Twenty-four hours ago, I was bemoaning the lack of marquee matches for the restart for UEFA Champions League The best match, on name value, was Real Madrid at Ajax, but we all knew how that would end up (says the person who predicted 0-1 in a match that ended 0-4). Roma and Bayern was also notable, but Chelsea, Milan, and Arsenal were all without major challenges.
UEFA Champions League Wednesday Preview, Picks: Can Rafa Benitez Break Inter Milan’s Champions League, Too?
Of course, Arsenal ended-up losing. Again. The Gunners have lost two in a row at clubs that, in bygone years, we would have thought out of their league. Shakhtar Donetsk derailed Arsenal three weeks ago, and yesterday Arsène Wenger’s charge allowed two late goals, losing at Sporting Braga, 2-0. Now Arsenal finds itself destined for second place in Group H.
As it concerns Wednesday’s action, Arsenal’s loss gives us hope. Whereas a Tuesday without upsets might have had us staring at Wednesday’s fixture list, romanticizing thoughts of the weekend, now we can look at Rangers and Manchester United and wonder. Is that today’s Braga-Arsenal?
There are some fixtures more reasonable to expect upsets from than Rangers-United. Consider Twente’s visit to Internazionale. With Inter sitting sixth in Serie A, you would expect Rafa Benitez to have the Nerazzurri primed for Twente’s visit, particularly with the likes of Marcelo Bielsa linked with the Inter job. But Benítez proved himself impervious to pressure last year at Liverpool, stubbornly adhering to stubborn tactics as the Reds were pulled down to seventh. Having such success rewarded by a job with the European Champions, why would Benítez interpret media bombast and poor results as admonition of his coaching? Such ironies makes Rafa Wednesday’s headline act.
It’s been almost a month since Inter won a match (October 29 at Genoa). In that time, the holders have been routed at White Hart Lane, lost a Milan Derby, and been dismissed by Chievo. Because the highlights of his month have been draws with Brescia and Lecce, club president Massimo Moratti’s had to give a vote of confidence. So Rafa could go at anytime.
While Lyon’s visit to Schalke, Tottenham hosting Werder and Benfica’s trip to Tel Aviv should all produce better football, Inter’s match with Twente has the drama. While it’s unlikely Inter loses the match (let alone does something that would see Benítez dismissed), we could be witnessing the most telling chapter in an unforseen tragedy. Nobody expected Benítez to fail so clearly, so quickly, but if the Nerazzurri fall to Twente, Inter will be indisputably broken.
Group A
| # | Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tottenham Hotspur | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 8 | +4 | 7 |
| 2 | Internazionale | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 8 | +3 | 7 |
| 3 | Twente | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 7 | -1 | 5 |
| 4 | Werder Bremen | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 2 |
- Internazionale versus Twente, San Siro, Milan - Samuel Eto’o is the competition’s leading goal scorer, racking up seven goals in Inter’s four matches, numbers which parallel the Cameroonian’s league form. His brilliant stoppage time goal against Chievo gives Inter supporters hope. Even if Benítez fails to find a way to win, the team has somebody capable of stealing three points. Given injuries to Coutinho, Joel Obi and Diego Milito, Eto’o will have little help, and with Maicon and Júlio César still out, Inter is vulnerable to anybody - even an Eredivisie side that’s lost two in a row.
- Tottenham Hotspur versus Werder Bremen, White Hart Lane, London - There may be no more disappointing club in Europe than Werder Bremen, be it in Champions League or domestically. While sitting 12th in the Bundesliga (with a -12 goal difference), Werder has been equally disappointing in Europe, where they were expected to compete for a knock-out stage spot. Instead, Werder goes to White Hart Lane to face a Spurs team coming off a historic Saturday win. If there’s a silver lining for Werder, it’s the prospect of Rafael van der Vaart (ankle) and Gareth Bale (shoulder) missing the match. Unfortunately that’s balanced against Werder squad so injury-depleted that Thomas Schaaf was only able to name five substitutes for this weekend’s match.
Group B
| # | Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olympique Lyon | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 9 |
| 2 | Schalke 04 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 7 |
| 3 | Benfica | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7 | -1 | 6 |
| 4 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | -6 | 1 |
- Schalke 04 versus Olympique Lyon, Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen - If Werder Bremen is Europe’s most disappointing club, Lyon may be the most bewildering. A slow start in Ligue 1 turned around right when fans and media started to worry. Now, unbeaten in seven, OL is two points off France’s lead, their only setback since September coming in Champions League, where a previously perfect record was ruined by a loss at Benfica. Now they go to Gelsenkirchen, are likely to be without Cris and Lisandro, and face a Schalke club coming off a 4-0 weekend win (disclaimer: the were only playing Werder). With a win, OL will clinch the group, but with a loss, they’ll probably need a win in round six to avoid Europa League.
- Hapoel Tel Aviv versus Benfica, Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv - Benfica was expect to roll over Hapoel when the clubs met in September. That was before we knew this year’s Benfica was a step back from last year’s Liga Sagres winners, a fact on display during Benfica’s recent 5-0 loss at Porto. Expected to compete for first in this group, Benfica didn’t seem to start the competition until the last match day against Lyon. Then, the Eagles scored the first four goals in a 4-3 win, bringing them back in contention for the knock-out stage. If Benfica can carry over that form into Wednesday’s match in Israel, they could be in second by day’s end. But if Benfica plays as they did on the competition’s first day, Hapoel will get their second result in a row.
Group C
| # | Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | -5 | 10 |
| 2 | Valencia | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 7 |
| 3 | Rangers | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 5 |
| 4 | Bursaspor | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 | -9 | 0 |
- Rangers versus Manchester United, Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow - Rangers drew 0-0 at Old Trafford during United’s more uncertain days. At least, those days look uncertain compared to United’s recent results, but who knows with them? They never look good unless they’re playing a top side, and given divergent opinions on the quality of Scottish football, it’s unclear which Manchester United team we’ll get on Wednesday. What we could get is Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand starting together for the first time this year. With Alex Ferguson having chance to clinch a knock-out round spot in his homeland, with Blackburn looming at the weekend, United might consider this more than just a ho-hum Champions League road trip. We may not see both Chris Smalling and Bebe (who am I kidding).
- Valencia versus Bursaspor, Mestella Stadium, Valencia - Valencia’s cooled from a torrid La Liga start to settle into fourth place, a perfectly respectable result for a team that sold-off so much talent this summer. The effects of those sales haven’t been felt in Champions League, where Los Che sit a healthy second with a chance to clinch a knock-out stage spot, should they win and Manchester United get a result. Having won 4-0 at Bursaspor, Valencia should be a big favorites, even with Juan Mata likely to miss this match. The more interesting story is whether Bursaspor will get their first Champions League goal, having been shutout through four rounds.
Group D
| # | Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3 | -6 | 8 |
| 2 | Copenhagen | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | -1 | 7 |
| 3 | Rubin Kazan | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 3 |
| 4 | Panathinaikos | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 2 |
- Rubin Kazan versus Copenhagen, Tsentralnyi Stadion, Kazan - Rubin was a favorite to get out of this group, but sitting four points behind Copenhagen, Europa League may be a more viable goal. Even if they win on Wednesday, they still face a sixth round at the Nou Camp, and while Rubin won in Catalonia last year, asking for a double lightning strike would be greedy. Rubin matches up well with Barça, but against a Copenhagen team that beat them to open group play? The book’s not only out, it’s still being written. Should Copenhagen continue their success against Rubin (or, at least get a draw), they’re likely to clinch a knock-out stage spot, provided Barça wins in Athens.
- Panathinaikos versus Barcelona, OAKA, Athens - When these two teams met on the first match day, Pana jumped out to a 1-0 lead before Barcelona unleashed five unanswered goals. With the Blaugrana coming off an 8-0 Saturday win at Almeria, Panathinaikos’s best hope might be a case of blinding arrogance sweeping through Pep Guardiola’s squad. Given Barcelona’s lost five times since the start of last season, the Catalan giants seem to have a way of maintaining focus. Panathinaikos could always do an unexpected Rubin imitation, but do you want to predict it?
Picks
| Group | Time (EST) | Home | Visitor | Pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 12:30 p.m. | Rubin Kazan | Copenhagen | 1-1 |
| 2:45 p.m. | Panathinaikos | Barcelona | 3-1, Barça | |
| A | Tottenham Hotspur | Werder Bremen | 3-0, Spurs | |
| Internazionale | Twente | 2-1, Inter | ||
| B | Schalke 04 | Olympique Lyon | 2-2 | |
| C | Rangers | Manchester United | 1-0, United | |
| Valencia | Bursaspor | 2-0, Valencia | ||
| B | Hapoel Tel Aviv | Benfica | 1-1 |
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