Champions League preview

Wembley will host the first ever all-German clash in a European Cup final as Bayern Munich face Borussia Dortmund on Saturday evening.

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A German side is therefore guaranteed to win the Champions League for the third time, and Bayern (2001) and Dortmund (1997) are two previous winners from the Bundesliga.

Bayern will be the favourites after an all-encompassing domestic season. Not only did they win the Bundesliga title earlier than any team in history, but they also set record for the most wins, fewest defeats, the fewest goals conceded, most clean sheets and best goal difference, and also scored in every league match.

This dominance has been reflected on the European stage. Bayern won all four of their quarter and semi-final matches, scoring eleven goals without conceding against Juventus and Barcelona.

Bayern will also be hoping to redress their final form, having lost to Inter Milan in 2010 and Chelsea on penalty last season in their home stadium, the Allianz Arena.

The match will be Jupp Heynckes penultimate match in charge before he leaves the club and allows Pep Guardiola to take his place at the helm.



Possible Line-ups:



Team News



Borussia Dortmund



- Mario Götze has been ruled out of the final against his future employers with the injury that he picked up in the semi final second leg against Real Madrid.

- Jurgen Klopp is likely to field the same starting eleven that played Hoffenheim last weekend, even if they did succumb to a loss against lowly Hoffenheim.

- That will mean Marco Reus plays in a central role behind lone striker Robert Lewandowski, with Kevin Grosskreutz lining upon the left. Klopp has also recently tried out Ilkay Gundogan in a more attack-minded role but it hasn't been all that successful, so he is unlikely to go with it again.



Bayern Munich



- Toni Kroos will not make it back in time to play at Wembley, but Arjen Robben has been in fantastic form of late and he will keep his place on the right, with Thomas Müller again playing centrally.

- There are unlikely to be any surprises in Jupp Heynckes' lineup, with the usual team having hit 4 past Gladbach last weekend.

- Holger Badstuber had yet more bad news yesterday after it was confirmed that he won't play again in 2013 after undergoing surgery on his knee injury.



Match Facts

Bayern have kept a clean sheet in their last 4 matches in the Champions League (including qualifiers).

Bayern have won 6 of their last 7 matches in the Champions League (including qualifiers).

Bayern have scored at least 2 goals in 6 of their last 7 matches in the Champions League (including qualifiers).

Borussia Dortmund have seen under 2.5 goals in their last 3 matches against Bayern in all competitions.

Borussia Dortmund are undefeated in 9 of their last 10 home matches against Bayern in all competitions.



Top scorers in CL for Dortmund and Bayern

Lewandowski 10 | Müller 8

Reus 4 | Pizarro 4

Santana 2 | Robben 3

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Thomas Muller: "It is time we won this trophy"

Thomas Muller has stressed that Bayern Munich must banish the memories of their recent Champions League disappointments when they take on Borussia Dortmund on May 25.



The Bavarian giants have twice been losing finalists in the last three years - to Inter Milan in 2010 and Chelsea last season.



Muller, who scored in last year's final, talked up the Wembley clash with Jurgen Klopp's men, insisting that there will be plenty of "spice" between the two sides.



"It is time we won this trophy," Sky Sports News quotes Muller as saying:

"If we lose, it will be three times and then you get sort of stuck with a 'loser' tag which is something you do not want.



"I am a bit younger [than other Bayern players] and hopefully I still have a few years of international action left in me, but we really have to win it this time.



"There is a lot of spice in this game and I like spice and I like that we play against Dortmund because there is even more passion in there."

Bayern are bidding for a fifth European triumph.




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Ozil relished the challenge against former club

Real Madrid midfielder, Mesut Özil is excited over the chance to play just 30 kilometres from where he grew up when Real Madrid take on Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their Champions League Semi-final tie.

He is excited by the chance to play against his team-mates on the national squad.



In his pre-match press conference, Özil spoke about Wednesday evening’s match at Westfalenstadion and the thrill of facing Marco Reus and Mario Götze.



“Logically it’s very exciting for me to get to play against my team-mates but it’s even more special to be still playing for Real Madrid. This is the third time I’ve made it to a semi-final and it’s a vital game for us. The most important thing is that we give the best of ourselves and try to reach the final.”



The German international then spoke about his recent goal scoring performances, but says it’s not for individual recognition, it’s to help the team.



“I’m happy to be on a goal scoring run but the most important thing is that we function as a team.



“I hope we can give a good image of ourselves to everyone watching and work as a team, scoring goals is not the most important thing for me.”

Özil concluded by giving his thoughts on the shocking transfer of Borussia Dortmund midfielder, Mario Götze to rivals, Bayern Munich next summer.



“I didn’t know anything about this before, I just found out today. I know him well and I’m happy for him but I don’t want to talk any more about this issue because I want to focus on tomorrow’s game.”


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Moyes: No CL football

Everton manager David Moyes admitted the club's hopes of a top-four finish and Champions League football were over after a 1-0 defeat at the Stadium of Light.



Everton struggled to create clear-cut chances despite having much of the possession, and the game was settled in first-half stoppage time.

A Leighton Baines mistake allowed Sunderland the chance to attack, and Stephane Sessegnon fired home low from the edge of the area.

The defeat left Everton five points behind Chelsea in fourth, and the west London side have two games in hand on Moyes' men.

"I don't think we can qualify now," Moyes admitted.

"We had to keep winning and keep on going, and even if we did keep on winning we would still have been outsiders.

"This defeat means we have to put an end to all that.

"We can just keep winning games and who knows. We will try and finish in a Europa League position."




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Champions League preview: Barcelona vs. Paris SG

The French league leaders are looking to try and book what would be only their second ever appearance in the last four of Europe's elite tournament.

They previously made the semi-finals in 1995, when coincidentally they disposed of Barca in the quarter-finals.



Barca come into the game with relatively poor recent away form - by their own high standards, having won just twice from their last eight matches on the road.



However, the Catalan giants have won their last six Champions League quarter-finals and their last defeat at this stage came back in 2003 against Juventus.



And the Spanish side are also boosted by the return of their coach Tito Vilanova - who will be on the bench for the first time this year after he returned from America last week following cancer treatment.



Team News :



- PSG are boosted by the fact that their talismanic striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is available after his two-game European suspension was reduced to a single-match ban.



- Lucas Moura is fit again following a back complaint and looks certain to start along with Ezequiel Lavezzi, who was rested at the weekend.



- Italian Thiago Motta is ruled out with a groin injury, but compatriot Marco Verratti has also served his European ban and will line up alongside Blaise Matuidi in central midfield.



- David Beckham will look to get some action from the substitutes' bench.





- Javier Mascherano, Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta and David Villa were all rested at the weekend - but will all return.



- Xavi and Jordi Alba have also made the trip to the French capital after they recovered from hamstring problems.



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Striker Pedro will be missing through suspension, whilst injury forced Carles Puyol and Adriano to remain in Barcelona.



Victor Valdes will be recalled in goal after being suspended for league action at the weekend.

Champions League Preview: Bayern Munich host Juve

Four-time winners Bayern are hoping to grace a third final in four years, and land their first European crown in 12 years.

They are absolutely flying domestically, holding a 20-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga table, and hammered Hamburg 9-2 in their last outing.



It has already been revealed that coach Jupp Heynckes is to be replaced by Pep Guardiola at the end of the season, so he will be hoping to bow out on a high - with an historic Treble still on the cards.



Juventus know what it takes to go all the way in Europe's premier club competition, having taken the crown on two previous occasions, but it is 17 years since they last lifted the trophy and 10 since they last graced the semi-finals





- Bayern Munich could welcome Jerome Boateng and Bastian Schweinsteiger back into continental competition on Tuesday, with the pair having sat out the second leg of their Arsenal clash.


- Javi Martinez is, however, suspended and Luiz Gustavo is expected to fill the midfield void.


- Long-term absentee Holger Bastuber is still nursing ruptured knee ligaments, while Dante and Philipp Lahm are one booking away from a ban.







- Juventus have concerns over the fitness of diminutive frontman Sebastian Giovinco, after seeing him pick up a knock during a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan on Saturday, but he is in their 22-man squad.


- Mirko Vucinic is recovering from a bout of flu, meaning Fabio Quagliarella and Alessandro Matri could be paired together if the Montenegrin misses out.


- Stephan Lichtsteiner, Arturo Vidal and Claudo Marchisio will walk a disciplinary tightrope, with the trio one yellow card away from missing the return leg.

Barcelona handed PSG clash

Barcelona have been drawn against Paris St Germain in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

Favourites Barca booked their place in the last eight thanks to their 4-0 victory over AC Milan in the second leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday to complete a 4-2 aggregate success.

Big-spending French side PSG progressed after seeing off Valencia 3-2 on aggregate, although Beckham was only an unused substitute in the second leg.

Paris St Germain sports director Leonardo said: "We are going to play against the best team. It is not easy but no draw would have been easy anyway. Paris deserves to be part of the big party."

The possibility remains of a clash of the Spanish giants in the final at Wembley on May 25 after Real Madrid were paired with Galatasaray in the quarter-finals, a game that should see Real boss Jose Mourinho lock horns with former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, who now plays for the Turkish club.

Spain's third representatives, Malaga, have been drawn against Borussia Dortmund, while last year's beaten finalists Bayern Munich, who stuttered past Arsenal on Wednesday, will take on Celtic's conquerors Juventus.

Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: "That is certainly not a dream draw for us.

"Statistically we have not had good experiences with Juventus. It will be difficult and we will need to have two good days against them to reach the semis."

Borrussia Dortmund sports director Michael Zorc was content with the draw after the Bundesliga champions were paired with Malaga.

"We can live with this draw," he said. "At least it is better than playing Barcelona, Real or Bayern."

The Premier League does not have a team in the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since the 1995-96 season.

Champions League quarter-final draw: Malaga v Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid v Galatasaray, Paris Saint-Germain v Barcelona, Bayern Munich v Juventus.



Fixtures:

April 2:

PSG v Barcelona

Bayern Munich v Juventus

April 3:

Malaga v Borussia Dortmund

Real Madrid v Galatasaray

April 9:

Borussia Dortmund v Malaga

Galatasaray v Real Madrid

April 10:

Barcelona v PSG

Juventus v Bayern Munich

Ferdinand could yet face sanction

Rio Ferdinand is likely to find out today whether he will face disciplinary action for sarcastically applauding Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.



Uefa have already confirmed they have opened a case into Sir Alex Ferguson failing to carry out contractual post-match media obligations, in addition to an assessment of whether Nani’s red card is worthy of punishment beyond an automatic one-match ban.



But Ferdinand is yet to hear whether he will face punishment for his reaction to the 2-1 defeat, which he believed was caused directly by Cakir’s decision to dismiss Nani for a debatable challenge on former Liverpool man Alvaro Arbeloa.



Whilst there were some suggestions Ferdinand will not face any action, it has to be remembered Wayne Rooney was sent off by Kim Milton Nielsen in 2005 when he did exactly the same to the Dane during United’s encounter with Villarreal.



And given how Ferguson is feeling about Uefa just now, he will feel nothing would surprise him. “Uefa has opened disciplinary proceedings against Manchester United FC for the red card of Nani and post-match media obligations not fulfilled (under) III 2.6 and 2.7 of the competition regulations. The case will be dealt with by the Uefa control and disciplinary body on Thursday, March 21,” read a statement from Europe’s governing body.



There will be an element of Ferguson feeling it is damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Such was the United manager’s anger at Cakir he could not trust either himself, or his players, to speak to the media without saying something that would land themselves, and their club, in very hot water indeed.



Yet Ferguson was suspicious of Cakir prior to the game and feels those concerns were fully justified given the manner in which he turned the entire complexion of a tie that appeared to be heading in United’s direction.



A more considered assessment is likely to come tomorrow, when Ferguson is expected to hold his usual Friday briefing to preview Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final with Chelsea.

Michael Ballack says he turned down Manchester United because they weren't good enough

Michael Ballack has always wanted to win the Champions League. It's something which had been a big aim of his since his lost the the 2002 final with Bayer Leverkusen. The team had been up for an historic treble and ended up with nothing, losing the German cup final to Schalke, and the Bundesliga to Borussia Dortmund on the last day of the season.



He then went on to eradicate much of the disappointed for that by winning all the German trophies multiple times with Bayern Munich, but there was still a Champions League shaped hole in his trophy cabinet and when it came to leave Germany that's what he was concentrating on.



Ballack has done a lengthy question and answer session with this months excellent Four Four Two and was asked why he chose Chelsea over Manchester United, he replied:

"Yes, Manchester United wanted me, and it's a good question. They came before Chelsea, but I didn't really have discussions with Sir Alex Ferguson. At this time United were not really good in the Champions League, they had gone out in the first round that year.

"But Chelsea was growing really quickly, so I wanted to be a part of this. I saw we could reach something really, really big in the next few years."

In 2005/2006 Manchester United went out in the group stage, and Chelsea went out in the last sixteen. The previous season Manchester United got to the last sixteen, whereas Chelsea got a semi-final. In Ballack's first season, 2006/2007, Chelsea got to a semi-final again and Manchester United did the same.



Ballack got the chance to fulfill his Champions League dream the year after when his Chelsea side got to the final, but who should they find in their way? Manchester United of course. Ballack scored a penalty in the shoot-out, but it wasn't enough and Manchester United won.



The team he turned down because he was chasing European success managed to wreck his Champions League dream. And there was to be no final chance because the German legend left Chelsea two years before they beat his old club Bayern Munich in the final.



Unlucky Michael.

UEFA backs red card referee

A UEFA spokesman says the governing body has "no issues" with Nani's red card against Real Madrid on Tuesday night.

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Manchester United were leading their Champions league last-16 tie 2-1 on aggregate when Nani caught Alvaro Arbeloa with a high foot and was sent off by referee Cuneyt Cakir.

Real went on to win 2-1 on the night and progress to the quarter-finals, and the outcome left Sir Alex Ferguson so "distraught" he delegated his post-match media duties to assistant Mike Phelan.

But despite widespread criticism of Cakir's decision in the English press, UEFA is backing its man.

The Guardian newspaper quoted a spokesman who said: "We have no problem with him.

"There are no issues for us regarding the sending off and we will wait for the official reports of the match delegate and the referee's observer, as is procedure.



"If they raise concerns then we will act. He remains on our list of officials."

Lucas Leiva eyes Champions League spot for Liverpool

Lucas Leiva believes Liverpool remain in contention for a Champions League place despite their relatively lowly position.



Despite remaining in the bottom half of the Premier League table following a poor start to the season, the reds are only seven points adrift of Chelsea in third spot and the Brazilian believes they can start to narrow the gap.



“It shows the Premier League is very tight at the moment,” he said. “The gap to third place is not too bad. If we had had a few more wins we would be closer but we can’t change that.



“We have a lot of games now and if we can get three or four wins in a row I think we will be very close to the top four.



“We just have to think to move on to get more points, especially in the crucial time which is coming.



“If we can turn draws into wins it will be even better but we have to keep believing as there are a lot of positive things at the moment.”



Having already played the Premier League’s top seven-placed clubs, their next six fixtures are against teams in he lower half of the table.



The return of Lucas in the midfield holding role following three months out with a thigh strain gives Liverpool greater strength in a key position allowing Steven Gerrard and Joe Allen to play more advanced roles.

Beckham eyes Champions League tilt

David Beckham is still to confirm his next move, but a team who can offer him Champions League football would turn his head.

Former England international Beckham will bring the curtain down on his LA Galaxy career in Saturday's MLS Cup final - live on ESPN. Given his profile and standing in the game, even at 37 he has teams jockeying for position to sign him.

Beckham has a Champions League winner's medal in his trophy cabinet from Manchester United's win in 1999 and has dined at the top table with Real Madrid and AC Milan.

It is a tournament he would like one final crack at, as he said: "I always loved it when I went back to AC Milan being back in the Champions League.

"I still miss playing in it, they are the games you love playing in. Of course I'd want to play in it again.



"We'll see where I go next. If it's a team that's in the Champions League then it will be nice to be back."

Arsenal want pay cuts for Champions League failure

Arsenal want players signing new contracts to agree deals that involve reduced payments if the club fail to qualify for the Champions League.



Arsenal have qualified for the Champions League in every one of Arsène Wenger's 16 years in charge. Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Kieran Gibbs and Karl Jenkinson have or will soon be offered long-term deals.



An Arsenal spokesman said it was "normal practice" for players to have clauses that were linked to the club's success both domestically and in Europe.



"Each player has an individual contract that contains elements of performance-related payments, which are linked to a player's individual contribution and also to the club's progress in both domestic and European competitions," he said.

Chelsea wait on Lampard scan

Frank Lampard is expected to learn on Thursday whether he will be ruled out of Chelsea's showdown against Manchester United this weekend with injury.

The veteran midfielder lasted just 15 minutes of the Blues' first serious defeat of the season against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday night.

Lampard limped out of the 2-1 UEFA Champions League loss with a recurrence of the calf injury that ruled him out of England's World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Poland and is set to undergo a scan to determine the extent of the problem.

The 34-year-old's withdrawal from the damaging Group E defeat saw manager Roberto Di Matteo's game-plan go up in smoke, leaving Chelsea in danger of becoming the first holders to crash out of the competition before the knockout phase.

With John Terry resuming his domestic racism ban, vice-captain Lampard's absence against United on Sunday could leave Di Matteo with another headache in a game the Blues will be desperate to win to open up a seven-point gap on their opponents.

Confirming the midfielder would undergo a scan on Wednesday - the results of which will be revealed on Thursday - Di Matteo said: "It's basically a recurrence of an old injury.



"He was training with us fine and there were no alarm bells before the game. He was in good condition to play."

Neil Lennon 'proud' of his player's performance despite defeat

Neil Lennon declared himself 'bitterly disappointed but immensely proud' after Celtic's agonising 2-1 defeat at the hands of Barcelona.

It looked like the Hoops would come away with a draw as the score stood at 1-1 heading into stoppage time, but Jordi Alba's late goal secured victory for the home side at Camp Nou.

Barcelona had to come from behind after Georgios Samaras put Celtic in front, and Lennon was delighted with the way his players acquitted themselves against such strong opponents.

He told Sky Sports: "I thought we were compact, we defended very well when we had to and looked a threat. Losing Georgi (Georgios Samaras, who went off injured) was a blow at the time because he was causing Barcelona some problems.

"You know when you come here there are going to be concerted amounts of pressure and we just needed to see it out. There was a bit of luck with the goal.

"While I am bitterly disappointed, for the players more than anybody else, I am immensely proud of them as well.

"We were brave. The players stuck to what we asked them to do, they didn't lose their composure when we knew we would be under pressure."

Lennon added: "They defended brilliantly and at times on the counter-attack we looked dangerous.

"This is the best team in the world, so to come here and play as well as that - it doesn't surprise me because I know the quality and character within the team."

Barca coach Tito Vilanova said: "I think we deserved to win the game, their keeper played well and credit to them but I think we controlled them pretty well.

"It says a lot about Barca, we keep going and if you don't have any attempts on goal you won't win.

"But I believe that Celtic have a chance to qualify, they have two more matches at home so it is possible that they can go through."

Juventus chief unsure UEFA will ban clubs

Juventus President Andrea Agnelli on Wednesday questioned UEFA's willingness to ban big-spending clubs from the Champions League if they breach its Financial Fair Play regulations.



Clubs need to aim to break even on their football-related business, with the worst offenders risking a ban from UEFA competitions from the 2014-15 season.



Speaking at the Leaders in Football conference, Agnelli highlighted that throwing a major club out of UEFA's Champions League would risk antagonising the broadcasters who have bought their rights from UEFA.



"Even if you have FFP are (UEFA) going to ban three teams from participating in the UCL?" Agnelli asked.

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"Who will go to say to the broadcasters we (UEFA) haven't got the three teams playing? Is there going to be a correction in the overall value of the TV rights?"



Manchester City's last reported losses were nearly STG200 million ($A315.73 million) after a lavish spending spree funded from Abu Dhabi, while European champion Chelsea last revealed annual losses of STG68 million pounds.



Agnelli said Juventus - the reigning Serie A champions - reduced losses this year to 48.7 million euros ($A61.99 million).



"We, as Juventus are working with FFP in mind. I am curious to see who is working with FFP in mind - really," Agnelli added. "And once the FFP rules come into effect I am curious as how effective that will be and how the actual punishments will be distributed in case someone breaches financial fair play."

Manchester City leave Kolo Toure out of Squad

Kolo Toure has been left in Champions League limbo after being left out of Manchester City's squad for the group stage.



And the Blues defender also failed to complete a move to Galatasaray in time to be named among their 24-man submission to UEFA.



Toure has reportedly been in talks with the Turkish giants about a move ahead of their country's transfer deadline on Wednesday night.



But the 31-year-old, who has just a year left on his City contract, could now see his value fall due to being ineligible for Europe's elite club competition.



Meanwhile, City captain Vincent Kompany is convinced the Premier League champions will be ready for the tough Champions League assignment awaiting them.



Roberto Mancini's men have been grouped with Real Madrid, Ajax and Borussia Dortmund, the champions of Spain, Holland and Germany, respectively.



City failed to progress beyond the group stage last season after coming up against Bayern Munich, Napoli and Villarreal, and the task could be even harder this time.



But Kompany said: "That is why you are in the Champions League. I thought it couldn't get much more difficult than last season but here you go. It is a great challenge.



"I do think we are the kind of team that gets better as the challenges are greater. That is perfect for us. There won't be any moments where we will be surprised.



"The motivation will always be sky-high. The atmosphere will be great in each of the six games we have in the group. I couldn't think of a better way to play the Champions League."



City's squad: Hart, Pantilimon, Johansen; Richards, Maicon, Kompany, Zabaleta, Lescott, Kolarov, Clichy, Nastasic, Milner, Nasri, Garcia, Rodwell, Barry, Silva, Y. Toure; Dzeko, Sinclair, Aguero, Tevez, Balotelli, Guidetti.

Malouda left out of Chelsea squad

Florent Malouda has been left out of Chelsea’s squad for the Champions League group stage, casting further doubt over his future. Malouda was omitted from the 22-man selection to be submitted to UEFA ahead of the Blues’ defence of their European crown.



The 32-year-old has not featured in any of Chelsea’s match day squads this season and has been heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge. A transfer to Brazilian giants Santos reportedly collapsed due to the wage demands of the France winger, who has been at Chelsea for five years.



The Blues yesterday let Raul Meireles join Fenerbahce, while Michael Essien moved to Real Madrid on a season-long loan during Friday’s transfer deadline day. Veteran goalkeeper Hilario was also omitted from the squad announced today.