I will be moving about quite a bit the next few days, so instead of doing a post for each day of matches in the Champions League, I am forced to do one for the entire matchday. I'll make sure this post is twice as good as any of my single-day posts. Matchday 5 has a number of good matchups, and many teams have the opportunity to clinch their place in the knockout stage. Real Madrid and Barcelona are the only teams to have clinched a place in the next round, with Real doing it through four wins out of four, and a matchup with Dinamo Zagreb tomorrow should not harm their perfect record. There are some key games I would like to focus on over the next few days.
Wed. - AC Milan - Barcelona: I figured I'd start with the game with the least meaning, as Barcelona has already clinched its spot while Milan need just a point from their final two games to be sure. However, this high-powered matchup features two of the top contenders for the final in May. The reverse fixture was a 2-2 draw in Barcelona, with both sides playing at a very high level. Barcelona are definitely favorites, but Milan have enjoyed some success against the Spanish giants in the past. If Milan are able to hold Barcelona off early and not allow the Spaniards to play their possession game, we could have a very interesting contest. If Barcelona score early, the quality of the match could really suffer. I expect Milan to put together a good showing but another draw is probably in the cards.
Tues. - Napoli - Manchester City: Napoli trail Manchester City by two points in Group A and can take control of their campaign with a win over the Citizens. City have been in amazing form of late, with success domestically and now in Europe after a bit of a slow start. Napoli played a very strong game against City on Matchday 1, looking very threatening on the counter. They would have snatched all three points if not for a Kolarov free kick late in the second half. Napoli do need a win here though, so their despite their tactics being effective in Manchester, they may need to change the pace to go for a goal. City have simply been fantastic, and with the depth and experience in their squad, it is difficult not to consider the side contenders for every competition they are in. Napoli must not be overaggressive, as City have far too many attacking options to leave a side unpunished. Against the popular belief, I do think Napoli gets something out of this game - but a draw is more likely than a win. Even with all of the attacking players, Roberto Mancini has the ability to play a very defensive side in order to gain a draw, which is really all that City should need to go through,
Wed. - Zenit St. Petersburg - APOEL: Who would've thought this one could decide the winner of Group G? APOEL lead the group with eight points while Zenit are just a point behind after the first four matches. APOEL defeated Zenit 2-1 on the first day of matches, starting their great run of form in Europe which still has not met defeat. Since that match, Zenit have won two and drawn one in their other three matches, defeating Porto and Shakhtar at home while drawing the Ukrainians away. Despite how well they are playing, APOEL will be the underdog in every game they play this year because of the country they are from. This is a difficult match as well - Zenit will be looking to avenge the earlier defeat, plus a win would send the Russians top of the group and leaving them able to qualify with as little as a narrow loss in their final game. However, I cannot pick against the Cypriots after they have played so well in the competition. If they could gain a draw in Porto, why not here? If they are able to score against Zenit they should be able to gain at least a draw.
Wed. - Arsenal - Borussia Dortmund: Dortmund's campaign has sprung to life after a 3-1 win over Olympiakos, leaving the Germans three points behind Marseille and four behind leaders Arsenal. Arsenal are back on form, looking strong domestically and in Europe over the past month, putting away any fears of a crisis at the club. Dortmund will play to win here, which should open up the match and create an interesting, free-flowing game. Dortmund are full of confidence following a win in Munich over Bayern on Sunday, and will look to push forward early and gain a stranglehold on the game. Arsenal do not need much more than a point from this game, but Arsenal never play defensively and will look to hit Dortmund on the break if they push too many men forward. It will be a clash of style and one that could end in stalemate if Dortmund do not allow themselves to be torn apart by Robin Van Persie.
Well, in the four games I just featured, I realized I predicted four draws. Let's hope they are interesting draws and not 0-0 every game like Serie A. There are some games with heavy favorites but quite a few that could go either way. Here are my full picks for Matchday 5:
CSKA Moscow - Lille: DRAW
Bayern Munich - Villarreal: HOME WIN
Lyon - Ajax Amsterdam: HOME WIN
Manchester United - Benfica: HOME WIN
Napoli - Manchester City: DRAW
Otelul - FC Basel: AWAY WIN
Real Madrid - Dinamo Zagreb: HOME WIN
Trabzonspor - Inter Milan: DRAW
Zenit St. Petersburg - APOEL: DRAW
BATE Borisov - Viktoria Plzen: HOME WIN
AC Milan - Barcelona: DRAW
Arsenal - Borussia Dortmund: DRAW
Bayer Leverkusen - Chelsea: DRAW
Marseille - Olympiakos: HOME WIN
Shakhtar Donetsk - FC Porto: AWAY WIN
Valencia - Racing Genk: HOME WIN
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