Wednesday, December 15, 2010

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15-12-2010 21:05 Liverpool - Utrecht

Dead Rubber

The fate of both teams in the Europa League is sealed, as Liverpool will finish as group winners and go through to the next stage of the competition. But manager Roy Hodgson has worries about his side’s form, and for the first time the pressure from inside the club is beginning to show.

The Reds’ principal owner John W Henry recently branded this season’s results as “unacceptable” for a club that almost won the Premier League two years ago. And this will likely put pressure on the former Fulham boss, as he has to turn things around quickly.

And with a section of the club’s fans calling for Hodgson’s head by chanting for the resurrection of former player and manager Kenny Dalglish, the manager will likely want to prove a point by going through to the knockout phase of Europe’s second-tier competition with an unbeaten record.

Despite their mid-table position in the league, the Merseyside club have been strong at home this season. And this should stand them in good stead for this game, since Hodgson will likely continue with his mantra of giving some youngsters and a few fringe players a run out.

In Search Of Form...

...and in search of a victory, the supporters would think.

Utrecht are at the bottom of Group K and only have the opportunity to finish third. But their position is not necessarily a true reflection of their strength, since they have four draws to their name.

It is the inability to take three points that has come to haunt the Dutch club, and coach Ton du Chatinier would undoubtedly wish for a win so that his players’ confidence receives a boost.

This would be necessary in the grand scheme of their campaign, since the visitors have fallen well off the pace in the Eredivisie. One win in their last five outings in all competitions barely makes for a positive reading for a team that is competing on the European stage, and a turn in the tide would give the team the opportunity to regain the momentum necessary to directly qualify for next season’s edition of this tournament.

The last time the Dutch side met Liverpool was their first game against English opposition, and it ended in a goalless stalemate in Netherlands.

TEAM NEWS

Liverpool

Steven Gerrard (hamstring) is still recovering from the injury sustained whilst on international duty, while Jamie Carragher (shoulder) is not expected to return for another two-and-a-half months.

Jay Spearing (ankle) and Daniel Agger (calf) are also sidelined, while David Ngog (head) is a doubt as he required stitches above his eye at the weekend against Newcastle and his fitness is yet to be assessed.

Possible starting XI: Reina; Kelly, Kyrgiakos, Wilson, Aurelio; Kuyt, Shelvey, Poulsen, Jovanovic; Cole; Babel.

Utrecht

The Dutch side are struggling for form, and manager Ton du Chatinier could choose to field a strong squad to gain a victory and boost the confidence of his side, particularly as the hosts are through and are likely to field a few fringe players.

Possible starting XI: Vorm; Cornelisse, Schut, Wuytens, Nesu; Duplan, Lensky, Silberbauer, Mertens; Van Wolfswinkel; Demouge.

Prediction
Liverpool are strong at home this term, and have won their last five games against Eredivisie opponents. Anything less than a victory would be a less than a satisfactory result for the Reds.

Liverpool 3-1 Utrecht

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15-12-2010 21:05 Napoli - Steaua

Last Italian Team Standing

Italian teams do not tend to take the Europa League with much seriousness as has been portrayed in the rather abysmal exits of Juventus, Sampdoria and Palermo from the competition. Napoli too haven't performed admirably in Europe's second-tier club competition but heading into the final round of fixtures in the group stage, the Partenopei are the only Italian side still in with a chance of progressing into the Round of 32.

Currently stationed third in Group K with four points from five matches, Walter Mazzarri's side need a win against Steaua Bucharest tonight to qualify for the next stage. The Neapolitans are a couple of points behind the Romanians and anything less than a win will knock them out.

Winning will be anything but easy even for a Napoli side that are in great form and won at the weekend to stay six points off the pace in Serie A. The former Italian champions have yet to register a single victory in the Europa League and have drawn both of their group games at the San Paolo.

Mazzarri knows the immensity of the task at hand but remaining confident states, "On Wednesday we need to use our hearts and heads and not make life complicated for ourselves by making mistakes because of too much desire to overdo it.

"We need a perfect game defensively in order not to run risks. When we do things well we have the ability to put anyone in difficulty. We have to try to get a goal more than our opponents. We should never overdo it and we need attention to our nerves, tactics and psychology.''

Seeking A Point

Romanian giants Steaua Bucharest are placed in second spot in the group with six points from five matches and need just a draw to progress to the Round of 32. They will head into tonight's encounter with confidence given that Napoli have yet to bag maximum points from a match in the Europa League this season.

Steaua, though, do not have a very promiscuous away record as they have drawn one and lost the other so far in the competition. In September their encounter with Napoli in Bucharest ended in a 3-3 draw with the hosts relinquishing a three-goal lead.

Coach Marius Lacatus is aware of Napoli's form in Naples and says, "We'll come to Naples to play our game. We know the strength of the blue team and the great pressure that the crowd generate at the San Paolo, but we are prepared for anything.

"We are not playing for a draw - that would not be smart. We know this game will not end 0-0. Who I am afraid of from Napoli? I won't mention names, but the team has four or five players who can change the game at any moment.''

TEAM NEWS

Napoli

Ezequiel Lavezzi and Jose Sosa are struggling with ankle injuries and it is not clear at the moment whether they will be able to start. Mazzarri is said to start in a 3-4-2-1 line-up with Cavani as the targetman.

Steaua

Banel Nicolita and Pantelis Kapetanos are suspended, while Cristian Tanase. The visitors will deploy a 4-5-1 system that will have Stancu as the lone striker upfront.

Prediction
Napoli haven't looked very reliable in the Europa League and one suspects that they could give themselves a hard time against the Romanians tonight. However, it is unlikely that the Azzurri will lose all three points and will just about eke out a narrow victory in the end.

Napoli 2-0 Steaua

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15-12-2010 18:00 Seongnam - Inter

Conjuring Up An Upset

Last night African champions TP Mazembe constructed one of the shock results in the history of the Club World Cup as they defeated Brazilian giants Internacional 2-0 in the semi-finals to become the first team from Africa to reach the final, and tonight Seongnam Ilhwa can conjure up yet another upset if they win against Italian and European champions Inter in the other semi.

The Asian champions could then create history as they would become the first team from Asia to reach the final of this prestigious competition. Shin Tae Yong's side have looked very impressive so far in the competition as they hammered Al-Wahda 4-1 in the quarter-finals.

Against Inter, who are in a crisis of their own as they are struggling in Serie A and have just stuttered their way through to the knockout stage of the Champions League, the Pegasus will be confident of a victory.

Tae Yong knows the significance and symbolic importance of a win and explains, “Internazionale are the best team in the world. They are the better team and we’re not in for an easy match.

"But our players are here to try and perform at their best and if they do I’m sure we’ll give them a good game. It'd be an extremely proud moment for us and the whole of Asia if we were to qualify for the final." 

Under Severe Pressure

Just as Internacional headed into their encounter against TP Mazembe as favourites last night, Inter will take to the pitch against Seongnam expecting to reach the final. On paper the European champions have a superior squad and with European teams having won on all three previous occasions against Asian opposition in the Club World Cup, history is a friend to the Italians.

Coach Rafael Benitez, though, is under immense pressure to succeed. Even though club supremo Massimo Moratti has persistently insisted that he has no plans to axe the Spaniard, the former Valencia and Liverpool manager must try to appease the Nerazzurri fans and win the competition.

Inter have fallen behind in the race for the Scudetto in Italy and haven't looked very convincing in their march to the second round of the Champions League, so a triumph in the Club World Cup could be the boost they need to lift themselves up for the remainder of the 2010-11 campaign.

Striker Diego Milito, who has struggled with injuries so far this season and has also been misfiring on occasions, is confident of winning and underlines, "This is a unique competition for all of us. We don't know if we'll ever play in it again in our careers. We will try to enjoy it and reach a valuable objective, which is very important to us.''

TEAM NEWS

Seongnam Ilhwa

The Asian champions are likely to line up in their 4-3-3 formation that will have Cho Dong Keon, Dzenan Radoncic and Sung Kuk Choi as the front-three.

Inter

Benitez still has a number of players injured and hasn't been able to take his full strength squad to Abu Dhabi. However, striker Milito is likely to start and so will Samuel Eto'o and Wesley Sneijder in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Prediction
Inter will be the favourites for the match but they will need to score early. Defensively the Nerazzurri have looked weak and this could play into the hands of their Asian rivals. However, the Beneamata should still emerge triumphant in the end.

Seongnam Ilhwa 0-2 Inter Milan