I watched Juventus playing against Celtic this morning and I was very pleasantly surprised. I haven’t seen or heard much of the old lady lately.
They were very tight at the back and pretty deadly when they got into the Celtic box.
Celtic worked hard to deliver some good crosses into the area but without the imposing figure of Georgios Samaras to finish it off, Celtic lacked a real edge.
I don’t really think that Juventus will lift the cup but I do believe they have some steel in their defence. Going into an away game and getting the 3 away goals pretty much sealed the home game so they will more than likely progress.
With the addition of Anelka who can finish on the break and the strong defence they will really cause some teams some trouble.
I would say the main contenders to win would be Manchester united, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid and maybe Dortmund or PSG at an outside chance. With Manchester and Real playing tomorrow we will get a good idea on how real will go.
With their poor league form they are clearly focusing on the champions league but will Jose Mourinho be able to get the team up to contend and going. Odds are Cristiano will have a fantastic game against his own club and I think real progress through.
But I can see a team like Juventus giving R.Madrid trouble. Real love to have space in front of them to run into with Ozil orchestrating through the middle and Di Maria and Ronaldo on either side using their blistering pace.
Because Juve defend pretty deep and don’t often venture to far forward I can see this as frustrating to Madrid. If Juve are able to get some set pieces in attacking areas Madrid will really have their work cut out, there set piece defending in the league has been atrocious.
The one major advantage is that when they do defend a set piece correctly they get out and run and can score at the other end.
If Manchester progress I can see them being more of a threat to Juve. The ability of Rooney and Van Persie to poach goals and create inside the opposition box will be very dangerous if juve defend so deep.
Pirlo would be key in that game as it has been well stated United have a poor midfield so if pirlo is able to have the ball in space and without pressure he will be able to play some magic counter attacking balls and give his forwards opportunity to score.
Because Bayern is running away with the bundesliga they have the ability to rest people and fully prepare for the champions league fixtures.
Saying this it is also fair to say Manchester united and Barcelona have also almost wrapped up their domestic titles. Bayern also have the added incentive to play for Jupp Heynckes as this will be his last season. Bayern have a great looking squad and came so close last year so that may add real fire into the squad.
I am an arsenal fan but I think its safe to safe Bayern have much too much fire power for the Gunners, plus arsenal have other things to think about like the trophy of coming fourth and making money. A juve and Bayern game would be an interesting one.
I think it would be pretty reliant on the skills of Muller, Ribery and Robben to create their own chances and utilise there excellent foot work.
With Boateng and Badstubber at the back Bayern are very strong at set pieces, adding Lahm into the back four gives them intelligence and pace so I would be tough for juve to snatch a goal.
Realistically I think Barcelona is the favourites. The form of Messi and Inestia is breath taking. It doesn’t seem to matter who is brought into the squad they just keep rolling on and winning. Barcelona are the complete unit on their day they can break any down.
With the cool heads of pique and Puyol they are extremely tight at the back. Jordi Alba is really showing a great prospect so it doesn’t matter if they play him or Dani Alves they will be strong defensively and also going forward.
The bench power barca possess is really quite incredible. We saw when Barca played Chelsea last year though that if you park the bus well enough you can beat them.
Its not totally unrealistic to think Juventus could defend well enough over two legs so keep them out if they are in form. It is hard to discount the imagination and creation of Messi though.
As in any game of football it will be decided on the day by the best performer. Whichever way it goes I’m excited for the upcoming ties and to see which ways the comp goes. I think the champions’ league is a great competition.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Liverpool have reached a verbal agreement with Feyenoord for their head coach Arne Slot to succeed Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season.…
The past 18-24 months have been an enjoyable ride for Arsenal and their fan-base after almost a decade of turbulence. Mikel Arteta has been…
Manchester City have chalked up another big win in their hunt for an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League title, with Phil Foden continuing his…
Here is the way the Roar expert panel sees all the action unfolding across the final weekend of play prior to the semi-finals.
Despite the short nature of his tenure as a professional manager, Arne Slot has established himself as arguably the most impressive manager outside of…
Everton won the Merseyside derby 2-0, with Toffees supporters taunting Liverpool after the game at their home ground Goodison Park.
