The second leg of the 2008 UEFA Champions League resumes Tuesday when Arsenal FC goes head to head with AC Milan, at San Siro in Milan. The first leg took place in England, at Emirates Stadium, which ended in a 0-0 draw. Bodog.com has AC Milan as +100 odds favorite over Arsenal which is listed at +250 underdogs.
AC Milan was lucky to come out of England with a 0-0 draw, against Arsenal, during the first leg of the knockout round of sixteen. This isn’t the first time Milan has had a scoreless draw in the first round. Last year, at the exact same leg of the Championship, they had a 0-0 draw against Celtic FC in Scotland, when they turned their game around and went on to advance with a 1-0 victory. They went on to win the European Crown that year. Milan has a small advantage. Arsenal has one road win in Champions League play his year. Milan played very defensively in England and they’ll be playing a much more offensive game. Coach is bringing in the big guns, Inzaghi and Pato will start up front together. When Milan is on their game they can be deadly, they destroyed Man United last year, at home. Some injuries may play a big part in this match. Top striker Clarence Seedorf picked up a muscular injury against Lazio at the weekend and is rated as having a 50/50 chance of playing; however the early signs are not promising. There are doubts still lingering over the fitness of star central defender Nesta, and more importantly over the FIFA World Player of the year, Kaka, however both are expected to recover in time.
Arsenal’s power house players will be asked to step up their game heading into a tough away game. They are an offensive team that can be deadly, but they also are very loose when it comes to defense. Arsenal had a 1-1 draw, in the English Premier League, against Aston Villa on the weekend. Arsenal scored in the last minute of extra time to force the draw. While they continue to rip it up in the EPL they aren’t doing as well as they should be in big Domestic Cup matches. They were knocked out of the Carling Cup, losing 5-1 to Tottenham and 4-0 in the FA Cup by Man U. They’ve seen their lead in the EPL withered down to just a single point and trophies and success are no longer certainties for Arsenal. Still Arsenal can score, they have fourteen goals scored and they’ve only allowed four. Arsenal are 1-3 SU on the road in Champions League. They’ll be without their top striker Eduardo, after his leg was snapped and Robin Van Persie has been judged ready to join the squad but the coach is reluctant to risk starting the youngster.
AC Milan vs Arsenal
Kickoff: Mar, 4 2008 2:45 PM ET
Line: Bodog
Pick: AC Milan +100
The Lowdown: If Arsenal can get an early goal, Milan will have to score twice to advance. Milan will bring everything it has to advance while Arsenal is just squeaking through. Let it be noted that NO English team has defeated Milan at San Siro. Get your UEFA Champions League Pick in now! Recieve a 10% sign-up bonus on your first deposit.
Barcelona lived up to its high standards in the first leg of the knockout round with a 3-2 win over Celtic FC in Scotland. Barcelona dominated possession throughout the game; they held the ball 75% of the time. Bodog.com has Barcelona as -400 odds to beat Celtic FC who are listed as +1100 underdogs.
Barcelona’s fantastic four of Samuel Eto'o, Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry will be looking to get their team into the next stage of the Champion League. Top player, Ronaldinho was less than spectacular and he will be expected to perform up to his usual standards. Lionel Messi has turned into their go to guy. He has so much ability and character that he stands head and shoulders above his teammates. Without Messi, Barcelona is just another team trying to make it. They found themselves down 2-1 at the end of the first half, but Barcelona didn’t hold their heads down. They came out strong in the second, with a goal by Henry and the winner by Messi solidified the win. Barcelona is 2-0 SU against Celtic. Therien Henry has three goals in Champions League play while Messi leads the Champion League with six. Barca are all-out attack style team and are probably the best team in the world to watch at the minute.
Celtic FC has NO wins on the road in Champions League play and they’ll need all the luck that they can get heading into Nou Camp, in Barcelona. They don’t have any superstar players that are definite goal scorers. No one player has two goals yet in Champions League play. In their respected Scottish League they are always the top club, but in Champions League play they are seen as underdogs. They will need a two goal victory to advance into the next stage. They'll have to get two goals and hold Barca to none. Good Luck!
FC Barcelona vs Celtic FC
Kickoff: Mar, 4 2008 2:45 PM ET
Line: Bodog
Pick: Barcelona -400
Bottom Line: A two goal win, at Nou Camp, for the Celtic is pretty much impossible. Barca has too many talented players and they dominate possession of the ball. Get your UEFA Champions League Pick in now!
Lyon got a surprising 1-1 draw against power house Man United, at Stade de Gerland, during the first leg of the knockout stage. Lyon had the lead until a late goal by Carlos Tevez solidified the draw. Now they take on Man United on their home turf, Old Trafford. Bodog.com has heavy favorite Man United as -275 odds to beat Lyon who are listed as +800 underdogs.
Man United are still missing long term casualties Gary Neville, Mikael Silvestre and Ben Foster. Otherwise, Sir Alex will field his strongest side. That means a return to the starting lineup for Vidic, Giggs, Rooney and Ronaldo. In the English Premier League, Man U sits one point behind 1st place Arsenal after their 3-0 road drubbing of Fulham FC on the weekend. Sir Alex Ferguson sat out Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs and Nemanja Vidic to keep them in top shape for the game against Lyon. Ronaldo leads his teammates with five goals in the Champions League and Rooney sits with three goals. Man U has one loss on home pitch which was to their city rivals, Man City 1-2. When they play at home they average a goal every 36 minutes. This season, Man United are undefeated in the Champions League play, going 5-0-2. The only goal they conceded in Champions League at Old Trafford was against Sporting Lisbon back in November. They’re also unbeaten at home against French opposition, 7-0-3. They seem to be scoring goals for fun, and their defense has been stellar lately.
Lyon though they had the win last game, but they let their guard down for a second and that was all it took for Man U to get the draw. Lyon now needs to win by one goal to advance, which will be tough at Old Trafford. They are the underdogs and they know it, but just because their expected to lose they won’t give up. Sometimes teams play better when they have nothing to lose. Lyon has Claude Pueland Jeremy Toulalan for offense but that’s about it. The last time Lyon played in England, at Old Trafford, they lost 2-1. Besides that game, Lyon has played only three other times in England (1-1-1). Lyon have never progressed to the quarterfinals without notching a win in the first leg, they also have the best away record in European competition, having recorded only 13 losses in 89 away games.
Man United vs Lyon
Kickoff: Tue, Mar, 4 2008 2:45 PM ET
Line: Bodog
Pick: Man United -275
Bottom Line: Man U are all about offense and they are deadly at home. They have stellar goaltending with Van Der Sar in net and their defense has drastically improved. Get your UEFA Champions League Pick in now! Recieve a 10% sign-up bonus on your first deposit.
