fiorentina

Fiorentina v Bayern Munich (agg: 1-2)

There will be a lot of optimism that Fiorentina will be able to pull out a unforgettable performance to overcome the deficit inflicted on them by the German giants in the first leg of this tie. The away goal that they scored could be the crucial factor in this tie, as there is nothing too much to choose between the two sides. Fiorentina have been one of the success stories of this year’s Champions League, as they weren’t expected to make it out of the group stage, as they were in a tough group along with Liverpool and Lyon. But the Italian side put in some great performances to win the group, and now, despite the first leg defeat, still have a great chance of making further impact in the competition.

Fiorentina keeper Sebastien Frey has looked impressive through the competition, but he will be wary of more threats from the Bayern forwards, which include former Chelsea winger Arjen Robben and the much hyped Franck Ribery. It is unlikely that Fiorentina will be able to recover from conceding an away goal back on their home turf, as the German side, which are strong and have really picked themselves up in form domestically, will start as favourites to progress. But Fiorentina won all three of their home games in the group stages, with clean sheets against both Liverpool and Lyon. They simply need to be patient and not shoot themselves in the foot by getting all gung-ho in the early stages.

One worry for Fiorentina, is that defence has been looking a bit shaky lately, and against the strong German outfit, that could spell disaster. You have to back to November to find the last clean sheet kept in Serie A by the Viola. After a strong start to the season in Serie A, Fiorentina have dropped back into mid table, but still they have some dangerous players to watch out for, notably Gilardino, Vargas and the impressive Jovetic in midfield. Franck Ribery may be missing for Bayern, as he is nursing something which means that he has not been quite 100%. Bayern have played their way to the top of the league, after things were looking decidedly below par in the early stages of the league and the Champions League.

They only managed to clinch qualification from their Champions League group on the last day, as French side Bordeaux surprised both them and Juventus by winning the group. Bayern looked anything but impressive throughout the group stages, but things can change quickly in football, and now the Germans have gotten up a full head of steam. Neither side won on the weekend, with Fiorentina losing 2-1 to Juventus, and Bayern being held to a 1-1 draw with Koln. Bayern start as favourites as the bookies, simply because their form on the domestic front has been ominous, and they showed in the first leg that they can get the better of the Italians.

MATCH PRICES
Fiorentina to win: 24/14 at Bwin
Draw: 12/5 at Bet365
Bayern Munich to win: 13/8 at Victor Chandler

Champions League Form Guide
Fiorentina: DDLWWWWL
Bayern Munich: WDLLWWW

Bayern Munich v Fiorentina

Two of the midweek Champions League clashes, involve the two teams which saw to the demise of Liverpool’s campaign this season. Italians Fiorentina won Group E ahead of Lyon and Liverpool, and to some extents, were one of the surprises of the tournament. They showed great composure along with an attacking flair, and while they may not quite have all of the tools in place to make it to the final against some more illustrious opposition, if they can find their game, they could cause problems. Fiorentina scored heavily during qualifying, averaging over two goals per game. It wasn’t a one man show in the scoring stakes either, as while Gilardino netted four times in six games, talented youngster Stevan Jovetic (one to watch for the tournament) and Adrian Mutu netted three each. They had a slow start to the Champions League, losing their opening fixture, but then rattled off five straight wins to take the group by a two point margin.

However, they seem to have forgotten how to score goals at the moment. They have fallen back into mid table in Serie A after riding high in the early parts, but just one point in their last five matches isn’t the kind of form to be taking into the Champions League. Bayern Munich on the other hand, had some serious problems trying to qualify from their group, and they had until the final match day to secure their place in the next round at the expense of Juventus. Bayern’s form is a lot stronger than Fiorentina’s at the moment, and the German giants are tied for first spot in the notoriously difficult Bundelsiga. They seem to have found top gear, and are in some extremely impressive form, as well as being potent in finding the back of the net. The German side will start as strong favourites, and should take full advantage of the home fixture. They could be out of sight ahead of the return fixture, as they have scored 28 goals in their last 10 fixtures. They met in the Champions League in 2008, where Bayern ran out 4-1 aggregate winners.

Match Prices:
Bayern Munich to win: 8/15 at SkyBet
Draw: 13/4 at Bwin
Fiorentina to win: 13/2 at Coral

Asian Handicap Betting Tip: Bayern -0.75 are 33/20 at Paddy Power

Lyon v Real Madrid
Lyon took second place in Group E ahead of Liverpool, and their reward was to be thrown up against Real Madrid. Lyon are one of those teams who are always hanging around the Champions League, and which opposition find hard to play against. They have a good history, without making a major impact, yet they often get tipped to make the big upsets. They are fourth in the French Ligue 1, eight points back of leaders Bordeaux. They are not particularly high scorers, but they efficient in their performances and run a pretty tight ship. On their day, at the top of their game, they can cause problems for most teams in Europe, but you never quite know if that strong team is going to present itself when the time comes. Up front, Lisandro will be the key figure for then, and they have  a quality midfielder in Miralem Pjanic.

Lyon have triumphed over Real Madrid twice before in the Champions League, knocking the Spaniards out of the 2005 and 2006 competitions. This will give them confidence they can repeat the feat, but Real Madrid are flying at the moment, and have scored three goals on each of their last three outings in La Liga. Surprising for such giants, Madrid haven’t reach the Quarter Final stage of the Champions League for 5 years now, and this will probably be put right against Lyon. They are still hot on the heels of Champions League holders Barcelona in the race for the Spanish title, and have just gotten Cristiano Ronaldo back from suspension, who celebrated by scoring two goals on his return to action.

It is hard to pinpoint the stand out star in the glitterati of talent that Madrid send out onto the pitch every week. Ronaldo and Kaka stand out obviously, but there is talent all over the pitch, and on the bench. Ronaldo is the Champions League top scorer this season, and has banged in 11 goals in 13 games this season in La Liga. Whether Lyon can live with the power of Madrid this time around is in question, as the Spaniards are in fine form ahead of the clash. They appear to be growing in stature, and simply reaching the Quarter Finals won’t be enough for them. International striker Karim Benzema, who was a doubt for the game, has travelled with the squad to face his old side, after making a speedier than expected recovery from injury.

Match Prices:
Lyon to win: 5/2 at Paddy Power
Draw: 12/5 at Victor Chandler
Real Madrid to win: 23/20 at Boylesports

Asian Handicap Betting Tip: Real Madrid -1 is 39/20 at Bet365

Liverpool head into action against Fiorentina at Anfield, with their Champions League in tatters. Their Italian opponents have already qualified and need at least a draw to try and hold on to the top spot in Group E, which they have played their way into. Fiorentina have rattled in twelve goals in their five Match Day games during this campaign, and have been a bright spark in the competition. All Liverpool have left to look forward to now, is a run in the Europa League in the spring, a fall from grace from being a dominant force in the Champions League in past seasons. Liverpool, with a win for themselves and defeat for Lyon, will finish on the same points. But, due to Liverpool’s misery up front this season, with star striker Fernando Torres missing matches, they have a far inferior goal difference which will keep them in third place. Liverpool are a far weaker side without the presence of Torres, who has scored 7 goals in his last 5 Champions League appearances.

The Reds have been coming under all sorts of pressure on the domestic front, and another disappointing, directionless 0-0 draw against Blackburn on the weekend, has not helped their cause. They have another big test in the Premier League on the weekend, with Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal heading north to Merseyside. This, for all intents is a meaningless game for Liverpool and Rafa Benitez will be slightly torn between resting some of his main players like Steven Gerrard, and putting them out to try and get some momentum going. How many more defeats would the Anfield crowd take though, if Benitez fielded a weakened side which was over-run by Fiorentina?

Fiorentina do have something to play for, and they will be looking for a win, because they will be aware that Lyon are just two points behind them in the group. Lyon are in action against Debreceni, who are bottom of the group without a single point, so it is a fair bet that the French will pick up another three points, although they looked very lacklustre in the weekend letting a two goal lead slip in a 4-3 defeat against Lille. Fiorentina lost a couple of games recently, but regained a little more of their composure in a 2-0 weekend victory of Atalanta, which keeps them in fifth place in Serie A. Fiorentina’s Serbian striker Steven Jovetic will be a thorn in Liverpool’s side, having scored two goals in two appearances in the Champions League, along with Alberto Gilardino, who has bagged a brace in four matches. Adrian Mutu though, will be missing, likely for the rest of the Champions League campaign and his presence will be a loss having scored 3 goals in 4 goals. That is how potent the Viola can be.

Liverpool’s defensive unit, which has looked anything but steady this season, could have their work cut out for them at home. Rafa Benitez may very well take a cautious appearance to this game, especially as Steven Gerrard is still getting back to full health after his injuries. It will be unlikely that he would leave out the captain, and there is some hope that Fernando Torres and Alberto Aquilani will take some part. It has been a long five games for Liverpool without Torres and the Kop are still waiting to see something from Aquilani who hasn’t put in an appearance since his transfer from Roma in the summer. An ankle injury has been keeping the Italian, who has received rave reviews, out of the team all season. Meanwhile talks with Javier Mascherano, who is reportedly unsettled and wants away to Barcelona, is under negotiations to extend his contract at the club. Despite Rafa Benitez’s insistence that the Argentine is at his best, Mascherano has failed to make any kind of real impact at Liverpool, looking largely anonymous at times.

Liverpool to win: 11/10 at Bet365
Draw: 12/5 at SkyBet
Fiorentina to win: 14/5 at ExtraBet

Betting Advice: Under normal circumstances, you would bank somewhat on a Liverpool win at Anfield, but Fiorentina, as they have proven are a good team, and do have something to play, whereas Liverpool don’t. Liverpool will finish in third, whatever happens on Wednesday night. The Viola outplayed the Reds when they met earlier in the competition, which put the first real big dent in Liverpool’s campaign. On current form, and striking power, it could be the final nail in the home side’s Champions League appearances for this year.
Fiorentina +0.5 Asian Handicap: 4/5 at bet365

Group E
Debrecen v Fiorentina
Liverpool v Lyon
It is Match Day three in the Champions League and already the action has thrown up some major suprises. Italian side Fiorentina gave themselves a massive boost on Match Day Two, when they turned over visitors Liverpool 2-0. That put them on level points with the English team, and will have the chance to double their points against bottom of the Group Debrecen. The Hungarians have yet to score a goal, and suffered a 4-0 thumping against Lyon last time out. Fiorenitna, who themselves lost to Lyon, can leave Liverpool reeling if the Reds fall to Lyon. The win for the Italians should be no problem in coming. While Debrecen have looked more awkward and stubborn in their resistance, Fiorentina are sauntering along nicely in Serie A, sitting in fourth place in what could be a tight race. The big game of the night is at Anfield, where Liverpool need to get themselves back on track. They have suffered three straight defeats in a row, and can ill afford another one. Defeat here could be disastrous as it will more than likely leave them chasing just second place along with the Italians.

Match Prices:
Liverpool to win: 5/6 at Bet365
Draw: 5/2 at Blue Square
Lyon to win: 4/1 at SkyBet

Fiorentina to win: 2/5 at Victor Chandler
Draw: 7/2 at SkyBet
Debrecen: 33/4 at Expekt

Betting Tips:
Fiorentina to win 1-0: 6/1 at SportingBet
Lyon to win 1-0: 12/1 at SkyBet

To Win Group E
Lyon – 17/20 at SportingBet
Fiorentina: 15/8 at SkyBet
Liverpool: 5/1 at ExtraBet
Debrecen: 750/1 at Ladbrokes

Group F
Barcelona v Rubin Kazan
Inter Milan v Dynamo Kiev
Who’d a thunk it? The mighty Inter Milan, top of Serie A, were humbled on their visit to Russia, where their 10 men had to hang on for a 1-1 draw against Rubin Kazan. The other Milan team would have found that hilarious if they had not been suffering an even more embarrassing result, losing 1-0 at home to FC Zurich. Now they have to face ex-San Siro AC Milan hero, Andriy Shevchenko as Dynamo Kiev roll into town. Shevchenko netted 14 times against Inter when he was in AC colours. Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho will not have taken that Match Day Two result lying down. You can only imagine the dressing room after that. Inter have bounced back with a couple of good wins in their domestic league, and they still sit top with only one defeat. They are a lot stronger than that European hiccup suggests. But with just two points from two games in the Champions League, it is time for them to get going. They are currently one point behind Tuesday’s opponents Dynamo. Barcelona, not surprisingly are top of Group F. The favourites to relcaim the Champions League title, will hope to do a better job than Inter against the Russian champions when they face them on Tuesday. As much as the previous result will have lifted Rubin, history is not going to repeat itself and they will be under some of the severest pressure they will have faced.

Match Prices
Barcelona to win: 1/8 at Expekt
Draw: 15/2 at Stan James
Rubin Kazan to win: 22/1 at ExtraBet

Inter Milan to win: 4/9 at BetFred
Draw: 18/5 at SkyBet
Dynamo Kiev: 17/2 at Stan James

Betting Tips:
Barcelona to win 2-0: 11/2 at BlueSquare
Dynamo Kiev Draw No Bet: 11/2 at Paddy Power

To Win Group F
Barcelona – 1/4 at Boylesport
Inter Milan – 9/2 at Ladbrokes
Dynamo Kiev – 25/1 at Totesport
Rubin Kazan – 80/1 at Paddy Power

Group G
Rangers v Unirea Urziceni
Stuttgart v Sevilla
Big night for Rangers in Group G, as they will go in search of their first win of the new campaign. They need it too. Defeat would be something of a disaster, as you can expect Sevilla to overcome the king of the draws, Stuttgart in the other match. Rangers, with just one point from two games, need to take all three points to get themselves back into contention. A defeat and they will be stuck at the bottom with a mountain to climb at the halfway stage. Sevilla are looking like hotshots and could be a great outside bet to reach at least the semi finals. Another Spanish powerhouse, Sevilla are third in the Spanish league, just three points behind Real Madrid (who they recently beat), and four behind Barcelona. That intimates that they are very strong team, and other Champions League teams should be wary of them. They lost on Saturday and that was after a run of seven straight victories, and coping with a lot of injuries. Watch out for them, and watch out for Luis Fabiano who leads the Champions League with assists. A classy outfit.

Match Prices:
Rangers to win: 5/6 at Blue Square
Draw: 13/5 at Bet365
Unirea Urziceni to win: 4/1 at SkyBet

Stuttgart to win: 11/4 at Coral
Draw: 5/2 at Stan James
Sevilla to win: 11/10 at SkyBet

Betting Tips:
Rangers to draw: 13/5 at Bet365
Sevilla to win 2-1: 8/1 at SkyBet

To Win Group G
Sevilla – 1/5 at Stan James
Stuttgart – 15/2 at Paddy Power
Rangers – 22/1 at Paddy Power
Unirea Urziceni- 80/1 at Paddy Power

Group H
Alkmaar v Arsenal
Olyimpiacos v Standard Liege
After suriving a potential Match Day One banana skin, Arsenal should cruise to winning this Group, and there does not appear to be much anyone else is going to do about it. Much has been said about Dutch Champions Alkmaar and their home record in Europe, but they are on a slump of form, especially when compared to Tuesday’s opponents Arsenal. The Gunners have their injury problems, but can still field a team which can pass rings around most opponents. This will probably be their toughest test, but no more difficicult than playing a bottom half of the table Premier League team. They will come through to make it three wins from three. With Arsenal’s dominance, there could be a tight and hotly contest race for second place in Group H, but it is unlikely to pan out that way. The favourites for second spot would be Greek side Olympiakos, and they can go a long way to making themselves comfortable by beating Standard Liege. The Belgium team’s 1-1 tie with Alkmaar has left both teams on just one point, and having to travel to Greece is should, for all intents and purposes settle positions in the Group, especially if Arsenal win.

Match Prices:
Alkmaar to win: 6/1 at Boylesports
Draw: 3/1 at Bet365
Arsenal to win: 8/15 at Totesport

Olympiakos to win: 5/6 at BetFred
Draw: 5/1 at Bet365
Standard Liege to win: 15/4 at Expekt

Betting Tip:
Arsenal -2 Asian Handicap: 11/4 at Bet365
Olympiakos to win 2-0: 7/1 at SportingBet

To Win Group H
Arsenal – 1/10 at Blue Square
Olympiakos – 14/1 at Paddy Power
AZ Alkmaar – 25/1 at Paddy Power
Standard Liege – 40/1 at Paddy Power

It is time to return to Champions League action for the big four in England, plus Rangers, who are Scotland’s sole representatives this year. All four English clubs managed a win in their first outings, but they were all performances which did just enough, rather than flatter. Such things can be easily excused so early in the season after new summer signings, but Match Day 2 often signals the settling down of the groups and getting into some kind of European swing of things.

Group E
Fiorentina v Liverpool
Debrecen v Lyon
Liverpool and Lyon were both 1-0 victors over Debrecen and Fiorentina respectively in their opening home matches. They both hit the road this week, with the Reds trundling off to Italy to play the famous Viola. They will be hoping to continue playing a merry tune, as their recent form has seen them scoring freely, largely thanks to Torres and Gerard. Lyon are going along nicely in the French league, sitting in second place and having only suffered one defeat all season. They, Fiorentina and Liverpool in their respective leagues are all kind of in similar standings, so there appears there won’t be too much to choose between these three. Hungarians Debrecen host their first ever Champions League fixture at home, and they couldn’t get much of a tougher task than facing Lyon. Will the sense of occasional overwhelm them, or will the electricity surrounding the event give them the much fabled extra man and help them secure a famous result?

Betting Tips:
Liverpool to draw: 5/2 at Stan-James
Lyon to win: 5/11 at Expekt

To Win Group E
Liverpool – 4/6 at Coral
Lyon – 2/1 at Ladbrokes
Fiorentina – 9/1 at PaddyPower
Debrecen – 150/1 at Bet365

Group F
Rubin Kazan v Inter Milan
Barcelona v Dynamo Kiev
The big opening match in Group F, well, of the Champions League itself really, fizzled out to a 0-0 draw as Jose Mourinho saw his Inter Milan team hold current holders Barcelona. Barcelona looked the better team on the night, and the battle of the two swapped strikers, E’to and Ibrahimovic wasn’t really settled and so we shall await the next fixture in Barcelona. Until then, the Italians face a trip to Russian title holders Rubin Kazan, who lost their first ever Champions League fixture 3-1 to Ukranians Dynamo Kiev. Rubin Kazan was a bit of unknown quantity coming into the tournament this year, but that result against their more established foes, will have put some minds at ease, but perhaps stirred up others about Kiev. Rubin Kazan now get the chance to give their home fans a taste of the Champions League for the first time ever, and what a spectacle they will have, when the colossal heritage of Inter Milan roll up on their doorstep. But truly, whatever the Russian and Ukranian champions can muster up, its not ever likely to threaten tp be enough to get out of the group stage. Inter and Barcelona should be far too strong over the course of the group.

Betting Tips:
Inter Milan to win 1-0: 6/1 at SkyBet
Barcelona to win 3-0: 13/2 at 888Sport

To Win Group F
Barcelona – 4/9 at Totesport
Inter Milan – 3/1 at Coral
Dynamo Kiev – 16/1 at ExtraBet
Rubin Kazan – 66/1 at ExtraBet

Group G
Unirea Urziceni v Stuttgart
Rangers v Sevilla
Sevilla are clearly the strongest team in this group, but Rangers have a great chance to get themselves out of the group stages this season. Stuttgart aren’t having their most wonderful season with only two wins from eight attempts in the Bundesliga, and Romanians Unirea Urziceni shouldn’t pose too many threats to anyone else in the group. There are some big nights ahead for Rangers, and they will need to make the most of home advantage. They will need to overturn some worrying trends against Spanish opposition in order to do so, as they have a terrible record against Spanish teams. Still, the fixtures they way they are for Rangers, could help them get a great boost. A draw wouldn’t even be too bad for the Scottish side and will give them a little heart as the underdogs of the group will be visiting Ibrox next. Unirea Urziceni, guided by the ever happy face of ex Chelsea favourite Dan Petrescu top the Hungarian Liga 1, and this truly is their big chance to grab a night of European glory. It’s a big home night for them too, and passions will be high.

Betting Tips:
Sevilla to win: 20/19 at Expekt
Unirea Urziceni to draw: 5/2 at Boylesports

To Win Group G
Sevilla – 8/15 at Ladbrokes
Stuttgart – 7/2 at ExtraBet
Rangers – 6/1 at Totesport or (6/4 to qualify at Victor Chandler)
Unirea Urziceni - 66/1 at ExtraBet

Group H
Arsenal v Olympiakos
AZ Alkmaar v Standard Liege
Arsenal aside, this is possibly the weakest group in the competition. After getting stunned by two goals in the first five minutes against Liege, Arsenal rallied to a 3-2 win. A loss there would have been considered something of a disaster for Arsene Wenger’s team, and they’ll be glad to get back to the Emirates where they have a formidable record. Olympiakos are a decent team, but not of the quality of the Gunners, and while stubborn, should see defeat. AZ Alkmaar aren’t the wonder boys of Dutch football at the moment, as they have lost three times already in their first eight games, and are facing mid table mediocrity. Standard Liege are three points off the top in the Belgian League, and will be somewhat spirited by the performance against the Arsenal, even if they couldn’t sustain it for 90 minutes. If their fixture against Alkmaar was at home, they would probably be worth backing for a win. However, whether they can replicate their early showing against Arsenal away from home is a different matter, but are still worth an outside punt.

Betting Tips:
Arsenal to win 1-0: 13/2 at Extrabet
Standard Liege Draw No Bet: 13/5 at William Hill

To Win Group H
Arsenal – 2/7 at Coral
Olympiakos – 7/1 at Ladbrokes
AZ Alkmaar – 16/1 at ExtraBet
Standard Liege – 66/1 at ExtraBet

Betting Advice. Clearly you are not going to get a lot of market action on the favourites such as Barcelona. Look for slight underdog teams which are home if you are looking for an upset, but opposed to going all out for a shock, consider the draw. Or, if you want to hedge your bets on an underdog, look for Draw No Bet, which will mean that you will break even in the event of a draw, and be laughing if they do win. Asian Handicaps should also offer a little more chance of return, or just double up, or run an accumulator with some of your selections. Winning a little is better than losing everything.

Liverpool will look to build on their Match Day one home victory over FC Debrecen. Their less than impressive 1-0 victory, courtesy of a Dirk Kuyt goal, may not have been the prettiest, but they got the job done, and in the group stages, that is often important. None of the four English entrants put in a comprehensive performance in their opening matches, and Liverpool had some genuine scares against the Hungarians. Nevertheless, that is past them and the Reds are on a current 6 game winning streak in all competitions, after a slow start to the season.

Their comprehensive 6-1 thumping of Premier League team Hull on the weekend, will have bolstered their confidence. Their Italian opponents lost their opening game in the Champions League 1-0 to French outfit Lyon, and will look to their home record against English clubs in Europe to kick start their campaign. The Italians, despite only winning one home game in the Champions League since 2000, have not lost against an English side on home turf in UEFA competitions. To add to that stat, they haven’t even conceded a goal in the three matches.

Liverpool have encountered their fair share of Italian opponents in the Champions League, and their last four trips to the country, has seen then come away without having suffered a defeat. Only injury doubts are plaguing the Liverpool squad at the moment, with Javier Mascherano and Yossi Benayoun both missing from the midfield. Up front is where the battle could truly be won though, as Liverpool striker Fernando Torres is in hot form, bagging himself a hat trick on Saturday, while the Viola will be without their top scorer Alberto Gilardino. They will likely be relying on ex Chelsea forward,  Adrian Mutu to lead the attack against the Reds.

Liverpool have scored 18 goals in six matches now, and the mainstay of the team is still Torres and midfield general Steven Gerrard. Fiorentina will know that they have to find a way to shut those two out of the game, in order to compete. Liverpool look the more accomplished team at the moment and are in sparkling form. Fiorentina won their Serie A match on the weekend, a 1-0 win away at Livorno. They have only lost once this season in the league, and they currently sit in fourth place in the Italian league, just two points behind leaders Sampdoria, who they recently beat comfortably 2-0.

On the English domestic front, Liverpool moved themselves up to third spot, thanks to their six of the best display against lowly Hull. They seem to be gathering some pace after their two early league losses, and will head off to Italy without any reservation about the task in hand.

Liverpool to win: Evens at Totesport
Draw: 5/1 at Stan James
Fiorentina to win: 7/2 at BetFred

Correct Score Prediction 1-1: 6/1 at Boylesports

Betting Advice: Liverpool look irresistable going forward at the moment, but they are prone to defensive errors. Fiorentina are probably a better side than people give them credit for. They may be effected by the loss of Gilardino, but they could comfortably maintain their good record against English teams if they keep Torres quiet.