Bolton Wanderers

Michael Ballack was again Chelsea's hero as the Blues won 2-0 at Newcastle to take the Premier League title race to the season's final day.

On a day where Chelsea HAD to win to have anywhere near a realistic shot at winning the title, Grant sprung five changes from the team that beat Liverpool to reach the Champions League final.

Out went Ashley Cole, Claude Makelele, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, and Salomon Kalou. Three of those weren't even in the squad, with only Joe Cole and Lampard the ones that made the bench. They were replaced by Malouda, Anelka, Obi Mikel, Bridge, and Ferreira.

Newcastle had the best of the early running, with Owen in particular, but were guilty of wasteful finishing. He left John Terry for dead with just six minutes gone to collect Nicky Butt's pass, but lifted his first-time effort over Cech's crossbar.

Chelsea had dominated possession, as expected, but all the chances in the first half were falling to Newcastle.

In the second half, Chelsea upped the tempo and finally, after 61 minutes, a resillient, stubborn Newcastle defence gave in. Drogba curled in a freekick that was met brilliantly by Ballack, who with a glanced header, gave Chelsea the lead.

But it was not until Florent Malouda added a second, eight minutes from time that the points were safe, as the spirited Magpies did their best to preserve a seven-game unbeaten run.

Chelsea play Bolton next week, but in all honesty, I don't think anybody has any doubts that United will go and do their business against Wigan, who have nothing to play for.

Last year, Chelsea drew at home to Bolton, handing United the title. Chelsea then came back and beat United in the FA Cup final.

Knowing United will most likely do the job next weekend, I would love for us to repeat last years feat and beat them in the Champions League final this time.

It's the least Chelsea deserve after a torrid season, with all kinds of turmoil behind the scenes.

Chelsea did a excellent job in getting where they are now. As much as I like to give Avram Grant all the credit, I can't. He does deserve SOME credit, but there are a lot of contributing factors. 

Is it down to Grant's strength or is it down to the squad's strength?

That's up to debate...

While everybody thinks next week will be a "grand finale", I'd rather think Chelsea just delayed the inevitable.

Well done both Chelsea and United...

While most eyes will likely be on the race for the title in the upcoming weeks, there will undoubtedly be those with their attention focused solely on the battle to avoid relegation.

Derby County is already done, dusted, and is on course to set a record low for points earned by a Premiership club.

The previous low was set by Sunderland when the Black Cats only managed to rack up 16 points in 2006. Paul Jewell’s men are currently five points behind that tally, and with only four games remaining, could well be considered as the worst team to ever play in the England’s top flight.

Derby County’s point tally is of little importance compared to the ongoing battle to avoid the drop. Fulham and Bolton both looked set to join Derby in the Championship next season, but vital wins last weekend boosted their slim hopes of staying in the Premier League for another year.

But Birmingham, Reading, Wigan, and Sunderland, and even Middlesbrough are all still in danger of losing their Premier League status.

Fulham will be buoyed by their first away victory in over a year, but still lie four points from safety. With games against Liverpool and Manchester City still to come, the Cottagers face an uphill battle if they are to avoid the dreaded drop.

Bolton, meanwhile, are only a win away from safety, but still have to play Tottenham and Chelsea. Making matters more difficult, Gary Megson’s side will be without striker Kevin Davies, who netted the winner against the Hammers last weekend.

The Bolton striker is suspended for the next two games and without Nicolas Anelka to provide the goals anymore, Bolton will be severely lacking in firepower at the most pivotal point of the season.

So while the results of the teams involved in the title race will undeniably earn most of the headlines in upcoming weeks, let’s not forget that there’s an intriguing race going on at the bottom of the table too.

The race to avoid relegation will certainly hold many of its own twists and turns. And for Fulham and Bolton, it is a race against time.

So I leave you with one question.

Who will survive?

Although the managerial merry-go-'round in the English game has slowed significantly over the past few months, followers of the Premier League have certainly seen quite the turnover at the head of their clubs during this season.

And then, of course, the axe still hovers over several other managers.

But just how many managers have actually been given the sack or left their positions since the end of last season?

And were their firings legitimate and supported by the majority of fans?

At the top of the table, Stamford Bridge headline—maker Jose Mourinho left the club by "mutual consent" in September.

A sub-par end to last season left Manchester City's Stuart Pearce out in the cold. Newcastle continued their quick-fire removal by axing Sam Allardyce in January.

And then there was Billy Davies at Derby, Lawrie Sanchez at Fulham, Paul Jewell at Wigan, Martin Jol at Tottenham, Steve Bruce at Birmingham, Sammy Lee at Bolton...

And then, there is the constant speculation over others. Will Rafa Benitez and Avram Grant start next season at their respective clubs?

How long will Gary Megson and Roy Hodgson last if they fail to save their clubs from relegation? (Tough job there, mates!)

What about Gareth Southgate—how long will the Middlesbrough board and supporters stand by as their club continue their slope down the table since Steve McClaren's exit?

Nine managers have turned over since the end of last season. And that isn't even including Sam Allardyce's exit from Bolton before the last game of last season.

What does this signal for the English game, and for world football itself?

Is this simply the fallout from the high expectations and huge risks that come with managing a Premiership side presently?

Is this something that will continue?

Weigh-in with your perspective!

This weeks action has proved to be vital at the bottom of the EPL. Away from the glitz and glamour of the title race, there are a number of teams fighting for the right to vist Old Trafford and Anfield next season.

It was a Saturday afternoon of thrills, spills, seemingly unassailable leads and late late winners.

The bottom two met at Pride Park with Fulham in desperate need of a victory. Derby County scored first thanks to January signing Emanuel Villa.

It was a vital game for Fulham and they equalized shortly after through Diomansy Kamara. Three points for Fulham would have put them level with Bolton Wanderers, four points from safety.

Fulham got the goal they needed with just 12 minutes left on the clock. Derby's Dean Leacock summing up a terrible season for Derby by gifting Fulham the lead.

Fulham's celebrations only lasted a matter of seconds however as Emanuel Villa popped up with his second of the game. The goal could well have relegated Fulham who sit six points from safety in 19th position.

The 2-2 draw was not enough though for Derby to survive another week. They've become the first side to be relegated from the EPL in March. Paul Jewell's men (11 points) are also in serious danger of snatching Sunderland's record (15) of least points in an EPL season.

In what was expected to be a one sided affair, Arsenal travelled to the Reebok Stadium to face Bolton.

It was Bolton however that took the lead through a Matty Taylor header. Arsenal's chances of getting back into the game went from almost certain to maybe not, thanks to a moment of madness from Abou Diaby.

The midfielder flew into a challenge on Gretar Steinsson with his foot and studs well in the air. It was a sickening hit and one red card not even Arsene Wenger bothered to complain about.

Should he be banned for life Arsene?

Bolton took full advantage and scored a second before half time. Matty Taylor again, this time with a deflected shot from the edge of the area.

Bolton were surely heading out of the relegation zone! Or were they?

Arsenal staged a superb fightback in the second half to score three goals with ten men to snatch the desperately needed points from the Trotters. William Gallas, Robin Van Persie and a late Jlloyd Samuel own goal gifting the Gunners three points.

Bolton now lie four points from safety after the two teams above them earned valuable wins.

One of those sides was Birmingham City who last week lost star player James McFadden to a knee injury. Well the old saying goes "one man's loss is another man's gain." The man to gain was Mauro Zarate.

Zarate bagged two for the Blues against Manchester City, but at 2-0 and the Birmingham faithful sure of three points things took a turn for the worse.

Birmingham's Franck Queudrue was sent off and a penalty awarded to City. Elano stepped up and fired City back into the game.

Luckily for the Blues this is not the City side from earlier in the season. They were able to hold their lead before adding another thanks to a Gary McSheffrey penalty. The decision looked harsh but Birmingham will take them any way the come.

Alex McLeish's men move four points clear of Bolton but stay just one place above the drop zone.

One point above them sit Wigan Athletic who got no joy at Fratton Park with Jermain Defoe scoring the games only two goals.

Wigan themselves slipped to 16th place thanks to the late late show at the Stadium Of Light.

Sunderland jumped four places in the EPL thanks to a dramatic win over West Ham United. The London side had taken the early lead through Freddie Ljungberg. Sunderland's player of the season Kenwyne Jones equalized shortly after.

The game seemed to be heading for a draw but just like last week, Sunderland snatched all three points in injury time. Andy Reid was the hero this week with the goal that pretty much guarentees survival for Sunderland.

Is it all over at the bottom of the table? Can you see either Fulham or Bolton hauling themselves out of trouble?

I have my doubts and it looks like relegation could already be set!

Arsenal came back in incredible circumstances to win at the Reebok.

The match began at franetic pace. Bendtner and Van Persie came close but Bolton took the lead with the usual header/set-piece goal that we concede at the Reebok every season.

Then it got worse. Diaby went right into the legs of a Bolton player and rightly got sent off. A stupid and cynical challenge considering the circumstances. 

Murphy's Law was taking control of the game. Another goal went in. Arsenal went 2-0 down with ten men on the field. 

Reality struck. We have thrown the game and the Premier League away in the matter of a month. The team is crumbling. Confidence is at an all-time low. The football is terrible.

Fabregas made about 100 misplaced passes in the first half itself. We just can't seem to get any kind of useful posession. The lack of confidence is shining through. Where do we go from here?

We are staring at defeat against a team that has not scored in the last six games. Its the Reebok - our bogey venue. Losing to Bolton makes this all the more difficult to swallow. 

I was about to jump in and blog here at half time but i waited for the match to end. 

The response of the team under these circumstances would be interesting. We have nothing to lose now. Everyone has written us off. The first half ended all doubts.

So how would the team play out the rest of the game? Will the team find leadership and direction? Will we find the fluent passing game that was seen perhaps a month or two ago?

The second half turned out to be one of the most enjoyable, at least for me, in recent times. The first ten minutes were terrible. Bolton attacked the Gunners through a barrage of corners. 

Then Adebayor and Walcott came on for Bendtner and Senderos. Wenger had nothing to lose. We went to a back three from a back four. The Gunners were now playing 3-4-2.

Then Gallas came in unmarked at the far post off a corner and guided the ball in. 2-1.

It is amazing what a goal can do to a team's confidence. It is beyond science. All of a sudden, Arsenal started passing the ball - and they did not - from here on - look a man light. The control was better, the passing was more composed. It was like watching a different team in a different game. The game was now being played in Bolton's half.

A brilliant passing move shook the Bolton defence, and Hleb won a penalty which Van Persie converted. 2-2 - with about 20 minutes to go. 

The Gunners could smell victory now. Van Persie - who is still coming back to his 100% sharpness - missed two chances.

In the 90th minute, Hleb broke forward from a Clichy long ball, and teed up Fabregas. As luck would have it, the ball went into the net through two deflections. 2-3 to the Arsenal!

This was fantastic. From 2-0 down and a man down, the Gunners roared back and won the game in the last 30 minutes. Amazing.

We showed guts. And guts and bouncebackability is what makes fans happy - if we win the title this season or not. The team played with heart. Heart is what keeps the club alive.

All of a sudden there is new life in our campaign. Amazing what a win can do for a team.

Weather we can win the title from here or not, this result is extremely important for two reasons. Chelsea and United would be watching the first half and be thinking the Gunners are out. But we demonstrated that we will fight on till the last game. We showed guts. And guts and bouncebackability is what makes fans happy - if we win the title this season or not. 

The other reason being we face Liverpool  three games straight. And its the Champions League, where we are still very much alive. 

The right frame of mind, goals and confidence and a dream like and emotional last minute win is just the right prologue for the trilogy with Liverpool. 

Bring on Liverpool, for the Gunners - are never outgunned!

The teams that I predict will be relegated are named in bold.

Derby County I start my article with them because I feel Derby are surely going down this season.

It's a fact now that all Derby fans and players alike have been forced to believe this is because they are currently placed at the bottom of the table and have no hope of survival. Now that one spot appears occupied,there are two more spots available that will be taken up by the teams who will be relegated to the Championship.

The likely contenders include as many as six clubs (Newcastle United, Sunderland, Bolton Wanderers, Fulham, Birmingham City, and Reading).

Of these, Newcastle is surely the one that you feel have enough quality to overcome the drop.

The Toon have the likes of Owen, Viduka, Martins, Smith, Barton, Duff, Milner, N'Zogbia, Taylor, and Butt in their squad.

Certainly,the Magpies have had their fair share of problems with Kevin Keegan yet to win a game, but after the game with Birmingham, I feel they are collecting the positives and surely at some point the Newcastle Fans would hope King Keegan to work his magic and at least save them from relegation.

Birmingham manager Alex McCleish has come out saying they are not even thinking of relegation, and it is a positive statement.

City only came up last year and they certainly do not want to be going down again. Keeping their performance in the 4-1 win over Spurs in mind, I feel even Birmingham should be safe come the end of the season.

Fulham, on the other hand, have not had overwhelming success either at Craven Cottage or away. 

Roy Hodgson has the international experience, but i feel he has not settled well into the English game, this time round. Bullard, Davies, Dempsey, and Murphy are the only rays of hope that the Cottagers can cling on to.

Now that they have McBride back and Kamara looking good for goals, one would expect them to be safe, but I do not agree with this. Personally, I reckon Fulham will be the second team to drop this season, entirely because they are unable to put out a winning combination on the pitch and are very inconsistent.

Roy Keane took over as Sunderland boss around a year ago, and the United legend has enjoyed overwhelming success as he brought the Black Cats back into the Top Flight of English football.

Sunderland have the players, they have the support, they have the manager, and they have the belief. In short, this is the formula to survive, but it is of no value if the players do not go out and perform on the pitch. With Chopra, Yorke, Leadbitter, Read, and Richardson in their ranks, I feel they have the quality and the ability to stay up for next season.

Reading come next here. Steve Coppel and his Royals have not had as great a season as they had last season, but they still appear to be defying all odds.

As a team,they have the potential to play exciting football, and with players like Kitson and Doyle who have the hunger to succeed at the top level, I think even Reading will be amongst those competing for glory in the Premier League next season.

Bolton Wanderers are a huge club and they have numerous fans who pack the Reebok Stadium every week.

This is because they have a great team that includes some very talented players like Nolan, Diouf, Taylor, and Campo. Gary Megson has been very inconsistent since he took over from Sammy Lee. He's gotten some big results, but Bolton has been very poor playing against lower ranked clubs.

This is why i feel Bolton will be the "surprise" drop-outs this season. 

After last weeks dismal UEFA Cup performances by English sides, the country will be hoping at least one team can fight back this week, and make it through to the quarter finals.

Spurs were possibly the worst of the lot last week as they crashed to a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven. That result has left them with a mountain to climb at the Philips Stadium on Wednesday night.

Earlier reports of the game being postponed due to a strike by Dutch police have been rejected and the game is due to go ahead as sceduled. This will please Spurs who are coming into game off the back of a 4-0 win over West Ham United at the weekend.

The odds are stacked against Tottenham after having conceded an away goal to PSV and will more than likely have to score twice to go through in this tie. But on their day, Spurs are more than capable of winning this one!

Everton have an equally high mountain to climb this week. They clash with Fiorentina on Wednesday night already two goals down from the first leg, knowing if Fiorentina score then they're out!

Everton struggled in Florence and Everton manager, David Moyes, but described it as an off night. They will however need a serious ON night, if they are to turn this tie around. Fiorentina are pushing (like Everton) for Champions League spot and as we saw from the first leg, are a quality side.

Captain Phil Neville has been playing up Evertons chances this week, but it's probably more to do with getting bums on seats than an actual belief

It looks like Everton have already let it slip too far and the EPL will probably have their full attention come Thursday morning.

The only English side to do themselves any justice in the UEFA Cup first leg was Bolton Wanderers who let slip a 1-0 lead, to draw 1-1 with Sporting Lisbon of Portugal.

Bolton disposed of Atletico Madrid in the last round, thanks to a hard fought 0-0 draw in the Spanish capital. The Trotters will need and even greater result in Lisbon however, as they must score, if they are to avoid exiting the tournament.

Reports coming from the Reebok suggest boss Gary Megson will take an understrength Bolton side to Portugal, in order to rest key players for the EPL run in and relegation battle.

Kevin Davies has come out in support of this decision. The striker says he's more than willing to sacrifies his place in the UEFA Cup to help Bolton fight for EPL survival.

So if England lose all three teams on Wednesday night it will be up to Glasgow Rangers to restore some pride in British football. The Scots travel to Germany on Thursday to close out their tie with Werder Bremen.

Rangers are 2-0 up from the first leg and will be looking to hold on for a place in the quarters. The gers were impressive at Ibrox but it will be a different match in Bremen with the Germans looking for the 3 goals they need.

Rangers will be looking to snatch an away goal and are likely to sit back and try and absorb the pressure.

In other ties, Benfica travel to Getafe in a bid to overturn their poor 2-1 home loss last week.

Zenit St Petersburg have it all to do at home to Marseille, but thanks to their late away goal in France, they will only need a 2-0 win to progress.

The remaining two ties will result in German quarter finalists. Bayern Munich are already through thanks to a humiliating 5-0 win over Anderlecht in Belgium.

Bayer Leverkusen travel to local rivals Hamburg with a 1-0 lead from the first leg, but are far from sure of a place in the last 8. European games between teams from the same country are often unpredictable and you would have to be fan to bet on this one.

I'm looking forward to some great football this week, so tune in on Wednesday and Thursday to follow the action.

In one of the better nights for British football, four out of the five competing sides have made it through to the last 16 slots of the UEFA Cup.

It was expected to be a tough round for the three sides looking for results away from home.  Still, both Bolton Wanderers and Glasgow Rangers secured the away draws to get through.

There was, however, a much tougher night in store for Aberdeen.  They were trounced 5-1 at the Alianz Arena by the mighty Bayern Munich.

Bolton traveled to Madrid with a 1-0 aggregate lead to take on Real's neighbors, Atletico Madrid.  The English side defended heroically to claim a fantastic 0-0 draw, which saw them dump out a European giant.  The Bolton squad now faces another Euro giant in the form of Sporting Lisbon.

Scottish side Rangers traveled to Greece, attempting to prevent a Greek tragedy.  Rangers went into the game at level pegging, thanks to the Scots’ failure to score in the first leg at Ibrox.

It was a tough night for Rangers after falling behind early, but keeper Alan McGregor kept them in the game.  Nacho Novo popped up with just nine minutes remaining to fire home the equalizer.

Rangers will now face Werder Bremen of Germany in a mouth-watering tie.

Everton hammered SK Brann 6-1 on the night and 8-1 on aggregate, setting up a clash with Italian high flyers Fiorentina.

With confidence Tottenham Hotspur defended their 2-1 aggregate lead (attained in Prague) against Slavia at White Hart Lane last night. Jamie O'Hara's early goal settled any lingering nerves and the Slavia side seemed beat.

In the second half, though, they came out fighting and even secured an equalizer to match a rather lackluster Spurs.  

Still, the Londoners managed to get through and Juande Ramos believes his Spurs side can really contend for the UEFA Cup.

Next up for Spurs is the Carling Cup final against Chelsea at Wembly.  I'll be watching on Sunday and it should be a marvelous final.

Finally to Aberdeen who were well beaten in Germany.  The 5-1 score I'm sure flattered the Germans, but the Aberdeen men never were in the second leg.  In the record books the 7-3 on aggregate might look a little rough, but Aberdeen in no way disgraced themselves.

So we have four British sides left in the tournament, as well as four from Germany.  Interesting.  So an English-German final, then?

With attention turning to the Champions League, I feel it is important to keep this week’s UEFA Cup action in the spotlight.

The so-called lesser European competition saw some great performances last week, most notably Bolton's fine 1-0 win at home to Atletico Madrid and Aberdeen’s impressive 2-2 draw against a traveling Bayern Munich.

This week, though, is make-or-break time for the two Scottish sides, who both travel away looking for results.  The English sides should have a much easier time.

Panathinaikos vs. Rangers

After Rangers failed to score in last Wednesday’s 0-0 draw at Ibrox, the Scottish side faces an uphill struggle to secure the result they need to progress.  A 1-1 draw would be enough for the Gers.

Panathinaikos will fancy their chances, having done the hard bit by getting a result at Ibrox.  They will, however, need to win at home to knock out the Glasgow giants.

Rangers to go through on away goals.

Bayern Munich vs. Aberdeen

Aberdeen’s sensational performance at Pittodrie will do nothing for them, unfortunately, in Munich.  Bayern’s two away goals are more than enough to match what the Scots can offer.

It will be a great experience for the young Aberdeen players, who have already traveled to Madrid for this campaign.

Bayern will be confident of overpowering the Dons at home and may even rest a few players.

Bayern to win comfortably, 2 or 3 nil.

Atletico Madrid vs. Bolton Wanderers

Bolton did fantastically well to get a 1-0 win at the Reebok, and may even be sure of getting a draw in Madrid.

Atletico will come out firing, as they must win by two clear goals.  They do have a talented squad at their disposal, but the slightest slip up and a goal for Bolton would make the home side’s task very tricky indeed.

Bolton to get the away goal they need and advance on away goals.

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Slavia Prague

Tottenham won 2-1 in Prague to all but guarantee their place in the last 16, and I can't see Slavia shocking Spurs at home—simply because they won't score three away at White Hart Lane.

So a second win for Spurs and a comfortable aggregate victory.

Everton vs. SK Brann

Everton's 2-0 win in Norway means they are already safely through to the next round as the chances of Brann getting the result they need is basically zero.

Everton may even rest a few players again as the battle for Champions League qualification goes on.

Everton to win 1-0!

So I'm backing four of the five British teams for a place in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup.  If the Aberdeen squad gets through, I'd love to say I'll eat my hat...but stranger things have happened!

Returning from the long awaited absence of European club football, the UEFA Cup Round of 32 first legs took place this week with a few suprising results. While many pundits expected the "big boys" to cement their way into the final sixteen, Atletico Madrid (Spain) and Bayern Munich (Germany) experienced a few setbacks of their own.

Here's a recap of the matches as the teams vie for a spot in Manchester:

FC Zenit St. Petersburg (Russia) 1 - 0 Villarreal (Spain)

The Russian champions will head into the Estadio El Madrigal for next Thursday's second leg encounter with a 1-0 aggeragate advantage, thanks to a costly error by Villarreal keeper Diego Lopez. Pouncing on the opportunity, Pavel Pogrebnyak slotted in the only goal in the 63rd minute of the match.

Galatasaray (Turkey) 0 - 0 Bayern 04 Leverkusen (Germany)

On a cold, snowy night in Istanbul, both Galatasaray and Bayern Leverkusen were left to rue over the lack of chances produced in their first leg match. Failing to produce anything out of their home tie, Turkish giants Galatasaray will now have to come away with a win in Germany if they are to advance through to the last sixteen.

AEK (Greece) 1 - 1 Getafe CF (Spain)

Given a major distraction with the imminent departure of manager Lorenzo Serra Ferrer, AEK pulled together to eek out a crucial 1-1 draw with Getafe CF. Both goals were scored in the final fice minutes, bringing some late drama to the fans at the OACA Spyro Louis Stadium. 

Everton (England) 2 - 0 SK Brann (Norway)

Fans at SK Brann will be left fuming after witnessing some controversial decisions go against their beloved Norweigian side as high-flying Everton earned a well deserved 2-0 victory. After having a goal disallowed and a debatable goal scored against them, SK Brann now has a mountain to climb when they head into the boistorous environment of Goodison Park.

Werder Bremen (Germany) 3 - 0 Braga (Portugal) 

Coming as no real shock, Werder Bremen came out as convincing winners at the Weserstadion. Left to wonder about what could have been, Portuguese club side Braga paid the ultimate price after missing two penalties of their own. 

Marseille (France) 3 - 0 Spartak Moscow (Russia)

Like Werder Bremen, Marseille continued their fantastic form as they walked over their opponents with relative ease. A brilliant second half produced three goals for the boys in orange. Returning from the African Cup Of Nations, Taye Taiwo and Mamadou Niang (pictured left) picked up a goal each, respectively.

PSV Eidenhoven (Netherlands) 2 - 0 Helsingborg (Sweden) 

Dropping down from the UEFA Champions League, PSV Eidenhoven went through a comfortable transition as they came away with a 2-0 home win over Helsingborgs IF. PSV captain Timmy Simons gave the fans something to cheer about early on after successfully converting his 7th minute penalty.

Anderlecht (Belgium) 2 - 1 Bordeaux (France)

Mbo Mpenza caused fans at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium to go into a frenzy after scoring a thrilling winner in the 95th minute, five minutes into added time. Down 1-0 with only 20 minutes left, Anderlecht rebounded from a penalty converted by Bordeaux's Jussie and completed the remarkable comeback.

Rangers (Scotland) 0 - 0 Panathinaikos (Greece)

Despite controlling and creating the majority of the chances during the match, Rangers failed to break the deadlock as they drew with Panatinaikos on Wednesday night at the Ibrox. Rangers midfielder Barry Ferguson came away with the best chance of the match when he had his volley parried by Panathinaikos goalkeeper Mario Galinovic. Supporters of Panathinaikos will be thanking their lucky stars after the marvelous performance provided by their keeper away from the comforts of home.

Basel (Switzerland) 0 - 2 Sporting Lisbon (Portugal)

Sporting Lisbon midfielder Simon Vukcevic struck the back of the net twice to give his side a 2-0 aggregate advantage as they prepare to head out to Switzerland next Thursday for their second leg. On the back foot for the majority of the match, Basel will need to come up with a more inspiring performance if they are to even think about knocking off one of the "big boys".

FC Bayern Munich (Germany) 2 - 2 Aberdeen FC (Scotland)

Considered by many experts to be the favorites to win the competition, Bayern Munich was faced with a minor setback after a spirited performance by their Scottish counterparts. The German heavyweights found themselves trailing two times during the match after two first-half goals by Aberdeen teenagers Josh Walker and Sone Aluko. However, the leads quickly vanished after Miroslav Klose and Hamit Altintop responded for the visitors. 

FC Zurich (Switzerland) 1 - 3 Hamburg SV (Germany)

While Hamburg SV made a strong statement as legitimate contenders in the competition, they were dealt with a major setback when club captain Rafael van der Vaart had to be substituted due to injury. Suffering from a strong challenge from Zurich defender Jose Paolo Guerrero, it is unknown how long the Dutch superstar will be out for.

Rosenborg (Norway) 0 - 1 Fiorentina (Italy)

Coming back from a knee injury, former Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu silenced the critics by scoring the only goal of the match in the 16th minute. Fiorentina will have to be wary of their Norwegian opponents as they hold a slight 1-0 aggregate advantage heading into next Thursday's tilt. 

Tottenham (England) 2 - 1 Slavia Prague (Czech Republic)

Spurs' manager Juande Ramos continued to work his magic with his new club after pulling away with a 2-1 win in Prague. After getting off to a fantastic start with goals by strikers Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane, Tottenham found themselves having to withstand heavy pressure from Slavia Prague in the second interval of play. Heading into the second leg, Spurs' will need to make sure they do a professional job against their Czech opponents next Thursday night.

Bolton Wanderers (England) 1 - 0 Atletico Madrid (Spain)

Providing the shock of the matchday, Bolton came away with a suprising 1-0 victory over ten man Atletico Madrid after talisman El Hadji Diouf (pictured right) barried the winning goal in the  74th minute. Without the presence of sent off Argentinian wonderkid Sergio Aguero, Madrid seemed to lose their way at the Reebok Stadium. If Atletico is to advance, they will need to find a way to produce goals despite the absense of Aguero.

Benfica (Portugal) 1 - 0 Nurnburg (Germany)

In a tight contest, Benfica came away with a 1-0 victory in a close encounter at the Estadio de Sport Lisboa e Benfica in Lisbon. Ariza Makukukla's strike before half time was enough to hold off Nurnberg as the sides will head to Germany to finish off the second leg. Benfica manager Jose Antonio Camacho will need a better performance from his squad if they are to make it to the final round of 16.