07-12-2010 20:45 Bursaspor - Rangers

Still Looking For First Points

Bursaspor are looking to gain their first points in the Champions League after finally scoring their first goal in the competition while being destroyed by Spanish giants Valencia in the previous round of games two weeks ago.

The Turkish champions come into the tie on the back of a demoralising one goal defeat away to Besiktas, which saw them fail to apply pressure on current Turkish league leaders Trabzonspor, who have extended their lead to five points as a result of this week's fixtures.

The Green Crocodiles will also have to deal with the fact that they played Besiktas only two days before the Champions League fixture, in which they played the entire second half with only 10 men after playmaker Volkan Sen was sent off after receiving two yellow cards in the space of one minute.

Victory Is Vital

The Scottish champions visit Turkey after being left in cold storage for the last two weeks, with their Scottish Premier League fixtures against both Dundee United and Hearts having been cancelled due to the extreme weather in Scotland over the last week.

Rangers go into the final game of their Champions League group knowing that a victory will help them secure a seeding place in the knockout stages of the Europa League, so that they can avoid some of the big guns which will include names such as Manchester City and Liverpool.

With third place secured, Walter Smith may look to rest striker Kenny Miller, who has been the Ibrox side’s workhorse, having had a lack of a partner in the Rangers forward line.

TEAM NEWS

Bursaspor

Bursaspor go into their final Champions League game without the services of Ali Tandogan, who is still out after sustaining a serious head injury that he received in the Turkish champions' 2-2 draw with Antalyaspor at the start of November.

The Green Crocodiles could also be without defender Ibrahim Ozturk, who was taken from the field during Bursaspor’s 1-0 defeat away to Besiktas.

Ertugrul Saglam may be wanting to make changes for the meaningless game for the Turkish side after they were forced to play their away game at Besiktas on Sunday afternoon.

Possible starting XI: Ivankov; Wederson, Aziz, Erdogan, Keceli; Ergic, Svennsson, Batalla, Volkan Sen; Yildirim, Bahadir.

Rangers

The Scottish champions welcome back defender Madjid Bougherra, who has recovered from a hamstring injury in order to make the trip to Turkey.

Walter Smith’s side will also have to do without Kirk Broadfoot due to a foot injury, while Sasa Papac is not fit enough to be selected for the Champions League fixture as he recovers from a head injury.

The Ibrox side still have long-term absentees Andy Webster (hamstring), Maurice Edu (knee), Kyle Lafferty (hand) and Nikica Jelavic (ankle) as Smith’s side look to claim their second win in this season’s competition.

Possible starting XI: McGregor; Foster, Weir, Bougherra, Whittaker; Weiss, Davis, Hutton, McCulloch, Naismith; Beattie.

Prediction

Bursaspor will be looking to reward their supporters after what has been a terrible campaign for the Turkish champions, in which they have only scored one goal. Rangers, however, will be fresh, after having not played since their last Champions League fixture against Manchester United.

Bursaspor 0-2 Rangers

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07-12-2010 20:45 Olympique Lyonnais - Hapoel Tel Aviv

Uncertain

It’s all to play for in Group B, with Olympique Lyonnais still holding out hopes of finishing atop the section after slipping to two defeats in succession after a promising start saw them win all of their opening four matches. If they are to achieve that feat, they must best Hapoel Tel Aviv on Tuesday and hope that Schalke fail to overcome Benfica in Portugal.

Lyon have rarely served to play decisively this season and have almost pushed themselves into the top two of this pool by default as their opponents have been almost equally as erratic. Their uncertain form hasn’t simply consigned itself to continental competition, and for a good deal of the Ligue 1 season they were sitting in the bottom half of the standings.

OL have composed themselves to some extent domestically and have moved to within touching distance of the top of the league, though that’s been achieved in a rather unconvincing style too. Claude Puel’s men have muddled their way by opponents, with Saturday’s 2-1 victory in Montpellier an excellent example of the kind of win they’ve achieved.

Les Gones grabbed an early lead but once their opponents had settled into the game and drawn level it seemed that they would be lucky to escape with a point. Deep in stoppage time young left-back Timothee Kolodziejczak crossed for Lisandro Lopez to bury a shot into the corner of the net, giving Lyon three welcome if rather undeserved points.

Benfica and Schalke have been good enough to exploit the clear defensive weaknesses of OL, which French teams have failed in recent times, so Puel must first think about keeping things tight at the back on Tuesday evening.

Belying Expectations

When Hapoel Tel Aviv were drawn in a difficult looking Group B, they were considered to be the whipping boys. The Israelis may presently be at the foot of the standings, but they have proven more competitive a side than they were given credit for at the outset. Indeed, Eli Guttmann’s unit still have the opportunity to reach the Europa League should they win in France and Benfica fall at home to Schalke.

Three defeats from their opening three games painted a rather bleak picture of the Red Demons, though they had acted competitively against the Portuguese and French particularly. A 3-1 reverse in Gelsenkirchen seemed to slam the final nail into the club’s coffin in Matchday 3, but they rallied to hold die Koenigsblauen in Israel. Building on that, they achieved a magnificent 3-0 victory over Benfica a fortnight ago.

Eran Zahavi struck either side of a Douglas da Silva effort for the hosts as they shocked the Encarnados, who were expected to pick up three points in the Israeli capital. By no means were the hosts dominant, but they took their chances impressively while the luckless Portuguese floundered with their greater volume of possession and chances.

Hapoel have played themselves into a position from which they are still competitive on the final day of action, and that in itself is something of an achievement. Going strong in the Israeli Premier League, the Workers will at the very least gain a good deal of experience for another potential tilt at Europe’s premier competition next season.

TEAM NEWS

Lyon

Cris was able to return at the weekend after tendonitis had ruled him out for a couple of weeks, though Yoann Gourcuff is still toiling with a knock picked up against Schalke and won’t play. Jeremy Toulalan is involved again after a thigh problem kept him out at the weekend.

Aly Cissokho and Pape Diakhate were unable to play due to suspension at the weekend but will return to the rearguard on Tuesday.

Ederson, Cesar Delgado and Clement Grenier are all sidelined.

Hapoel

Romain Rocchi and Mahran Lala are both out due to injuries, though Salim Toama and Gal Shish have both recently overcome problems to feature.

Dedi Ben-Dayan is banned after crossing the disciplinary threshold.

Prediction

Though Lyon have struggled in Europe lately, their defeats have come away from home. Hapoel, on the other hand, have thrived in Israel but may get something of a shock when they get to the cold heart of France. OL should be good enough to win, but it might be surprisingly hard work.

O. Lyon 3-1 Hapoel

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07-12-2010 20:45 Benfica - Schalke 04

Finish On A High

Benfica would have expected to be strong enough to progress through to the knock-out stages of the Champions League, but events mean that the Lisbon club have fallen short, paying for erratic away form. Instead, the Europa League beckons, but only if they earn a positive result against a Schalke team who need to win to claim top spot.

Though the Aguias picked up a 2-0 victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv on the competition’s opening evening, the tone was set for their group stage three weeks later when they went down 2-0 against Schalke. A similar reverse in France against Olympique Lyonnais was to prove decisive, despite beating OL 4-3 in early November.

For all that their poor performances on the road have cost them vital points, it is that victory against les Gones that they will live to forget. Leading 4-0, Jorge Jesus’ men were cruising to victory but took their foot off the pedal and would allow the Frenchmen to draw sufficiently close to give them a head-to-head advantage.

If there was disappointment in the manner they finished the last 15 minutes of that encounter, this would pale into insignificance as they went down 3-0 in Israel only a fortnight later, finishing off any lingering hopes of the last 16.

With Porto already well clear domestically, it’s been a disappointing conclusion to 2010 for the Reds, who will seek to finish the year strongly and attack 2011 with renewed vigour.

No More Crisis-Talk

Schalke have impressively managed to forget their domestic worries when playing in Europe so far this season. Die Koenigsblauen may linger just above the relegation zone in the Bundesliga, but they’re heading to the last 16 of the Champions League. Yet Felix Magath’s men want to progress in style, and in order to maximise their chances of going deeper in the competition must aim for first spot.

Victory against Benfica is therefore necessary, and the Gelsenkirchen side approach the game with a good deal of confidence having picked up a 2-0 success over Bayern Munich at the weekend. However, they’ve been especially erratic away from home, with a 5-0 loss against Kaiserslautern a reminder of just how frail a side Schalke can be.

“If we continue to play like this, there will be no more of this crisis-talk,” Magath commented after the weekend’s victory. “We have had a miserable start. The team had to find itself, but now and then we will see such games.”

With goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in inspired form between the posts and Raul starting to find his feet in a creative role just behind a central striker, the signs are that Schalke are improving. They’ve already proven this when playing at home, now they need to do so on the road, and the door is open for just that in Lisbon.

TEAM NEWS

Benfica

Pablo Aimar, Oscar Cardozo and Airton are all back training after recent injury concerns. Alan Kardec isn’t involved in the squad.

Schalke

Junmin Hao, Tim Hoogland and Levan Kenia are all training after a variety of problems. Christian Pander returned against Bayern Munich after suffering from muscular problems that ruled him out for over a year, but he’s not registered to play in the Champions League.

Jefferson Farfan isn’t in the squad due to a suspension.

Prediction

Neither of these sides have been particularly noted for their consistency this season, with the German outfit particularly erratic. Given the unpredictable nature of the two sides, a draw would look unlikely, but which team to win is something of a toss of the coin. With Benfica have won their two previous home games, they should be favoured, but only if they go out with the intent of winning.

Benfica 2-1 Schalke 04

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07-12-2010 20:45 Werder - Inter

Playing For Pride

Werder Bremen have already been eliminated from the Champions League group stage and have nothing but pride to play for. With just two points from five matches, the German side have relinquished all hopes of even finishing third and dropping to the Europa League.

Werder are struggling in the Bundesliga too as they are in mid-table and played out a goalless draw with Wolfsburg at the weekend. Therefore, the Green-Whites will be buoyant to round off their Champions League campaign with a victory over the European champions.

Werder have never lost to an Italian opposition at the Weserstadion and coach Thomas Schaaf will be looking to maintain that record. Indeed, the 49-year-old stresses that they will go all out for a victory tonight.

"The match tomorrow is very important for us even though we're out of the competition," Schaaf enthused. "It's a big game and we're very happy to take on the titleholders. It's a big challenge for us and we want to not only compete with Inter, but to win.

"We have to give up making plans for this season and only look ahead to our next match – this is tomorrow and we want to win. I'm angry about the fact that we are already eliminated from this competition, and I know I'm going to be even angrier when I'm sat at home next year watching the big matches on TV."

Topping The Group

Inter may have already qualified for the second round of the Champions League from Group A but the Italian and European champions will very much like to finish top and try to avoid a fellow European heavyweight in the Round of 16.

At the moment the Beneamata are second with 10 points - level with Tottenham Hotspur but second on head-to-head record. A win for against Werder in Bremen could see them win the group if Spurs lose or draw with Twente.

However, it will be far from easy for Rafael Benitez's side who lost 3-1 to Lazio in Rome in Serie A on Friday and dropped 10 points off the pace in the league. The Nerazzurri remain in crisis and Benitez, who is under pressure, will attempt to win this match before flying his team for the Club World Cup in the UAE.

"We could finish first in the group and this would be better than being in second place, so we want to win tomorrow (Tuesday) and that's why we're here," enthuses Benitez. "It's good and important for the whole of Italian football that we stay as long as possible in the Champions League.

"I think we've done well so far. We cannot influence the match in Enschede but we can play for a victory here."

TEAM NEWS

Werder Bremen

Tim Borowski, Sebastien Boenisch, Naldo and Christian Vander are unavailable because of injuries. However, both Claudio Pizarro and Mikaël Silvestre are back to full match fitness and could feature tonight. Daniel Jensen and Marko Arnautovic too have been included in the 18-man squad.

Inter

Julio Cesar, Walter Samuel, Coutinho, Joel Obi, Maicon and Cristian Chivu remain on the sidelines because of injuries while Lucio, Diego Milito and Wesley Sneijder have been left behind in Milan. Dejan Stankovic, who hobbled off the pitch against Lazio on Friday, has been left out of the 19-man squad too but Sulley Muntari is back to full match fitness.

Prediction

Werder have nothing to play for but they will certainly be motivated to round off their Champions League adventure with a victory. Inter remain knee-deep in crisis and it is unlikely that they will register a win in Bremen tonight. A scoring draw is the most likely result.

Werder Bremen 2-2 Inter Milan

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07-12-2010 20:45 Twente - Tottenham Hot.

Looking For Revenge

The last time these two met Spurs overcame Twente 4-1 thanks to at least one dubious penalty decision and a rollercoaster performance from Rafael van der Vaart who missed a penalty, scored a fantastic volley, and then got sent off.

The score-line was unfair on the Dutch champions as they threatened throughout, and have by and large impressed throughout this Champions League campaign. Unfortunately qualification is out of their hands, so revenge for that 4-1 defeat will be the order of the day for reigning Dutch champions.

With Ruiz sidelined, they will be looking to midfielder Theo Janssen to continue his fine form, after the Dutch international scored a brace against De Graafschap on Saturday to move joint-top of the Eredivisie with PSV and Preud'homme will be hoping for more of the same to regain some pride and register their first home win in the tournament.

"We Want To Finish Top"

Redknapp would have been delighted to wrap up qualification to the last 16 as soon as possible, and the 3-0 win over Werder Bremen last time out did just that.

Now it is all eyes on claiming that precious top spot.

“We want to finish top if we can. Inter Milan will go to Germany looking to win because that top position is important. Otherwise, it’s [the likes of] Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich [in the next round],” Redknapp said.

Spurs have enjoyed a debut season that is scarcely believable. They are joint-top scorers in the competition, enjoyed one of the greatest nights at White Hart Lane in recent memory when beating holders Inter 3-1, and, despite losing 4-3, the second-half hat-trick by Gareth Bale at the San Siro was a joy to behold. If progression to the last 16 in their debut season wasn’t good enough to round it all off, then topping such a tough group certainly would.

TEAM NEWS

Twente

Manager Michel Preud'homme will be without last-season’s top goalscorer Bryan Ruiz for the visit of Tottenham, after the Costa Rica suffered a knee injury during two weeks ago and will stay out of action until the turn of the year.

However, Preud-homme still has a plethora of attacking talent, much like their opponents on Tuesday, and will most likely call upon their 6ft 5in tall striker Marc Janko and Moroccan Nacer Chadli, who has two goals to his name so far this campaign.

Nicky Kuiper is the only other injury. The promising 21-year-old left-back tore his knee ligaments in October and has missed Twente’s last two Champions League games, with Peter Wisgerhof likely to come in.

Possible starting XI: Mihaylov; Rosales, Douglas, Wisgerhof, Tiendalli; Landzaat, Brama, Chadli, Janssen; De Jong, Janko.

Tottenham

Spurs, meanwhile, are down to the bare bones. Luckily these days at White Hart Lane even their 'bare bones' means they still have international players to call upon.

Aside from long-term absentees defenders Ledley King (knee) and Jonathan Woodgate (groin), Spurs will also be without inspirational midfielder Rafael van der Vaart (hamstring) and defender Younes Kaboul (hip), but the latter is expected to be fit for the visit of Chelsea on Sunday.

Michael Dawson was an unused substitute against Birmingham last Saturday, and could well make his long awaited return from injury, and therefore his Champions League group stage debut.

Possible starting XI: Gomes; Corluka, Dawson, Bassong, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon, Palacios, Modric, Bale; Crouch, Defoe.

Prediction

Redknapp will not let the visit of Chelsea on Sunday put his players off, and will stress to them the importance of claiming top spot. Leading on the head-to-head record and goal difference over Inter, a one-goal victory at De Grolsch Veste Stadium could snatch it, but with their defence just as leaky as their attack is potent, they will need to concentrate.

Twente 1-2 Tottenham

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