Champions League Match Day 4 - Preview of Groups A and B
Its Match day 4 of the Champions League and for many of the sides, its revenge time as teams will come up against the same opponents as they did on Match day 3.
The chase for a place in the knock out phase of the Champions League is heating up as many of the teams are only a win away from guaranteeing themselves a place in the last 16 of the Europe’s elite.
A total of 8 matches will be played on Match day 4 and below is a preview of the matches to be played in group A and B:
Group A:
Tottenham Hotspur vs Inter Milan
Werder Bremen vs FC Twente
The plum tie of Match day 4 will be played in London where Tottenham Hotspurs will host the defending champions, Inter Milan at White Hart Lane. After having almost made an improbable comeback in the last game when they came back from 4-0 down to finish
4-3 on the night with a magical hat trick by Gareth Bale, they will be hoping to take their revenge tonight on home soil.
Rafael Van der Vaart will not be available for the game tonight so Luka Modric will have to lead the duties from the centre of the pitch while Gareth Bale will again have a license to roam free down the flanks.
A win for Inter tonight will guarantee their participation in the knock out phase of the competition while a loss for Spur will make matters difficult for Spurs.
The fixture will also see the former Liverpool manager returning to England for the first time since leaving the job at Anfield and he will be hoping that he can mark his return with a win.
In the other match of the group, Werder Bremen will host the Dutch side, FC Twente and a win will be absolutely crucial for both sides as they only have two points so far in the group from three games. One more defeat for any of the two will spell doomsday
for that club.
Clubs
Pld
W
D
L
F
A
+/-
Pts
1
FC Internazionale Milano
3
2
1
0
10
5
5
7
2
Tottenham Hotspur FC
3
1
1
1
9
7
2
4
3
SV Werder Bremen
3
0
2
1
3
7
-4
2
4
FC Twente
3
0
2
1
4
7
-3
2
Group B:
Benfica vs Olympique Lyon
Hapoel Tel-Aviv vs Schalke
In Group B, Lyon have 9 points out of 9 after winning all of their three previous fixtures. Only a draw will be enough for the French side to progress to the next round and render the remaining two fixtures of the group useless.
Benfica, on the other hand, have only 3 points and a win tonight will still keep their fortunes in their own hands. Benfica will be hoping that their attackers, Falcao and Hulk, who have been misfiring in the tournament so far, find their goal scoring touch
in front of the home fans tonight and help their side gain much needed three points at the Stadio Dragao.
Meanwhile, Hapoel Tel-Aviv will try to achieve a great escape after still being pointless. The Israeli side must win against Schalke in order to avoid an embarrassing early exit from the competition.
They will be heartened by Bundesliga side's poor domestic form. Schalke are currently second from the bottom in their domestic league, winning just once in 10 games this season.
Schalke have 6 points from three games in the group while Tel Aviv are yet to open their account. Anything less than a win tonight will surely eliminate the Israelis from the competition.
Clubs
Pld
W
D
L
F
A
+/-
Pts
1
Olympique Lyonnais
3
3
0
0
6
1
5
9
2
FC Schalke 04
3
2
0
1
5
2
3
6
3
SL Benfica
3
1
0
2
2
4
-2
3
4
Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC
3
0
0
3
2
8
-6
0
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