The clash may look like a David and Goliath affair in favor of Los Blancos.
But the truth reveals that Real Madrid will have to overcome a mammoth battle during ninety minutes of football as the Spanish giants need to overturn a 4-0 deficit suffered in the first leg away to Alcorcon.
Match analysis and explanationsIt’s hard to believe that even a 5-1 victory at home to Alcorcon will oust Real Madrid from the Spanish Copa del Rey on Tuesday evening.
Yet, this is the reality and only a ‘miracle’ will power Los Blancos through to the next stage of the tournament.
On paper, Real Madrid certainly have what it takes to sink Alcorcon by a great margin and ultimately make into the fourth round of the tournament that was won by FC Barcelona last season.
Read full article »
The league leaders’ crushing 6-1 victory against Real Zaragoza at the Camp Nou made many fans believe that the Catalans were back on track for good, as they had previously failed to get a win in two consecutive games.
Well, after such a brilliant result, it didn’t really look like things were at their very best for the Blaugrana, following a disappointing draw to Osasuna trough a late Gerard Pique own goal.
Barcelona still have more time ahead of them to strengthen their foundation, but it is clear that this weekend’s game at home to Real Mallorca will be a glorious chance for them to prove themselves again in front of their own fans.
Read full article »
Now their attention will switch to the fight at the top of the English Premier League as they’ll clash against each other on Sunday afternoon.
The Blues are swinging at the top of the Premiership table with 27 points and two above rivals Manchester United.
Their record at home has been the best in the competition so far:
LSTV’s writer, Angela Asante, takes her time to preview this big clash by providing necessary facts and analyzing a few points…
Atletico Madrid are third from bottom above Malaga and Xerez and they are on 7 points.
They are unbeaten at home, but they’ve also won only once this season. That was against Real Zaragoza back in October at the Vicente Calderon stadium.
Read full article »Barca brilliantly bounced back from a weak form that saw them go two games without a win in the league and the Champions League, but another challenge is still awaiting them away from home.
The First Leg
One could expect this game to be dominated by the Catalans, bearing in mind that Barcelona have successfully regained their shape; yet, it is the first leg’s story which seems to make the excitement ahead of this game huge.
Barcelona were stunned by 2 goals to 1 in their own stadium several days ago by the Russian side Rubin Kazan, and unquestionably, it was a match the home side could clearly have turned into their favor. Nevertheless, mistakes in the defense, as well as lack of precision in front of goal cost them an upset, as they went on to miss another 3 precious points, which could have extended their lead at the top of table with 7 good points.
Read full article »
Yes, it is Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan who find themselves in such an awkward position.
An early goal from Mikhalik stunned the entire home crowd at the Giuseppe Meazza whereas an own goal from Lucio inflicted more anger than sorrow in the fans’ hearts on the night when Inter Milan could not find their way out against Dynamo Kyiv.
However, Dejan Stankovic felt relief over disappointment concerning his side’s ability to avoid defeat.
He explained:
“It was important not to get beaten because if we had done so, we’d be out of the contest.
Read full article »
Liverpool red scare
Who would have imagined Liverpool struggling in Group E with only three points after three match-days?
Today, this is the reality as the Reds from the Merseyside have suffered defeats away to Fiorentina and at home to former French league champions Lyon.
Statistics are alarming from a Liverpool point of view; the five-time UEFA Champions League winners have conceded twice as much as they’ve scored compared to Lyon’s seven goals that give them a plus-six goal difference at the top of the table.
Read full article »A point will be enough for the 2008 UEFA Champions League winners to qualify into the last sixteen of this season’s European tournament.
Manchester United are one of the few teams in the competition to possess a perfect record so far. The Red Devils have picked up three victories out of three games and all of those have proven to be real battles.
In the opening game against Besiktas, a lone goal from veteran midfielder Paul Scholes was enough... Read full article »
Both teams are on a tough run in their respective domestic leagues. In the first leg though, it was the Italians who came out victorious of this titanic encounter that was played at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Champions League is getting more exciting than ever as the campaign goes on. In Group C, things look tighter than they were before match-day 3.
Read full article »
Usually, when FC Barcelona prepare to meet a side in the Spanish League, soccer fans tend to place the Blaugrana as the favorites to win the game. This is certainly because of their ability to humble great and small sides alike, but then, there is no doubt that expectations don’t always get realized.
Surely, the Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola is aware of this fact; and as a result, making additional efforts is always his number one solution.
So far in La Liga this season, the reigning title holders have scored 8 goals and conceded only one away from home. This is definitely the evidence of their strength in attack, and remembering the amazing show they gave their fans at the Camp Nou last week when they hosted Racing Santander, one might conclude that this weekend’s match at the Estadio Reyno de Navarra between Barcelona and Osasuna will end up commonly, with Barcelona stealing the spotlight.
Read full article »