Sporting Portugal

Sporting beat Benfica 1-0 in the Lisbon derby of the Portuguese League.

The result moves the Lions up to fourth place in the league and leaves the Eagles four points back and that much farther from the title.

The game was divided in the first few minutes. But Sporting striker Ricky van Wofswinekl scored a penalty after 18 minutes and bewildered Benfica, who never managed to find ways for a goal to get past Portuguese International goalkeeper Rui Patricio.

Sporting, thereafter, dominated the rest of the game.

In the second half, Sporting saw the most success and scoring opportunities. Benfica stopper Arthur—who had decisive interventions—and Wolfswinkel—who failed to score twice while isolated one-on-one—were primarily reasons for the result at 1-0.

In the match Dutch midfielder Schaars and Izmailov (shot on the bar) could have scored for Sporting. 

While Benfica had only one blatant opportunity for Maxi Pereira, who Sporting defender Insúa saved practically on the line.

A big win for the Alvalade residents, who showed a little superiority and confidence after advancing in the semifinals of the Europa League, passed Metalist and now onto face Athletic Bilbao.

FC Porto is delighted with the result and will now see Benfica at four points from them in the Portuguese league.

Former Sporting player and Athletic Director Sa Pinto rejoiced with the win and expressed his happiness with the three points.

When all was said and done, Sporting ruled Lisbon for the night but still have pivotal matches against Porto and Braga to close out the season.

Bayern have lost three out of four matches after the winter break while Sporting will be playing at home after a confident win against SL Benfica. However Sporting have a daunting task as they have to overcome injured and battered lions, FC Bayern Munich.

So, who is going to take the advantage into the second league, Sporting or Bayern?

 

League Form: Bayern have been slumping in the league. Their loss percentage is 75 and win percentage a mere 25 at the moment in the Bundesliga. Whether it’s luck or poor displays, Bayern just can’t win!

Even Koln coach Christoph Daum said that he hopes Bayern don’t lose again! Bayern have lost five matches in total in the league, the other two prior to the winter break.

They have 38 points from 21 games, which they definitely shouldn’t be content with. Sporting on the other hand sit third with 34 points from 18 matches in their league and have lost four matches so far.

European form: Bayern and Liverpool are joint leaders as far as points are concerned. Bayern gained 14 points from six matches with four wins and two draws.

Miro Klose is the joint leader of the scorer’s table with five goals while Ribery is top on the assists lists. Sporting on the other hand were at the wrong end of an embarrassing 5-2 scoreline against Barca, that too, at home.

They beat Basel and Shaktar and lost at the Nou Camp, 1-3. They collected 12 points and finished second in their group.

Previous Results

2006-'07 Champions League Group Stage:

Sporting 0:1 Bayern

Bastian Schweinsteiger scored the sole goal of the match and he also got himself sent off in the game.

Bayern 0:0 Sporting

The return leg at the Allianz Arena ended goalless as Bayern had already qualified for the knock-out stages.

Judging by these results, it’s hard to bet against Bayern. Also, in 20 matches against Portuguese opposition, Bayern have won 11, drawn eight and lost only once. The loss dates back to the 1986-87 season against FC Porto.

In their last meeting against Portuguese opposition, Bayern drew 1-1. The match was against SC Braga and the scorer of Bayern’s goal was Miroslav Klose.

Team News

Sporting: Helder Postiga is out injured and will most probably miss the tie. This is a piece of bad news for the Portuguese as Postiga had faced many Bayern players including Miro Klose, Schweini, Lukas Podolski and Philipp Lahm in the quarter finals of the Euros as well as Hamit Altintop in the group stages.

Joao Moutinho had played against these players as well. Otherwise, Miguel Veloso, Adrien and Rui Patricio are doubts ahead of the fixture.

Bayern: Luca Toni is out injured at the moment but should be able to play in the tie. Otherwise, Bayern have no injury worries. Klinsmann had also rested Lucio and allowed Daniel Van Buyten to play against Koeln as preparation for this match.

If Luca Toni does make the tie, he will definitely start the match

Manager and Player Quotes after the draw in Nyon, Switzerland

Jürgen Klinsmann: “It’s not a bad draw, we’ve come out of it very well. But we mustn’t underestimate the Portuguese. Clubs from Portugal have caused a real stir in recent years. But our goal is the quarter-finals, and we have a very good chance of making it.”

Mark van Bommel: “I think Sporting is a good draw for us. We’ll have to put up a real fight in Lisbon. But in the return, in front of what will definitely be a 66,000 full house at the Allianz Arena, we’ll hopefully wrap it up and go through.“

Miroslav Klose: “We can be happy, it could have been a lot worse. We can knock Lisbon out of Europe. I reckon our group opponents Lyon will be very angry at missing out on first place, as they’ve now got Barcelona.”

Philipp Lahm: “Think about who else was in the draw: Inter, Chelsea, Real – so we can be really pleased. Sporting Lisbon is a team Bayern can knock out and I’m very optimistic, although we must never underestimate Portuguese teams. They can play a bit, they’re technically strong and good on the ball.”

Paulo Bento (Sporting coach): “Bayern will be tough opponents. They have real class in their team, they’re technically skilled and physically strong. It’ll be a cracking duel, and we’re looking forward to both matches. It was pretty even when we played Bayern two years ago, so I’m confident we have a chance, although Bayern start as favourites.”

Strengths and Weaknesses

Sporting: Sporting can score goals but they can concede as well. They scored in all their matches in the group stage but conceded eight against Barca over the course of two legs. Thus the defenders will have to be wary of Ribery, Klose and even Lahm as almost all of the Bayern squad are capable of scoring goals.

The key for Sporting will be try to control the midfield or to try and hit Bayern on the counter. Bayern have shown their weakness in counter attacks. They have conceded a lot of goals from counter attacks and this was one of the main reasons of their losses against Hertha and Koeln.

I would say that Sporting's main strengths lie in midfield where Joao Moutinho and Miguel Veloso are two key men.

Bayern: It’s too easy to understand Bayern’s strengths and weaknesses from their league matches. They are strong in midfield and attack. Their strikers are accomplished and their midfield tricky.

However, the worst thing about Bayern is their leaky defence and their habit of easily getting caught out in counter-attacks. The defence better shape up or else it will have trouble dealing with Sporting.

Michael Rensing himself said that he is sick of his defence’s constant errors. The team could definitely do without them. The habit of conceding goals due to a defender slipping or some other comical incident is no longer laughable and it’s an error that must be cut down.

In their four league matches, Bayern have found the net five times but have conceded six. The gaps at the back must be mended!

 

Players to Watch

Sporting: Miguel Veloso and Derlei

Both these guys are influential players for Sporting, one from the midfield, the other up front. I won’t be surprised to see either of them getting on the scoresheet on Wednesday night.

Bayern: Miroslav Klose and Michael Rensing

Klose is one of the top-scorers of the competition and Rensing is the best keeper. Both these guys will have to work really hard to make sure that Bayern take advantage for the second leg. Klose’s hit a rich vein of form lately and might score.

Rensing on the other hand was one of the key reasons behind which Bayern conceded only four goals in the group stage.

Prediction: Bayern have lost too many matches to lose again. They are however yet to lose in Europe and unless they concede “freak-goals”, I don’t see them losing. I am going to go with a draw rather than a Bayern win due to Bayern’s habits (and Sporting’s habits) of conceding goals far too easily.

I don't think Bayern will underestimate Sporting after losses against Hamburg, Hertha and Koeln!

Final Score: Sporting 2-2 Bayern

• Falkirk striker Pedro Moutinho is set to move back to his homeland and sign for Maritimo. (Sky Sports News)

• West Ham’s bid to take Juventus striker Davide Lanzafame on a season loan, looks in doubt after Palermo asked for fifty percent of his rights in the deal to take Amauri to the Stadio Delle Alpi. (Sky Sports News)

• Inverness striker Dennis Wyness has signed for St Mirren on a two year contract. (Sky Sports News)
  

• Portsmouth are interested in Rennes’ Ghanaian defender John Mensah and Tottenham’s France U-21 defender Younes Kaboul. Rennes are already looking at bringing in Dynamo Kiev’s Pape Diakhate as a replacement. (Sky Sports News)

• Manchester United want to sign French youngsters Jeremy Helen and Daniel Situ. Both players are France U-16 Internationals, and are currently contracted to Rennes and Lens respectivately, although are looking at loop holes in their pre-contracts with the French clubs. (L’Equipe)

• Napoli’s Slovakian midfielder Marek Hamsik has no intention of moving to Liverpool this summer. Despite reported interest from the reds. (Daily Mail)

• Manchester City are reportively lining up big money moves for Espanyol’s Argentine midfielder Pablo Zabaleta for around fifthteen million and Zenit St Petersburg’s Russian International Andrei Arshavin for around twelve million. (Club Call and the Sun)

• Barcelona are going to attempt to swap Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o for Inter Milan’s Romanian captain Christian Chivu, to bulk up there defence. (Football Italia)

• Everton are after CSKA Moscow’s Brazilian defender Dudu, who spent last season on loan at Valencia. The full back would be available for around eight million. (Club Call)

• Another player that has no interest in moving to Liverpool is Wigan’s Ecuadorian winger Antonio Valencia, who wants to stay at the JJB. (Various)

• But Rafael Benitez is on the lookout for back up for Pepe Reina, with Scott Carson set to sign permantley for Aston Villa and Charles Itandje set to leave.  Possible targets are Newcastle’s Steve Harper, Birmingham’s Northern Ireland international Maik Taylor and Bordeaux’s Ulrich Rame. (Daily Mail)

• Swansea City are set to sign Southend United captain Mark Gower. (Vitalfootball.com)

• Northern Ireland striker Warren Feeney is set to leave Cardiff City for league one side Millwall. (Various)

• Rangers are taking a look at Hearts full back Lee Wallace, with a view to signing him in the summer. (The Sun)

• Tottenham boss Juande Ramos is looking at Seville striker Luis Fabiano and Real Zaragoza’s Diego Milito after failing in a bid to sign Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o. (Daily Mirror)

• Roy Hodgson is keen on bringing back Liverpool full back Steve Finnan to Fulham. The former Ireland international is believed to be available for two million this summer. (Daily Mirror)

• Bolton and Middlesbrough are tracking Sporting Lisbon striker Simon Vukcevic. (Daily Mail)

• Ajax striker Jan Klaus Huntelaar has left the door open for a possible transfer away for Amsterdam in the summer. The Dutch international said “I am playing in the Dutch squad and the rest is not in my hands.”

• Alan Curbishly is prepared to sell star striker Dean Ashton and defender Anton Ferdinand, to bank roll moves for Newcastle defender Steven Taylor, and Everton striker Andrew Johnson. (Daily Mirror)

• Former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will take over the red devil’s reserve team next season. (Daily Mirror)

• Former Wycombe manager Paul Lambert is in line for the Leicester job or the Motherwell job if Mark McGhee leaves for Hearts. (Various)

• Real Madrid have joined inter Milan in the race to sign Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb. (Sky Sports News)

• Liverpool are close to signing Udinese left back Andrea Dossena for eight million, although both Juventus and Tottenham are waiting in the wings, to sign the Italy cap. (Gazette delle Sport)

• Ajax and Liverpool are both interested in signing highly rated French youngster Sofiane Feghouli from recently promoted Grenoble. (Sky Sports News)

• Southampton will make a move for Sam Allardyce to be there new boss if Leon Crouch and Rupert Lowe resume power at St Mary’s. (Daily Mirror)

• Former Newcastle coach John Carver, now manager of Toronto, wants to bring former charge Shola Ameobi to Canada. (Daily Mirror)

• Manchester City will try and sign Real Betis’ Portuguese International goalkeeper Ricardo if Luiz Fellipe Scolari takes over at Eastlands. (Daily Mirror)

• Portsmouth are in the running to sign Paris St Germain’s highly rated French teenage striker Gael N’Lundulu. (Daily Mirror)

• Everton and Manchester City will battle it out to sign CSKA Moscow striker Jo

this summer. (Sky Sports News)

Honestly, I don't know where to start. Rangers have beaten Sporting 2-0 in Lisbon and are through to the semi finals of the UEFA Cup!

Last weeks 0-0 first leg result at Ibrox had left this tie wide open, but it was Rangers who took advantage of some slack Portuguese defending to break the hearts of the young Sporting side.

Rangers drafted in Christain Dailly to replace the suspended David Weir in the only change from last weeks first leg. Sporting also made a change to their defence with centre back Periera Gladstone coming into the line up.

The Gers started the game expertly by holding onto the ball and playing some great football. It must be said, the pitch was perfect for it, but good football hadn't really been Rangers forte this season.

In a tight first half both sides had chances but it was Sporting who came closest, striking Alan McGregor's left hand upright!

50% possession for Rangers was telling in how well they were actually playing. I don't remember a European game at home or away this season when they've had that much of the possession. Rangers were playing well.

The light blues didn't start the second half so well however and were penned into their own half for the first 15 minutes. Crucially, Sporting were unable too nick the goal they needed.

Just when it looked like Rangers had decided to sit in for the evening, a long ball bounced over the top of the Sporting defence. Jean Claude Darcheville headed down for Steven Davis who in turn played it back, square across the goal to the Frenchman, who calmly slotted Rangers into the lead!

Rangers were in dreamland! I simply couldn't believe it.

Sporting now needed two goals in the final half hour to topple the men from Glasgow!

Sporting threw the kitchen sink at Rangers and to be honest, came really close on numerous occasions to that equalizing goal. Funnily enough though, Rangers remained calm throughout, just like a team that new their fate.

That fate was well and truly decided in the final minute. Shortly after the Rangers sub Daniel Cousin had a good chance saved, fellow substitute Steven Whittaker won the ball just inside his own half and ran at the Sporting defence.

The young Scot just ran and ran before using Cousins run as a decoy to slip past the last defender and slot home what must surely go down as one of Rangers all time great European goals.

Rangers were in the semi finals!

We have a few problems for the next round as Captain Barry Ferguson picked up a needless booking and will miss the first leg of the semi final at Ibrox. He will be joined on the sidelines by the excellent Kevin Thomson, who also picked up his second yellow card of the latter stages.

Those though are thoughts for another day, Rangers are through!

Apart from Lyon (3-0 win away) earlier this season I don't remember a day when I was more proud of my beloved Glasgow Rangers.

We were class tonight and fully deserved to go through.

In the game Rangers would have been keeping a close eye on, Fiorentina dumped PSV out of the UEFA Cup 2-0 in Eindhoven, with two goals from Adrian Mutu.

Zenit St Petersburg crashed to a 1-0 defeat at home to Bayer Leverkusen. The Russians though still comfortably progressed 4-2 on aggregate.

So Rangers have semi final UEFA Cup action at Ibrox for the first time in 36 years, They welcome Italians Fiorentina to Scotland for the first leg but Rangers surely fear nothing now.

In the immortal words of any true Glaswegian... Mon Then!!!

After a fairly controversial week in the UEFA Champions League, it’s time to look ahead to the business end of the UEFA Cup.

Glasgow Rangers travel to Portugal to meet Sporting Lisbon while Bayern Munich head to Spain with it all to do against Getafe. Zenit St Petersburg, welcome a badly beaten Bayer Leverkusen to Russia while PSV Eindhoven are at home to Fiorentina.

Sporting Lisbon are urging their fans to buy more tickets as Scots start to arrive in the Portuguese capital. The Estadio Jose Alvalade is reportedly, far from sold out, with thousands of Scots making the journey and more than willing to snap up tickets.

The last thing Sporting need is a repeat of the EURO 2008 qualifier between France and Scotland. The Tartan Army took over the ground and cheered Scotland on to a famous 1-0 victory.

Rangers have received a boost for Thursday night’s clash with Carlos Cueller expected to be fit after a bout of flu and Gabonese striker Daniel Cousin, declaring himself fit for selection after recovering from a broken jaw.

Christian Dailly is likely to step in for the suspended David Weir, but the veteran’s absence will still be a major loss to Rangers. However there is a quiet confidence coming from the Rangers camp with the coaching staff and players believing a result is very much possible.

Should Rangers make it through it will be the furthest they have been in the competition for 36 years and with the tie sitting at 0-0, I’m not ruling anything out.

In other games the mighty Bayern Munich meet Getafe and are behind on the away goals ruling, after last weeks shock 1-1 draw in Germany. Getafe have proved to be a thorn in the side of big clubs, with the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid struggling against their La Liga rivals.

I therefore wouldn’t bet against Michael Laudrup’s side taking their place in the semi final line up, come full time tomorrow night, but Bayern will know what they have to do and as we all know, are more than capable of winning in Spain.

PSV are at home to Fiorentina following last weeks 1-1 draw in Italy. The Dutch side must be favourites to progress but this one will be tight. Tottenham Hotspur came to the Philips Stadium in the last round and won 1-0 so there is still a chance for the Viola.

I’m with PSV on this one as I just can’t see Fiorentina winning in Eindhoven. Anyway Rangers have a good European record against the boys in red and white.

The last match is already dead and buried as far as I’m concerned after Zenit’s terrific 4-1 win in Leverkusen last week. Bayer have it all to do in St Petersburg and I can’t imagine a more unfriendly place to go and do it.

If you thought Bayer were caught cold last week? Then think again.

So there we have it, another great night of UEFA Cup action awaits us.

Therefore as usual, I’ll remind you that quality European football doesn’t finish on Wednesday night after the Champions League games, but continues all the way to Thursday night with the UEFA Cup!

In what must go down as a huge shock, Zenit St Petersburg demolished Bayer Leverkusen 4-1 in Germany. Funnily enough, the other shock of the night was also in Germany with a late Getafe goal denting Bayern Munich's hopes of an easy passage into the semi-finals.

In other games, Rangers were held to a goal-less draw at home by Sporting Lisbon with Fiorentina and PSV Eindhoven settling for a 1-1 draw in Italy.

Let's start in Leverkusen where everyone was expecting a win for the home side.

The Russians looked impressive early on and took a deserved lead on 20 minutes thanks to Andrei Arshavin. The visitors pressed on for a second but were caught napping at the back by Bayer's Stefan Kiessling, who equalized for the home side.

The second half was all Zenit as they pushed forward and went on to score three second-half goals through Pavel Pogrebniak, Alexander Anyukov, and Igor Denisov.

The result was probably the best away European result of the season apart from Rangers 3-0 win in Lyon.

It also pretty much guarantees a semi-final spot for Dick Advocaat's men.

In the other quarter final played on German soil last night, the mighty Bayern Munich were expected to walk over small Spanish outfit Getafe.

Luca Toni's first half goal set the ball in motion for the Germans but it wasn't to be their night with one time star in the making Cosmin Contra equalizing in the final minute to give the Spanish side the momentum going into next week's second leg.

I must say I called this game for an upset but even I wasn't expecting Getafe to go into the second leg technically in front.

The Germans were left visibly stunned by the result and will have to pick themselves up as they have it all to do in Spain.

The match at Ibrox between Rangers and Sporting was a highly-charged affair but it wasn't much of a spectacle. Neither side created a clear chance for the entire 90 minutes, with the Rangers players looking dead on their feet late in the game.

The hectic schedule of the Glasgow Giants is clearly catching up with them in their battle for a quadruple trophy season. They have already lifted the Scottish League Cup and are six points clear in the league with a game in hand. With quarter final ties in the Scottish and UEFA Cup's along with two away trips to Celtic still to come, the Gers will have to dig deep.

David Weir will miss the second leg due to suspension and this will leave a huge void in the Rangers defense.

However, the Rangers are not out of it and a single goal in Portugal could be more than enough to go through.

Finally to Florence where Fiorentina welcomed PSV. In a tight affair, PSV will be the happier after walking away level on aggregate and with an away goal to boot.

Viola have it all to do in the second leg after Adrian Mutu's early second half strike was cancelled out by Danny Koeverman's top corner effort.

So with the first legs over and arguably only one game decided, I can't wait for next Thursday, as three sides hit the road looking for impressive away results.

Thursday night will continue a great week of European football with the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup.

Glasgow Rangers, fresh from their Old Firm derby win over Celtic, welcome Sporting Lisbon to Ibrox. The Portuguese giants saw off England’s Bolton Wanderers in the round of 16 and will fancy another British scalp.

Scottish side Rangers defeated Werder Bremen of Germany in the previous round, thanks to a great 2-0 home win that the Germans were unable to overturn in the return leg (1-0).

The men from Glasgow are sweating over the fitness of key personnel following Saturday’s battling 1-0 win over city rival’s Celtic.

Midfielders Steven Davis and Saturday’s scoring hero Kevin Thomson both picked up injuries and failed to play all 90 minutes at the weekend. However, Thomson is expected to recover in time for Thursday’s clash.

Rangers boss Walter Smith says he is prepared to take the game to Sporting, and that he believes in his side. He said, “This time we can cause Sporting more problems than we did to Werder Bremen.”

The 'Gers will have the edge at Ibrox, but over two legs, I’d hate to jinx it.

Russian outfit Zenit St Petersburg travel to Germany where they will meet Bayer Leverkusen. Dick Advocaat’s side have been this year's surprise package and came back from 3-1 down against Marseille to knock out the French side.

Leverkusen will need to win at home to have any chance, as no one will fancy going to Russia for a result.

Tournament favourites Bayern Munich welcome plucky Spanish side Getafe to the Allianz Arena, in what has all the makings of a shock result. Getafe are no stranger to big sides, playing their football in the Spanish La Liga, and will take this one in their stride.

Bayern on the other hand, have the pressure of being the favourites to deal with, but I’m sure they will be confident of progressing.

Last but not least is the battle between the two sides that knocked out English opposition in the last round. Fiorentina disposed of Everton despite looking rather lacklustre at Goodison Park in a 2-0 defeat.

PSV Eindhoven amazingly threw away their 1-0 lead earned at White Hart Lane and lost 1-0 at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the second leg. It was PSV, though who maintained their composure to win on penalty kicks.

I believe neither team will fancy the other and this could be a low scoring affair. PSV will have to improve on their home form, however if they are to have any chance.

So don’t switch off after this week’s UEFA Champions League action, as we have another night of great European football.