Going into the second leg of the Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich semifinal, I wanted to keep an eye on the player or players for Barcelona who would be difference makers. As good as Barcelona has been, plus playing in front of the home crowd, the team has had the ability of making you a miracle believer out of non-believer and someone therefore had to be the hero. When pre-game it was announced that Lionel Messi would start on the bench […]

In a UEFA Champions League year defined by large scorelines, this blowout may be the most shocking. Barcelona came out looking flat and was blown out by an in-form Bayern Munich 4-0. The big news pre-game was that Barcelona would start the not 100% Lionel Messi, hoping that the creative forward would weave some magic through the slower Bayern backs. The move backfired spectacularly, as Messi looked tentative throughout the game and rarely tried to advance the ball when he […]

Heading into part two of the Germany-Spain derby in the Champions League, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund are in similar positions in their respective leagues heading into today’s clash. Dortmund’s Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich have already clinched the league and sit a whopping 21 points behind the Bavarians. Real Madrid are likewise in a similar position, 13 points behind leaders Barcelona. This is the chance for both clubs to win some major silverware this year (Madrid are in the Copa […]

With a 4-0 win in their first semi-final leg, against a club many claim the best of the modern era, Bayern Munich, aside from a complete meltdown in the second leg, have booked their place in this year’s UEFA Champions League final. Bayern came so close to lifting the trophy last May in their home stadium against Chelsea which many believe they should have won, only to lose in a penalty shoot-out. That night in Bayern’s Allianz Arena was a […]

Barcelona advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League after another draw with PSG meaning they progressed on the away goals rule. They join Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in Friday’s draw. The big news before the game was that despite training with the squad the day before the match Lionel Messi was not fit enough to start so he was on the bench with Cesc Fabregas starting in his place. In a lively start to the game […]

Race for Third, A final placing A breath of fresh air in Serie A this season has been Vicenzo Montella’s Fiorentina. After an inconsistent start to the season, La Viola enter their next fixture against Milan off the back off three victories and one loss in their last four games. They are now in fourth spot six points short of Milan. Paramount to Fiorentina’s success has been Stevan Jovetic. The fact that the forward has constantly been the subject of […]

Juventus picked the wrong time to play their worst match since the days of Luigi Del Neri. The Bianconeri were completely outplayed in every facet of Tuesday’s Champions League quarterfinal match with Bayern Munich, falling 2-0 in a contest that could easily have ended with a much more humiliating scoreline. “We have to be honest and say the better team won on the night,” Antonio Conte told Sky Sports Italia after the match. “Seeing as we are coming back to […]

Current Ligue Un leaders, Paris Saint-Germaine, host La Liga leaders, Barcelona, in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal round on Tuesday evening at the Parc des Princes. This will be the toughest task yet for the Qatar-backed French side. Interestingly the game will have a distinct Serie A flavour to it with a number of the PSG players having played in Italy. Furthermore if we add their successful Italian coach, Carlo Ancelotti and their Sporting Director, Leonardo who […]

In the pick of the Quarter-finals Juventus have been drawn against last years finalists Bayern Munich. The Old Lady who are a resurgent force in the Champions League will first travel to the Allienz Arena before hosting the four-time winners. Juventus are unbeaten in this season’s Champions League. They overcame Celtic comfortably in the second round 5-0 on aggregate and will be hoping to progress further in the competition. Bayern on the other hand beat Arsenal on the away goals […]

AC Milan will be looking to cause the upset of the season when they take on Catalan giants FC Barcelona in second leg action of the last 16 of Champions League Tuesday evening. The Rossoneri travel to the Nou Camp with a 2-0 aggregate lead earned from the first leg at the San Siro. Barcelona faces the possibility of failing to progress past the second round for the first time in a staggering six years. Since the Blaugrana’s elimination at […]

It was always going to be mission impossible for Celtic. Coming into the Juventus Stadium the Scottish side had to make up for allowing three goals at home against a opponent having allowed only three goals twice since manager Antonio Conte took over. Although Juve walked away with it easily, Celtic fans should be proud theirs was the ridiculous task. Juventus definitely had the better of the chances but that doesn’t mean that Celtic didn’t put the pressure on. Celtic […]

Juventus 2011-12 has etched its place in history. Just like Antonio Conte wanted, his side can only be matched but never surpassed. The Bianconeri completed a remarkable 38-game unbeaten season by conquering Atalanta 3-1 and then watched as outgoing captain Alessandro Del Piero lifted the Serie A trophy high into the Turin sky Having secured the Scudetto and record, Antonio Conte’s mind is now focused on completing the entire season unbeaten in the upcoming Coppa Italia final versus Napoli. However […]