Celtic have been gifted a chance to make the knock-out stage of this season's Champions League
after being drawn in a group they are capable of overcoming. Neil Lennon's side will fancy their
chances against Benfica and Spartak Moscow, although a scalp over Barcelona may be beyond them.
Nevertheless, Group G looks like it will go down to the wire and Celtic, who beat Helsingborgs 4-0
on aggregate in the play-off round, are in with a chance of progressing to the latter stages.
TweetChelsea overcame Bayern Munich on penalties to be crowned champions of Europe in a match which
left In The Stands' Rolly Pelovangu all the more wiser. Home Advantage Meant Little Advantage For
Bayern Munich It was meant to be their final, on their ground, in their country. At 4/5 bookies
made Bayern Munich strong favourites [.
Below are predictions for the UEFA Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea on
Saturday, May 19, 2012.
Score
Bayern Munich 2-1 Chelsea Bayern have the home advantage and have been very impressive in the
Champions League this season. This combined with missing several key players due to suspensions
will be more than enough to give Bayern their fifth Champions League/European Cup.
Welcome to your Champions League Final Bumper Post, brought to you by the
squinting Fernando Torres and his post-flight mop. He brought just enough clothes
for the post-match dinner in Munich, so it looks like that epic house rave and beer fountain party
Jupp Heynckes has planned will only be attended by Mario Gomez (2
more goals, tipo, "zwei tore!
Members of Bayern Munich's squad and staff have aimed to settle debate surrounding whether or
not they are favorites for tomorrow's Champions League final against Chelsea.
In recent days, the likes of Michael Ballack and Petr Cech have stated that Bayern have an
emotional advantage as hosts, while Bastian Schweinsteiger has argued that the Blues' determination
to erase their 2008 heartbreak gives them the emotional edge.
This Saturday sees the culmination of the European football season - the UEFA Champions League
final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea. Few would have predicted these two sides to meet in the
final but what about predicting the winner? Are Chelsea's name on the cup? Will Bayern's home
advantage count?
There's eight matches on the last matchday of the season in the Spanish Primera Division (La
Liga) on May 13, 2012.
Espanyol v Sevilla
Both are in the middle of the table and in no danger of relegation. Sevilla could still qualify
for a Europa League spot but won't be favored on the road in this match.
Chelsea interim manager Roberto DiMatteo is excited about facing Bayern Munich in the UEFA
Champions League final next month but has warned that the German giants can prove to be trickier
opponents than Spanish champions-elect Real Madrid due to their home advantage.
The Madrid side was considered a heavy favorite to meet holders Barcelona in an El Clasico final
on May 19 but Bayern and DiMatteo's men flipped the script on the La Liga sides, booking a surprise
final date of their own.
Real Madrid 2-1 Bayern Munich (Agg 3-3) (Bayern win 3-1 on pens) Champions League 25th
April '12
That high-pitched screaming you can hear in the distance is UEFA bigwig Michel Platini howling
at the Gods for not giving him the El Clasico final he and his fellow UEFA suits so desperately
wanted.
Bayern Munich hosts Augsburg, Dortmund travels to Wolfsburg, and much more in the German
Bundesliga on Saturday, April 7, 2012.
Bayern Munich v Augsburg
A critical match for Bayern who trail Dortmund by three points at the top of the table. Augsburg
are in a fight to avoid relegation but need something magical to get a result at the Allianz
Arena.
Free £50 Bet for All New Paddy Power Customers Chelsea v Spurs "‘Arry for England" is a less
regular chant at White Hart Lane of late as Spurs have slid out of the title race and are now in
danger of sliding right out of the Champions League places. A win for Chelsea will bring [...]
Chelsea face a mountain of a task in overturning their 3-1 deficit when Napoli come calling at
the Stamford Bridge tomorrow night. The Blues who have picked up 2 wins since Di Matteo took over
from AVB close to two weeks ago, will be hoping that home advantage works in their favour.
Of course it will be a sensational win for Chelsea if they turn around the result and make it to
the quarters.
Good news for Coach Allegri and Milan fans as Alessandro Nesta, Kevin Prince Boateng and Alexa
Pato all resumed training today ahead of their Champions League first leg knockout match against
Arsenal on Wednesday.
With both teams coming off late winners in their weekend league fixtures, it will be interesting
to see how they both approach the game.
Its a busy time of the "summer", orange fans. I put sarcastic quotation marks around "summer"
because I am starting my fourth week of school, without a shred of sympathy for grade school
children bemoaning the end of their breaks. Also, I'm a bit scienced-out for the week, so I'm going
to let Opta add the science to the beautiful game as long as everyone is cool with that.
"There is no wind in the new stadium, none. It's an oven, so it kind of sucks for the other team
coming in because they're going to die." -Geoff Cameron
Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey has expressed his delight at becoming a part of Great Britain's
Olympics football team this summer and feels that the event would offer a "once-in-a-lifetime
experience."
Ramsey, 21, was selected by manager Stuart Pearce as one of the 18 members of his final squad
and the Welshman is excited to link up with his teammates this weekend to prepare for Team GB's
July 26 kick-off against Senegal.
And so it begins. Three and a half weeks of what promises to be a highly entertaining European
Championships. As usual, I'll be making my predictions below, and putting my money where my mouth
is with a few bets. Well, I say putting my money where my mouth is, I'm only staking £1/£2 each
time, so I'm hardly backing my judgment with a great deal of confidence.
OTP gives you the lowdown on all the Euro 2012 teams. 10 word description: Lowly hosts banking on
home advantage and a decent draw. Coach: Franciszek Smuda The 63-year-old veteran has been in the
post since 2009. He's coached in Germany's lower leagues and if you're a Polish club and he hasn't
managed you, you're [.
Two reasons why Liverpool and United will beat Arsenal and Tottenham - originally posted on
Soccerlens.com
Some superb action on Sky Sports this weekend with Liverpool playing host to Arsenal and
Manchester United squaring off against Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Here's a look at each game
(plus West Brom v Chelsea) and the best betting odds for them.
Confidence is low and depression reigns supreme on the Arsenal forums ahead of the latest North
London Derby. They don't think they have the creativity in midfield to out do ours, and the
certainly don't think that their cobbled together defence will be able to stop the likes of Bale
and Lennon from getting crosses into the box.
It's been depressing few weeks for Portland Timbers fans, no doubt about it. The recent loss to
the LA Galaxy was just the latest of a series of ordeals that has been bringing us all down for
quite a while now. But the good thing about soccer is that there are multiple ways to bring about a
revival of performance and spirits.
Chicago Fire technical director and head coach Frank Klopas has put together a team that fits a
certain style. This Fire squad is designed to exploit wide open spaces with their speed. The team
benefits most when referees keep their whistle at their side. When a game becomes more free
flowing, Chicago becomes more likely to catch the other team out of place and burn them on the
counter attack.
The 2012 Cascadia Cup competition begins this weekend with a very different set of expectations
than were present a year ago. Seattle and Vancouver have two of the best defenses in the Western
Conference right now, Seattle having allowed only four goals so far. Vancouver barely eke out the
rest of the pack with 11 goals allowed, albeit in fewer matches than San Jose and RSL.
Whether the pure standings, MLS Power Rankings or those from SB Nation Soccer the West is still
seen as a cut above, even after the Colorado Rapids and Portland Timbers both laid road eggs. The
fact is that only the Chicago Fire is both east of the Mississippi and earning two points a match
or more.
After a four-year wait, the European Championship returns with perhaps more interest level and
excitement than ever before. The defending champion Spain is tipped to go all the way once again
but there are 15 competitors ready to give the Spaniards a run for their money.
One of the brilliant aspects of Euro 2012 is the balance within each of the four groups that
will battle it out from today (June 8) to the tournament final in Kiev on July 1.
OTP gives you the lowdown on all the Euro 2012 teams. 10 word description: Hosts hoping home
advantage will help overcome patchy recent form. Coach: Oleg Blokhin The former Dynamo Kiev and
Soviet Union striker is back for a second stint in charge of Ukraine. He enjoyed success between
2003 and 2007, albeit with a [.
Whether you are a Manchester United supporter or not, it's hard to argue with their ability to
grind out results.
Sir Alex Ferguson and his 19 titles would be tough to refute in a debate, but when you look
closely, you can see that at the core of the club's long run of success is the mental toughness
needed to fight through rigid fixtures and tough opposition.
Some sad news for all Villa and England fans as Darren Bent has been uled out for the rest of
the season and possibly the Euro's after rupturing ankle ligaments. It is believed that Bent
sustained the injuries during Villa's barren draw with Wigan over the weekend.
Of course this is a big blow to England's Euro hopes if Bent fails to recover in time and for
stuart Pearce, this could not have come at a worse time as he prepares to lead his squad against
the Netherlands in a friendly at Wembley tomorrow night.
At last we hear that AVB has an angry side with his players aswell as the media!. Up till now we
have only seen his angered response to some lines of questioning during pre or post match press
conferences when speaking to the media or the written press. It seems as though he let the players
see the exact same side after defeat to United on Sunday.
Real Madrid hosts Valencia, Sevilla faces Athletic Bilbao, and much more in the Spanish Primera
Division (La Liga) on Sunday, April 8, 2012.
Levante v Atletico Madrid
Both teams are battling for a spot in Europe including Levante who could move up to 4th place
with a win. Levante haven't been great in recent matches while Atletico are winless in their last
five away matches.
Look at this game as a weather gauge. On the one hand, the Colorado Rapids are a squad that are
historically tough to beat at home. Going back to 2008, their record is 30-11-22 at Dick's Sporting
Good Park but 17-31-16 on the road. On the other hand, this is a team that is in some flux with a
new head coach, new defensive winger, new midfielder, and a new forward.
Finally, tidings of genuine optimism and joy. Of our eight remaining games the highest-placed
opponent is Sunderland, while l'Arse still have to face Man City, Chelski and Stoke (on top of
their bonus defeat to Adel Taraabt and chums yesterday).
Our remaining games won't win themselves, and in recent weeks the absence of Lennon coupled with
central deployment of Bale has hardly helped matters.
