UEFA Champions League - Match Day 3 Preview
The UEFA Champions League will return to fray tonight with another host of mouth watering clashes. A total of 32 teams will be involved on match day 3 which will be split into two halves.
Eight matches would be played on 19th of October 2010 while another eight will take place on 20th.
Groups E to H will play their matches tonight while Groups A to D will take their turn on October 20.
October 19:
Group E - Roma vs. Basel, Bayern vs. CFR Cluj
Bayern Munich sit at the top of the group table with two wins from two games while Roma and Cluj are tied on 3 points each. Roma’s domestic form of late has been abysmal but Claudio Ranieri will still be hoping that his side turns things around tonight with
a win against FC Basel of Switzerland.
A win for Roma tonight will take them one step closer to qualification for the next round while a loss will make it almost impossible for them to qualify. In the other match, Bayern can all but make sure of their progress to the next round with a win against
CFR Cluj of Romania.
Group F - Spartak Moskva vs. Chelsea, Marseille vs. Žilina
Chelsea are the group leaders with two wins out of two matches while they are joined on six points by the surprise package, Spartak Mocow with only goal difference separating the two sides. French giants, Marseille will be all but knocked out of the competition
if they fail to win tonight at Stamford Bridge.
A win for Spartak or else Chelsea will put them in pole position for qualification to the next round. Marseille have lost both of their opening fixtures against Spartak and Zilina. They need to get their act together or else they will be left contemplating
another trophy-less season.
Group G - Ajax vs. Auxerre, Real Madrid vs. Milan
The mother of all clashes will be played at Santiago Barnabeau tonight with the 9-time winners, Real Madrid taking on 7-time winners, AC Milan. Madrid are at the top of the group with 6 points while AC have 4 points.
The last time these two sides met was at the knock out stages of the competition where AC outclassed Real and send them packing out. Madrid will now be looking to avenge that pre-quarter defeat tonight and AC are surely aware of that.
Ajax only have one point from two games and tonight’s game at Amsterdam Arena is a must win for the Dutch side.
Group H - Braga vs. Partizan, Arsenal vs. Shakhtar Donetsk
Arsenal’s wounded soldier, Eduardo will make an emotional return to the Emirates three months after leaving the club with the Ukrainian side, Shakhtar Donetsk to play the gunners in a mouth watering group H clash. The situation in this group is exactly the
same as group F’s, where two teams are on six points and a win will all but make sure of their progress tonight but the problem is that tonight they will play against each other.
Arsenal and Shakhtar are tied on 6 points in the group while Braga and Partizan are yet to open their accounts in the competition and tonight’s encounter in Portugal is a must win for both the sides. Braga will be slight favourites tonight but the Serbians
on their day can be a match for any side in the world.
The matches to be played tomorrow are:
Group A
Internazionale vs. Tottenham
Twente vs. Bremen
Group B
Schalke vs. H. Tel-Aviv
Lyon vs. Benfica
Group C
Rangers vs. Valencia
Man. United vs. Bursaspor
Group D
Panathinaikos vs. Rubin
Barcelona vs. København
Tags: