last 16 but it will not be an easy task as Braga are the form team in Portugal and will prove to be a tough nut to crack for the Serbians.
Clubs
Pld
W
D
L
F
A
+/-
1
Arsenal FC
3
3
0
0
14
2
12
9
2
FC Shakhtar Donetsk
3
2
0
1
5
5
0
6
3
SC Braga
3
1
0
2
2
9
-7
3
4
FK Partizan
3
0
0
3
1
6
-5
0
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