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Atletic Bilbao And Sporting Will Battle For A Spot In Bucharest
In just a matter of 48 hours European Football has been turned on its head, so what can we expect tonight from the remaining Europa League matches? Can Atletic make the final an all Spanish affair, or will Sporting ruin the party?
In the aftermath of Barca and Madrid’s UCL exit: Spanish football and El Clasico
Total disillusion for Spanish club football?
Between Atletico Madrid and Valencia, one team will advance to meet Sporting Lisbon or Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League final. For the sake of Spanish football from a patriotic Spaniard’s point of view, it is believed that the pressure is on Bilbao to assure that the cup will go to Spain whatever happens in Bucharest on May 9.
As things stand, Sporting Lisbon are in a good position to leave Portugal’s Iberian neighbours empty handed in Europe this year. Going into Thursday night’s encounter in San Mames, the Lions lead 2-1 from their first-leg win against Copa del Rey finalists Athletic Bilbao.
Europa League: Big Thursday night with Atletico vs Valencia and Sporting v Bilbao
Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Sporting Lisbon and Athletic Bilbao share the same ambition. There are arguably no favourites.
An all-Spanish affair in the Europa League final is in prospect but Portugal’s Sporting are plotting to destroy it. It is a 3 versus 1 situation for the Lisbon-based side in the competition as the Last 4 stage is dominated by Spanish oppositions.
Having ousted English billionaires Manchester City on their road to the UEFA Europa League semi-finals, the Sporting have a reason to feel confident. Under coach Ricardo Sa Pinto, Sporting look strong – both in the head and on the pitch.
Can Sá Pinto lead Sporting one step closer to the promised land?
The regime had always maintained it was their aim to be able to compete with FC Porto and Benfica for Portugal’s top honours, and match the feats of their domestic rivals on the European stage. After a shaky opening few weeks things began to fall into place. Fans flocked to the Alvalade in numbers rarely seen in recent seasons, as a string of impressive victories was put together.
Then things started to go wrong. Horribly wrong. The zest with which the team had been playing in October and November suddenly evaporated, and like a balloon slowly losing air, the whole atmosphere around the club began to deflate inexorably.
Sporting vs Athletic Bilbao: Iberian challenge once again in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals
Last season, there were four Iberian teams in the semi-finals, and the final was totally Portuguese. This season, Spanish sides will certainly try to achieve the same goal. Sporting’s mission is to prevent this historic achievement from happening.To fulfill the task, Sporting has to maintain their winning strike. In fact, since Ricardo Sá Pinto took charge of the team in mid-February, Sporting have recorded eight victories in a row. They have managed to score 13 goals and concede only one, a penalty in the last home match against FC Metalist Kharkhiv.
Sporting Gijon are dangerous opponents, says Real Madrid’s Aitor Karanka
Real Madrid assistant coach Aitor Karanka addressed the media on Friday in Jose Mourinho’s place, talking about his team’s situation and chances ahead of their next league game. Los Blancos are currently four points above rivals Barcelona with still six games to go, including this weekend’s matches.Emphasizing his team’s hard work all season, Aitor asserted that a finish with the title would be the deserved end to Real’s campaign. On Saturday evening, Real Madrid host Sporting Gijon, yet although the visitors currently sit in the relegation zone, this game will not be all about confidence and good memories for the hosts.
Champions League rejects Benfica in bounce back mission against rivals Sporting
For decades these two Lisbon rivals have been battling it out, and this match will be no different. Although the match does not have title implications for Sporting, the ‘Leoes’ will not want to lose at home, especially to their neighbors.
How will an inconsistent Sporting do against a Benfica squad that is looking to beat out Braga and Porto for the title?
Sporting Lisbon vs Benfica and the impact of coach Sa Pinto
Since the arrival of Sa Pinto on the sidelines for Sporting, they appear to have found there form somewhat. While doing extremely well in the Europa League, they still appear to be periodically inconsistent domestically.
Can league leaders Porto overcome the threat of third-placed Sporting Braga?
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Braga facing huge challenge against Porto’s remarkable defense
With just five matches remaining in the 2011/12 edition of the Portuguese League, it certainly looks like it will come down to the wire for the top three.
After making it to the Europa League final last season, Braga will play yet another decisive match against Porto this weekend. Last weekend, Braga saw a certain draw slip away in extra time as the ‘Guerreiros’ allowed title candidates Benfica to get a last minute victory.
Sporting tasked with keeping the Portuguese flag flying in Europe
Last season the Liga ZON Sagres produced three of the four Europa League semi-finalists and an all-Portuguese final. The ability of Portugal’s top teams to compete with clubs that benefit from vastly superior resources has been so consistent that it is almost taken for granted nowadays.As FC Porto, Braga and Benfica fell to Manchester City, Besiktas and Chelsea respectively, the feeling on each occasion, was that with a little more luck the Portuguese team could have prevailed against their incomparably wealthier opponents.
This ability to punch above their weight is borne out in the UEFA coefficients country ranking table, where Portugal now occupies fifth position, behind only England, Spain, Germany and Italy. If Portuguese clubs continue to prosper in the coming seasons, it is not inconceivable that the nation could overtake Italy.
Metalist vs Sporting: Portuguese aiming victory in the tie's second half
The challenge will take place at the Stadium Metalist in Kharkhiv, at 8:05pm GMT (3:05pm EST).Last week, at the press conference, both coaches shared the same view regarding both teams’ chances in the quarter-finals. Odds were even; “50/50”, they said. Sporting, who had a 2-1 first-leg home win, might be thinking that it is only half-time in the tie. Anything can happen.
In football, a match is not over until it is over. Everything was going accordingly to Sá Pinto’s wishes until the 91st minute when Cleiton Xavier pulled a goal back for the Ukrainians. Sporting Lisbon have not killed Metalist yet. There is still much to play for.
Sporting Lisbon vs Metalist: What are both teams' Europa League chances?
The venue is the Estádio de Alvalade XXI. We’re entering the final stages of this important competition. Teams are very similar and could give us balanced and tough matches.After the quarter-finals draw, Sporting Clube de Portugal seem to have reasons to be optimistic about. Sporting are apparently stronger with a higher ranking position but nothing can be taken for granted. Manchester City are bigger on paper than Sporting Lisbon but results in the Last 16 told otherwise.
Metalist comes to Lisbon to once again try to beat the odds as they did against Olympiacos in the previous round.
Sá Pinto looking to lay the ghost of the lost dream
What proceeded to happen is so traumatic that, nearly a decade later, many in Portugal say the Lisbon club has yet to recover. A controversial defeat at Benfica’s Estádio da Luz, allowing their cross-town rivals to nick the championship from under their noses, and a heart-breaking loss against CSKA Moscow in only their second ever European final, meant a season that had promised so much ended with nothing but painful memories of what might have been. At the heart of the team was club icon Ricardo Sá Pinto, now the coach of the Portuguese outfit. Pinto was an aggressive midfield driving force throughout the season, and particularly instrumental in the team’s finest performance on their way to the final.
Can Sporting Braga take advantage of Benfica’s slip?
Mar 26, 2012 - 4:15pm Sporting Braga vs Academica de Coimbra
It’s been four months since they have lost or drawn a match for the Portuguese Liga Zon/Sagres. They’ve been defeated in Estádio do Dragão home to FC Porto. Until a week ago, only Real Madrid matched this amazing record of eleven wins in a row.
This Monday March 26, SC Braga meets Académica de Coimbra at Estádio Axa, also called “the quarry”. It’s always a hard task to play Académica. However, if they manage to beat the "Students" next Monday, they will take over second place in the league. In those conditions, they’ll meet Benfica with a two point advantage next week.
Is it showtime for Sporting Clube de Portugal once again in Estádio de Alvalade?
In midweek, Sporting managed to shove Manchester City out of this season’s Europa League competition. They managed a 3-3 aggregate victory in dramatic fashion. Back to the Portuguese Liga Zon/Sagres, Sporting had a downturn in morale and confidence following their 2-0 loss against Gil Vicente FC. Sporting Lions meet sixteenth-placed CD Feirense on Saturday March 24.
Due to inconsistency, Sporting are only fifth in the table, one point behind CS Maritimo of Madeira. Because of their progress in Europe, their upcoming schedule has become tighter. Sporting Lisbon will have to face domestic arch-rivals Benfica while Ukraine’s Metalist is set to give them a tough task in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League.
2011/12 Champions League & Europa League quarter-finals draw: Full fixtures
Football fans are anxiously waiting for the calendar to hit March 27. This is when the first leg of the first two UEFA Champions League quarter-finals matches will take place. In Cyprus, underdogs APOEL will host pre-tournament favourites Real Madrid.
Simultaneously, Benfica and Chelsea will lock horns in Portugal. The Blues will be confident of progressing into the semis following their miraculous comeback in the Round of 16 against Napoli. Likewise, Benfica will be fired up to go further in the Champions League as the only Portuguese team remaining.
Sporting backed up by history ahead of Manchester City clash
Therefore, in the next round, ahead of the latest Anglo-Portuguese clash, with City sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League, and the Lisbon club languishing in fifth place in the Liga ZON Sagres, even the most ardent of Sporting fans made their way to the Estádio José Alvalade for the first leg last week more in trepidation than in hope. What followed exemplified why this great game never ceases to lose its incredible allure for supporters the world over. The Lions produced a performance full of passion, enterprise and intelligence to earn a deserved 1-0 victory over the extravagantly assembled City.
Europa League: Will Man United and Man City make comebacks to reach Last 8?
Firstly, the Red Devils and the Citizens are probably not on the same page. It seems as if City are more likely to crash out from the competition than their local rivals. A simple look into Mancini’s injury list and available squad could reveal it all.
The team will miss Lescott and Kompany in defence while Pablo Zabaleta and Gareth Barry will also not play due to injury. With these crucial absences, Manchester City may opt for an ultra-offensive approach. When you have players like Mario Balotelli and David Silva playing on a pitch in a must-win game, it’s normal to expect a generally good reaction.
Europa League: Advantage Spain as Man United and Man City lose
On Thursday night, both United and City suffered defeat. The Citizens went down 1-0 in Lisbon due to Xandao’s back heel goal in the second period. Sporting are the only contenders from Portugal left in this season’s Europa League competition and they made the most of their home factor on Thursday night.
They now stand a chance to follow Benfica’s stride in the Champions League by reaching the Europa League quarter-final stage. Manchester City should set their minds on securing nothing less than a 2-0 goal margin win in the return leg.
Their home form and record is remarkable enough to find confidence ahead of this task. However, better than anyone now, they understand that Sporting Lisbon are a force to fear.
Can Sporting keep Portugal’s love affair with Europa League going?
Last season was a memorable one for Portuguese club football on the international stage. Three Europa League semi-finalists and an all-Portuguese final proved that despite chronic financial problems and what is perceived as a weak league, Portuguese club sides continue to punch above their weight when in comes to continental football. José Mourinho famously said in 2004 that “the Champions League is not made for Portuguese clubs,” before partly disproving his own words by leading the Dragons to victory in the competition.
I say partly, because a Portuguese team winning the Champions League is an extraordinary achievement, and perhaps had more to do with Mourinho’s genius than the capacity of the Liga ZON Sagres to produce such a strong side.
Sporting give Europa League favourites & Porto killers Man City room for caution
The Citizens are favourites to reach the final of the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League but they should be mindful of the tournament’s stiff competition. In Sporting Lisbon, City face two possibilities: the prospect of annihilating Portugal’s last Europa League representatives and the prospect of being brought back to planet Earth after their flying 6-1 aggregate demolition of FC Porto in the previous round. Sporting Lisbon are a big threat to Manchester City’s Europa League title aspirations and they certainly don’t lack confidence. Under their new coach, 39-year-old Sa Pinto, the Lions are trying to find stability in the administration room like on the pitch.