0 – 1
ITV Match Highlight
Archive for Aprile 6th, 2011
06
Apr
Chelsea v Manchester United
Moscow memories loom large
It remains a point of considerable frustration and regret at Stamford Bridge that in 2008, Chelsea came within one kick of becoming the first London side to win the European Cup, only to see John Terry slip and send his penalty against the post in a dramatic shoot-out. The image of the Chelsea captain with his head between his legs, praying for the sodden Moscow turf to envelop him, is an enduring one. Those memories will be rawer than usual when Manchester United and Chelsea meet in the Champions League once again on Wednesday.
The events of Moscow, where Roman Abramovich failed to secure the trophy he covets more than any other in his home country, loom large over Wednesday’s quarter-final, first-leg tie. Indeed, Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech said on Monday that “the records will say that [United] won the game, but they didn’t really win it”. Though managers and players rarely admit as much in public, revenge is very much on the agenda for a Chelsea side who saw their title challenge ended at the weekend. While the Blues have one solitary aim, United have an unprecedented second Treble still in their sights, but has their focus been disrupted by external pressures? The media storm caused by Wayne Rooney’s decision to swear into a TV camera in the 4-2 win over West Ham at the weekend has shown no signs of abating with the striker now subject to an FA charge.Doubt surrounds the participation of Rio Ferdinand, who is an outside chance to feature having suffered from a calf injury of late. Owen Hargreaves, John O’Shea, Rafael, Darren Fletcher, Anders Lindegaard and Wes Brown could all be absent, but goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar could return after missing the West Ham win.The balance of power between England’s two most successful sides of recent years may be firmly swinging towards United at present, but at least Chelsea approach the game in good health. Though David Luiz is cup-tied, only Yossi Benayoun and Alex are likely to be absent due to injury, meaning Carlo Ancelotti will be hopeful of improving on a run of form that reads four wins in 11 games. If they can do so, then perhaps a fraction of that hurt from 2008 will be erased. Just a fraction though.Chelsea player to watch: Nicolas Anelka. Successfully predicting the composition of Chelsea’s strike-force may be a thankless task at present. Anelka, Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres have all spent time on the bench of late, but the Frenchman certainly deserves a start having scored seven goals in the Champions League this season – only Mario Gomez, Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto’o have more. Anelka also has unfinished business against United in this competition as it was his failure to beat Van der Sar in the shoot-out that finally handed the Champions League trophy to United in 2008.Manchester United player to watch: Wayne Rooney. Who else could it be? The United striker has been a fixture on the back pages since he uttered an obscenity against West Ham, but the pertinent detail from the victory at Upton Park should actually be the fact that it witnessed a brilliant hat-trick from the forward, who all too often this season has been far below his best. Sir Alex Ferguson is likely to leave both Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov on the bench for the away leg and use Rooney as a lone striker, so the focus, as always, will be on the England man. Will he turn the air blue or enjoy a red letter day?Key battle: Jose Bosingwa v Nani. Chelsea sought to minimise the impact of Nani in their 2-1 victory in the league on March 1 by using the more defensively-minded Branislav Ivanovic at right back. However, with Luiz cup-tied the Serbia international will have to play alongside Terry in the centre of defence, meaning Bosingwa will instead be exposed to the pace and trickery of his Portugal team-mate. The Chelsea defender has a clearly-defined attacking streak and if he leaves space in behind, then Nani will exploit it to the full. Given he has scored nine goals and claimed 13 assists in the Premier League this season, the United star could be forgiven for feeling aggrieved at failing to make the shortlist for the PFA Player of the Year award. Nani is a huge threat.Trivia: Strangely enough, Manchester United have a superior record to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. They have won 31 times in West London, compared to 23 for Chelsea. There have been 19 draws.Stats: Manchester United have not enjoyed an away win over Chelsea for nine years. On April 20, 2002, Paul Scholes, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored in a 3-0 victory.Odds: Chelsea (2.10), the draw (3.20) and Manchester United (3.75) are on offer at bet365. Fernando Torres to score the first goal is 5.00.Prediction:
Credit: http://soccernet.espn.go.com
06
Apr
United train without Rooney
Manchester United have trained without striker Wayne Rooney ahead of their Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
As required by UEFA, United opened the doors of their Carrington training complex for the first 15 minutes of their pre-match session and Rooney, who will learn his fate later on Tuesday over a possible two-match ban for swearing, did not appear.
There was no official word from the Red Devils as to the reason for the 25-year-old England striker’s absence and it is still expected that he will play in the first leg.
However, it is possible that United wanted to keep him out of the spotlight as the club decide whether to contest an FA charge over his use of abusive language towards a cameraman in the 4-2 win at Upton Park this weekend. Rooney could be banned for the next Premier League game with Fulham and also the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City at Wembley if found guilty.
There was good news for United though as long-term absentees Rio Ferdinand and Anderson both trained, raising the likelihood that they will be involved at Chelsea as Sir Alex Ferguson’s men look to gain a positive result that would leave them well placed to secure a semi-final encounter with either Inter Milan or Schalke.
The second leg will played at Old Trafford next Tuesday.
Credit: http://soccernet.espn.go.com
06
Apr
Zanetti cannot explain loss
Inter captain Javier Zanetti said he “cannot understand” how the reigning European champions twice gave up leads in a 5-2 home defeat to Schalke.
Dejan Stankovic had given Inter the lead inside the first 30 seconds with a long-range volley and, while Joel Matip levelled, Diego Milito then restored Inter’s advantage from close range.
However, Inter’s gameplan unravelled when Edu made it 2-2 just before the break and in the second half Raul stabbed home from close range to make it 3-2.
Andrea Ranocchia’s own goal extended the visitors’ advantage before Cristian Chivu was sent off. Edu then scored again with a shot from outside the box to leave Inter needing to score at least four goals in Germany to progress.
“I cannot understand what happened,” Zanetti told Mediaset Premium. “I can’t even explain it to myself, let alone to you.
“We had a good start, then there was a black-out. Now we have to stay calm, look ahead and begin again by thinking positive. We’ve got to keep going, think of Serie A and then we’ll go to Germany to give it all we’ve got.”
Raul, meanwhile, was delighted with the way Schalke performed on the night.
“We played a fantastic game, just the perfect performance,” he said. “It’s not often you see five goals scored away from home in Europe, especially on the turf of the reigning champions, but there are another 90 minutes to go.
“The difference was above all in the second half, when we were superior and brought home the win. We’ll have to be very careful in the second leg, as eliminating Inter will not be easy.”
Credit: http://soccernet.espn.go.com
Commenti recenti