September 30, 2009
The Champions League group stages recommence tomorrow and Wednesday. Groups E-H play tomorrow, while A-D have games on Wednesday.
Group EFiorentina vs. Liverpool Look for Fernando Torres, hot off his hat-trick on Sunday, to try and secure the 3 points for the Reds. Lyon and Liverpool are at the top of Group E, both securing wins during the first round of group stages. Lyon vs. Debrecen Debrecen will have to work hard to clinch the three points that they need to stay in the running for advancement. French-side Lyon is currently in 2nd place Ligue 1, it’s country’s premier league.
Group FFK Rubin Kazaz vs. Inter Milan After the hype surrounding the Barcelona-Inter CL match-up ended in a disappointing stalemate, Inter will definitely look to gain the maximum amount of points from the rest of their games, especially after the reigning Italian champions were knocked out of their top spot in the Serie A standings by a surprise defeat to Sampdoria. Eto’o is probably looking to live up to the hype surrounding his stellar debut season with Inter. Barcelona vs. Dynamo Kiev With Dymtro Chygynsky injured for up to 3 weeks and Thierry doubtful due to a thigh injury, Barcelona will have to dig deep to defeat Dynamo, the only team in Group F with three points, defeating FK Rubin Kazan last round. Andres Iniesta is a possible starter, which is quite exciting given he has been eased back into games gently after his injury.
Group GRangers vs. Sevilla FC Sevilla is heading the group currently, followed by Rangers and VfB Stuttgart, who tied each other last time. Sevilla is on a role right now, gathering 12 out of 15 points in 5 games in La Liga, while the Rangers are right behind arch rival Celtic in the Scottish Premier League. The game should be well-matched. VfB Stuttgart vs. Unirea Urziceni Unirea is the only team in Group without points, but Stuttgart only has one. Both teams will be vying for maximum points to contend with leader Sevilla.
Group HArsenal vs. Olympiakos Arsenal came back from a quick 2-goal deficit against Standard Liege to win 3-2 in the 81st minute with a goal from Eduardo. Hopefully this game will be a little less nerve-wracking for the Gunners, although Olympiakos is generally a very good team. Both Arsenal and Olympiakos have 3 points in Group H, so this match will determine the leader, except in the case of a tie. AZ Alkmaar vs. Standard Liege Both teams are vying for third place behind whoever loses in the Arsenal-Olympiakos game. Neither received any points in their first group stage game, so this game will set the stage for their final two matches.
