24-02-2011 21:05 Villarreal - Napoli

Get Back On Track

Much is expected of Villarreal’s Europa League encounter against Napoli, but the first leg wholly failed to live up to expectations. In the opening match between the two generally attractive sides, there were few good opening for either team, resulting in a rather stale 0-0 draw. The tie is therefore in the balance as the teams prepare for act two.

After challenging so effectively for a place in the top three for so long, the wheels have come off Villarreal’s season a little in recent weeks. Over the course of their last three league encounters, Juan Carlos Garrido’s men have not only lost their unbeaten home record to a rather modest Levante side, they’ve also failed to beat struggling Deportivo La Coruna and stuttered to a 1-1 weekend draw against Malaga.

While finishing fourth in the Primera Division is clearly their primary aim for the campaign, the Spaniards also hope to make real progress in Europe. “If we were knocked out of the Europa League by Napoli on Thursday, we would be disappointed, because we have high hopes for it. A 0-0 draw in the first leg was not a bad result, but a draw with goals would have been better,” Cani affirmed.

“Napoli are a great team with good players who are enjoying a great season in the league. That means that this is going to be a tough game, and we are going to have to produce a great game if we want to progress.”

With their domestic season ailing somewhat, Garrido will look to use Thursday’s fixture as an opportunity to spark some life back into his men. At home, they have to be considered favourites.

Focus On Villarreal

Tending to play in an offensively-minded 3-4-3 system, Napoli are considered to be one of the most attractive Serie A sides to watch. Though they’ve got a strong defensive record this season, they rarely look totally at ease at the back, and boasting an offence that is capable of some explosive play, excitement is generally a factor when they play.

A strong domestic campaign has left the Partenopei very well placed in Serie A. They lie only three points behind leaders Milan, but on Sunday they have a big encounter against the Rossoneri that could make-or-break their campaign. Neapolitan thoughts will not be drifting towards that big encounter on Sunday, president Aurelio De Laurentiis has assured the media.

“For now I am not thinking about Milan, but Spain, and Villarreal,” he said. “It will be a great meeting. They never scored in the first leg, and this is good because a goal away is worth two.

"We hope we can score and our goal is to get through in the Europa League.”

Last weekend, Napoli kept their title hopes alive with a narrow 1-0 victory over struggling Cesena, with the only goal arriving from Juan Camilo Zuniga. Though not a spectacular result by any means, a repeat would be heartily welcomed.

TEAM NEWS

Villarreal

Veteran midfielder Marcos Senna will be sidelined for this encounter, while Angel Lopez is absent for the remainder of the season due to injury.

Carlos Marchena is banned.

Napoli

Luigi Vitale and Gianluca Grava are injured, while fellow defender Salvatore Aronica is banned. Cristiano Lucarelli is missing from the offence.

Prediction

Villarreal have been very impressive at home all season and will be favoured to pick up the win at El Madrigal. An away goal would make their life exceedingly awkward, so Napoli certainly should not be totally dismissed, but the Primera Division outfit have to start this encounter as the side considered likeliest to march on.

Villarreal 2-1 Napoli

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24-02-2011 21:05 Stuttgart - Benfica

Domestic Woes

Stuttgart are having a miserable season in the Bundesliga, currently sitting in 17th place, with a dire 19 points from 23 games. In recent years, Stuttgart have been a force to be reckoned with, both domestically and in Europe, but look a totally different side this season, where they have impressed very little.

The Badden-Wurttemberg side appear to be showing no signs of improvement in recent fixtures either, gathering just four points from their last five Bundesliga fixtures. They looked likely to take the first leg, before Benfica rallied late on to win the match 2-1. In general, however, their European form this season has impressed intermittently, gaining big wins against Getafe and Odense, but still struggling in many games, often against sides they would usually be heavy favourites against.

VfB must approach the fixture with some much needed confidence and belief, but remain aware of the danger this strong Benfica side can present to them if they are to stand any hope of over-turning the 2-1 deficit that they carry into the game. Stuttgart can take some solace in the fact that their weekend game is against fellow bottom-half side Eintracht Frankfurt, but will need to use their strength in depth to stand any hope of winning both games.

Labbadia is under pressure to perform and save Stuttgart's season, and failure to reach the next stage of the Europa League will do very little to ease that pressure.


Break The Curse

Benfica, though always considered a threat to any side they should face, have never - in 18 attempts - picked up a win on German soil. Their first leg win will ease pressure somewhat, as a draw will be enough to see them through, but would have to be considered something of a hollow victory.

Facing a struggling Stuttgart side presents them a great opportunity to pick up their first win in Germany. It is not often that a side competing in Europe will hit such emphatically poor form, and O Glorioso must look to exploit the weaknesses in Labbadia's side.

The Portuguese side are enjoying a much better season, sitting in second place in the Portuguese Liga, albeit some distance from leaders Porto. They have been in emphatic form, winning their last ten games in succession, and they enjoyed a moderate group stage campaign in the Champions League, narrowly losing out on second place to Lyon.

The first leg of this tie was their first Europa League fixture of the season, and despite being on the back foot for much of the game, they were able to win the game. Question marks remain however: was it strength in character that allowed them to rally so late in the game, or just luck? However you read into it, Benfica will be delighted to carry the advantage into the home leg.

TEAM NEWS

Stuttgart

The home side will likely have to make do without Timo Gebhart, Christian Gentner and Arthur Boka, who are all sidelined through injury.

Benfica

Benfica's only notable absentee will be influential midfielder Javi Garcia, who is suspended for the match.

Prediction

Benfica's German curse looks unlikely to be lifted, against a German side that are likely to come out like a wounded animal. Stuttgart will be low on confidence, particularly with some key players missing the tie, and this one looks like a draw, which will be enough to see Benfica through to the next round.

VfB Stuttgart 1-1 Benfica

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24-02-2011 21:05 Manchester City - Aris

City Aim To Keep Unbeaten Home Record Intact

City have an excellent record at Eastlands in European competition, having only lost once since moving to their new ground in 2003. That defeat was a surprise one against FC Midtjylland in 2008-09, but since then they have looked comfortable in front of their own supporters on the European stage.

This tie is the first meeting between the two sides, and this second leg is the first time City have hosted a Greek club.

Aris’ record away from home in Europe is not too impressive; they have won two of their five away games in this year’s competition both by one-goal margins. Goals have been hard to come by for them, as they have only scored 14 times in their 23 games in the league this season, however in Europe they have fared a little better scoring 13 goals in their 11 games.

Tough Trip Awaits Winners

Whilst both managers will be firmly focused on this match, they know that whoever is victororius will face a tricky task against either Besiktas JK or Dinamo Kiev in the last 16. And they will face the daunting task of a trip to Turkey or Ukraine for the first leg of the tie.

City are aiming to eclipse their best performance in the competition this season by getting past the quarter-final stage. The Blues have reached the quarter-finals on two occasions, in 1978-79 and 2008-09, but were unable to beat Hamburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach respectively.

With the strength in depth that City have, they will be confident they have enough to reach this year’s final in Dublin on May 18.

TEAM NEWS

Manchester City

City are still battling for trophies on three fronts, although manager Roberto Mancini has all but admitted defeat in the race for the Premier League. That leaves the Blues with two cup competitions to concentrate on (the FA Cup and Europa League) as they go in search of their first trophy in 34 years.

They will be without Irish goalkeeper Shay Given, who is suffering from a shoulder injury, and has been to see a specialist in London this week to assess the damage and determine whether he will need surgery to fix the problem.

Winger Shaun Wright-Phillips is doubtful for the game with the back problem that kept him out of last weekend’s victory over Notts County.

Possible starting XI: Hart; Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Zabaleta; Vieira, Barry; Silva, Y Toure, Kolarov; Tevez.

Aris

This game will be Aris's 50th UEFA club competition game and they will be hoping to progress to the last 16 for the first time in their history.

Salonika drew 0-0 with Atromitos at the weekend and are currently sitting in ninth position in the Greek Super League, however they have struggled to score goals all season which could cause them problems at Eastlands where City have only conceded two goals in four games in the competition.

This will place more pressure on strikers Sergio Koke and former City player Nery Castillo, who were both rested at the weekend, to score the goals to keep them in the competition.

Possible starting XI: Sifakis; Vangeli, Guiaro, Lazaridis, Michel; Mendrinos, Faty, Prittas, Toja; Koke, Castillo.

Prediction

After a convincing win over Notts County in the FA Cup last weekend, City will be keen to continue this form and get past Aris. The draw in Greece was hardly a surprise given the good home form in Europe of Aris, but their away form is less impressive and City should take their place in the last 16 of the competition.

Man City 2-0 Aris Thessaloniki

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24-02-2011 19:00 Sporting Lisboa - Rangers

Scots Looking To Get Season Back On Track

Any potential silverware opportunities for Rangers are slowly slipping away from them. This time last week they were looking to start a solid cup run in the Europa League in an attempt to keep confidence up and were preparing themselves for the weekend’s Old Firm fixture – a match that was built up to be the match for the Scottish title.

But, just a week later, the Gers lie eight points behind their bitter rivals Celtic in the league table as they lost to the Bhoys 3-0 at Celtic Park with a performance that manager Walter Smith has described as Rangers’ worst under his guidance. They appear to be on the brink of European elimination too as Sporting take an advantage – albeit, a slim one – into the return leg at the Jose Alvalade after last Thursday’s 1-1 draw at Ibrox.

However, the task ahead of Rangers in Europe certainly isn’t as daunting as their task on the domestic front as Sporting are by no-means anything close to the side they once were, and if a positive result is acquired, it could serve as the confidence boost needed to get back on track in the league.

Domestically, Sporting lie in third, 23 points behind table-toppers FC Porto after a 2-0 home defeat to bitter city rivals Benfica on Monday, as a goal each from Argentinians Eduardo Salvio and Nicolas Gaitan condemned Paulo Sergio’s side to their fifth league defeat of the season.

But the 2005 Uefa Cup finalists will be confident of progressing after snatching a late equaliser at Ibrox as little Mati Fernandez headed in after 89 minutes, therefore the Portuguese take what could be a vital away-goal into the tie.

Happy Hunting Ground

The Scottish side will definitely take heart from their last visit to the Jose Alvalade stadium, as on their run to the 2008 Uefa Cup final, Rangers beat Sporting in Lisbon 2-0 with goals from Jean-Claude Darcheville and Steven Whittaker after drawing the first-leg at Ibrox, the score that time being 0-0.

Although Rangers ended up losing in the final of that competition to Zenit St Petersburg, there is absolutely no doubt that the Gers would rather have lost the final than not been there at all, something that their fans would be very grateful for once again, and so far, the omens don’t look too discouraging.

TEAM NEWS

Sporting

The Portuguese side are still likely to be without Russian midfielder Marat Izmailov who continues to be sidelined along with Jaime Valdes and Simon Vuckevic, however Argentine defender Leandro Grimi – who missed the first leg – could feature after starting Monday’s Lisbon derby against Benfica.

Possible starting XI: Rui Patricio; Joao Pereira, Anderson Polga, Daniel Carrico, Leandro Grimi; Maniche, Pedro Mendes, Mati Fernandez; Yannick Djalo, Helder Postiga, Cristiano.

Rangers

The Scots will be without Steven Naismith – who was withdrawn with an injury during the Old Firm match at the weekend – and youngster Jamie Ness for this vital away-tie.

Added to that, Lee McCulloch will be out for around another two months after having surgery on his knee last week, whilst Kirk Broadfoot will sit out due to an injured foot and striker Nikica Jelavic is cup-tied after already playing in the competition for Rapid Vienna. Midfielder Kyle Hutton is also a doubt for the match due to illness.

Possible starting XI: McGregor; Whittaker, Weir, Bougherra, Papac; Diouf, Davis, Bartley, Edu, Weiss; Lafferty.

Prediction

I certainly do not anticipate a high scoring game at the Jose Alvalade as neither of these two sides have front men that fill me with a massive amount of confidence in terms of scoring a hat-full of goals, therefore on that basis I believe the match will be close. However, after their last-gasp equaliser, I see Sporting progressing to the next round with a narrow 1-0 win.

Sporting 1-0 Rangers

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24-02-2011 19:00 Liverpool - Sparta Praha

Reds need to step it up

Liverpool went into the first leg playing over-cautiously and managing to carve out a dull goalless draw at the Generali Arena, where they could have, and probably should have, registered a victory to ease the pressure.

Not that a home game against the Czech side creates any undue pressure on the Reds, but it would have made the job a much simpler task as it would have only been a formality to see them off at Anfield instead of having to win the game as they need to presently.

Kenny Dalglish will likely field a stronger line-up than the one he did during the previous game, and with the Kop behind his men it appears to be a relatively straightforward game on paper.

But football matches are not won on paper, and the players will have to battle it out and claim a victory to progress into the last 16 of the tournament.

With home advantage on their side, however, the Merseyside outfit are certainly strong favourites to brush past their opponents and make their way to the next stage of the continental competition.

Nothing to lose

Sparta Prague really have nothing to lose, since they were pitted against a much stronger opponent who were expected to make no bones in finishing them off and pushing onward into the next knockout round of the tournament.

Instead, the over-cautious style of play from Dalglish’s men has given the Czech club a glimmer of hope that they may be able to spring an upset in the second leg. But this unlikely event will be a herculean task for Jozef Chovanec’s charges, as they have it all to do at Anfield - where the atmosphere could be intimidating on European nights.

However, the defensive approach coupled with the Dalglish fielding a relatively weakened side could give some hope for the visitors, as the Reds could potentially underestimate them and fall prey to a shock defeat in their own backyard.

But to do this, Sparta Prague will have to give it everything when they are in possession of the ball, as anything lesser than a 100 per cent effort is likely to end in a defeat at the backyard of one of the most successful teams in Europe.

TEAM NEWS

Liverpool

There are reports that skipper Steven Gerrard is still struggling to regain his fitness, and manager Kenny Dalglish recently hinted that it may be wise not to risk the 30-year-old in this game.

Otherwise, Daniel Agger is expected to return to the fold after missing the first leg of the double header.

Possible starting XI: Reina; Kelly, Carragher, Agger, Wilson, Johnson; Poulsen, Lucas, Meireles; Cole; Kuyt.

Sparta Prague

The Czech side have nothing to lose and should put in a strong line-up hoping to score one goal in the hope of pressurising their opponents and potentially progressing with a narrow win, or the away goals rule.

Possible starting XI: Blazek; Kusnir, Repka, Brabec, Pamic; Keric, Vacek, Abena, Matejovsky; Kadlec, Kweuke.

Prediction

Liverpool should have relatively little trouble brushing past their opponents, as they have home advantage and the quality in the squad to push forward into the next knockout round.

Liverpool 3-0 Sparta Praha

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24-02-2011 Europa League Preview Round-Up

PSG - BATE Borisov
Paris St Germain welcome the reigning Belarusian champions to the Parc Des Princes, after gaining a 2-2 draw in their away leg. The away goals will be vital for them as BATE make their first ever journey to France. PSG have to be considered favourites to go through, but the Belarusians will have no intention of going down without a fight.

Twente - Rubin Kazan
Twente host a Rubin Kazan side they were able to defeat 2-0 in a chilly first leg in Russia, and will surely be confident of progressing in the competition. Climate and confidence will be on their side, but Rubin are a side that can always pull up a tree or two. If Twente approach the game professionally, they should be able to get the result they need, but will suffer the consequences if they become complacent.

Ajax - Anderlecht
Ajax will be extremely confident of getting past Anderlecht after winning the first leg in Belgium 3-0. The Dutch side are the stronger of the two teams, and their first leg dominance came as no surprise, so neither will a win in Amsterdam.

SC Braga - Lech Poznan
After an unsuccessful Champions League campaign, Braga were rocked by a 1-0 defeat in Poland. The tie is still wide open, and both teams will need to come out strong to stand a chance of qualifying for the next round of the competition, but Braga will look to capitalise on home advantage, as well as a much friendlier climate.

Dynamo Kiev - Besiktas
No prizes for guessing which of these two sides will reach the next round. After a dominant 4-1 win in Istanbul, Dynamo host Besiktas in the Ukrainian capital, where the temperature is forecast to be well below freezing. Should the star-studded Turkish side progress, it would have to be considered one of the most impressive comebacks in European history.

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