Ever since the rich Arabians took over the helm at Eastlands, attention in Manchester has been increasing dramatically with the so called 'rise' of another local club alongside the already established Manchester United. From the moment Robinho was brought in on deadline day, it was pretty obvious that they really meant serious business at City.
Porto vs Spartak Moskva: Dragons Show Readiness
The Liga Sagres leaders went through lasting celebrations after defeating archrivals Benfica 2-1 away from home at the weekend, but Coach André Villas-Boas has no concern over his men’s physical status ahead of their match against Spartak Moskva. "The party we had at the weekend will not be a problem on Thursday," the manager said in a session he had with the press earlier on.
“After the party, comes the challenge of returning to this (Europa League) competition with a competitive attitude. Playing the first leg at home won't be a problem... We will take the example of the year we won the UEFA Cup (back in 2003), when the away matches were fundamental to our progress through each round."
The Manchester City owners have earmarked a Champions League spot as a requirement for City this season after all their spending antics last summer. However, Mancini believes that his job will not be under any sort of threats even if City fail to secure a top four finish.
Live Soccer TV will give you moment-by-moment updates on the draws as they happen live from Nyon, Switzerland, at the House of European Football. As it is always the case here for live events, please remember to MANUALLY REFRESH THE PAGE. We apologize in advance for any inconveniences.
You may be lacking info on how the UEFA Champions League & UEFA Europa League quarter-finals draw will be conducted. In this case, see the UEFA Champions League & UEFA Europa League Quarter-finals Draw Explained, a piece previously published to share with you the necessary ahead of the ceremony.
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By the way, there is more to learn before the ceremony kicks off and this is why you deserve to be here with Live Soccer TV – 1 hour prior to the big European event. Watch-out for interesting match-ups between these following 16 teams:
The UEFA Champions League & UEFA Europa League Quarter-finals Draw RulesNote 1: There is absolutely no rule related to the pairing of two teams from the same country. This means that Real Madrid and Barca or Manchester United and Chelsea for example...
Last night's Europa League action brought a lot of action and drama into the lively Europa League this season. Only eight teams are left in the competition now. Only eight teams have the opportunity to make history at the end of the season.
The draw for the quarter finals will take place tonight and bearing in mind that there will not be any seedings for this stage, some very interesting match-ups can be expected. But first, Live Soccer TV provides a brief look into some of the interesting topics regarding the Europa League this season.
British Downfall And Portuguese Success: How Did It Happen?
Last night's action saw all three British clubs being knocked out of the Europa League. Rangers, Liverpool and Manchester City failed to perform when it all mattered and as a result, it's a total wipeout for Britain's hopes of lifting the trophy.
You cannot look back at the UEFA Europa League’s Round of 32 matches without talking about drama, just as you cannot look forward to the Round of 16 ties without feeling the excitement. Today, following the Europa League’s Last 16 draw, Live Soccer TV takes you through an analysis of the competition’s previous stage and its upcoming round.
We look at some of the Round of 32’s best results in terms of big margin-victories and thrilling comebacks. In addition, we also analyze the Round of 16 draw from a general point of view: who the favourites are in terms of clubs and countries among a few other points.
The UEFA Europa League: The Round Of 16’s Best Comebacks
Manchester City, Zenit, Rangers and Villarreal all rank among this range. Both Man City and Villarreal were in a delicate situation as they had failed to grab at least one vital away goal in their respective Europa League knock-out match. But it turned out to be that their dream came to life through what makes the greatest difference in a game: goals.
We don’t always have strong views as kids. And if sometimes, they are, they can change through the seasons depending on circumstances. That’s exactly the case for Edin Dzeko who had 2004 Ballon d’Or winner Andriy Shevchenko as his childhood idol.
Coach Martin Jol, who is currently subject to speculations regarding his managerial post with Ajax, declared his ambition ahead of his team’s match against Dynamo Kyiv. Hopeful about Ajax’s attacking opportunities, the manager stated:
“We will get Suarez back against Kyiv. He is a very important player.
"We will need to be more focused in defense, because if we concede two goals there [at the Valeriy Lobanovskiy Stadium], things will become really difficult.
“We want to progress, we want to try to give them a hard time. But, as always, we will still have to press for a goal ourselves.
Yes, it is Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan who find themselves in such an awkward position.
Inter Milan in misery
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.