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Eto'o v Ibra: New rivalry
The qualification process is over and the 2009/10 Champions League group stages campaign is about to get underway. UEFA main man and former French footballing god Michel Platini has demanded that the smaller nations of Europe be represented in the top tournament in Europe and this years line-up indicate a wider spread of nations.
Teams like FC Zurich, Maccabi Haifa, Rubin Kazan and Unirea Urziceni are all fairly uncommon to fans who only follow the big national leagues but they will be hoping to cause an upset or two in this campaign. As always, the big nations will dominate the headlines and the interest of most fans but the influx of one or two new names may help revitalize some interest and energy into the Champions League.
Eto'o Vs Ibrahimovic.
In all tournaments, a keen degree of interest is always applied to the reigning holders and there will certainly be a lot of interest in how Barcelona are doing this season. They kick off with a monumental match in Italy as they travel to take on Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan, which represents a reunion of sorts for the Special One who was involved in Catalonia at the side of Bobby Robson.
Of course, the major focal point for this match will fall upon two forwards who swapped places during the summer. Not many clubs have a forward who scored in two Champions League finals but this is exactly what Samuel Eto'o can claim, with goals that helped Barcelona to their two most recent Champions League victories.
However, rumours about his attitude and personality not sitting well with the team ethos that Pep Guardiola wants to build saw him on his way to Inter Milan. Of course, attitude and personality disorders are two things that are also part of the make-up of Zlatan Ibrahimovic who has arrived at the Camp Nou with the usual swagger and arrogance that has been his trademark. Both players will be desperate to make their mark on the match and inflict damage on their former team and team-mates which may see this game having a larger spark than most first games tend to have.
Will Galacticos Sparkle in Switzerland?
Whenever Barcelona are mentioned, Real Madrid are probably never too far away and after their summer spending, you can guarantee that many fans will be interested in seeing how the Galacticos get on in this year's Champions League.
Madrid start on the Tuesday night where they head to Switzerland where they will face FC Zurich and all expectations will be on the Spanish team taking all three points. Players like Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema have a wealth of Champions League experience so the new players will not be overawed by the occasion. Real Madrid may have made their name in the 1950s with a run of successive European Cups but recent success has been lacking and this is where the impact of their major spending will be expected to happen.
Whilst any team needs some time to knit together, the clock is definitely ticking on Real Madrid to hit the ground running and three points in Switzerland will signify their progression.
Spain's main two will be major favourites for this year's trophy but if recent seasons indicate anything, the English contingent will be involved at the business end of this tournament.
Arsenal traversed the qualifying stages with ease, albeit with a little bit of controversy as Eduardo dived in the Emirates match versus Celtic. People may say that Arsenal were assured of their progression by the stage of Eduardo's cheating but that is hardly the point of the matter, as cheating is cheating wherever and whenever it happens. The Croatian striker has been slapped with a two match ban, although Arsenal are appealing this decision, but the Gunners should be okay in their group even though they have a potentially tricky start away to Standard Liege in Belgium.
English Teams Look to Dominate Again
Champions League runners and English champions Manchester United also have an away day to start their campaign and a trip to Turkey is never anyone's idea of a comfortable journey. This will be the first Champions League United will play without Ronaldo and it is fair to say that their domestic form entering this game has been patchy.
They will have been buoyed by a fortunate home win over Arsenal but a defeat away to Burnley indicates that Ferguson's new team is not entirely firing on all cylinders just yet.
An English team that has started very well has been Chelsea as Carlo Ancelloti slips into English football with the minimum of fuss. The lions of the Kings Road will start their campaign with a home match versus Porto, a team they have pitted their wits against on a number of occasions of late.
There is an obvious link through Jose Mourinho who has managed both teams but only won the Champions League with one, the unfancied Porto, despite the amount of money he had at his disposal at Chelsea.
Liverpool Need to Assert Themselves
The other English team who will be looking to make their mark on Europe this season are Liverpool and the club can certainly do with the income that an elongated run of Champions League football can bring. Anfield is the setting for the home tie against Debrecen, the first Hungarian entrant into the Champions League in 14 years of football and so there will be an element of history made on Merseyside when this game kicks off.
Away from the favourites of the tournament, there are also some big games in match-day one of the tournament which may catch the attention of the casual football fan. Marseille versus AC Milan is an interesting tie between two teams with a chequered past with both looking to make a re-emergence on the biggest stage of all. Lyon versus Fiorentina is also a tie between two teams who have made it through the qualifying rounds but who have some healthy Champions League experience behind them, which should make for an intriguing qualification group.
No matter what happens on match-day one of the Champions League, nothing will be decided so soon but there are some teams and players with a lot to prove in this round of fixtures.
by Andrew Reilly
for The Silver Circle at www.footballtip.co.uk
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Dear Greg,
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2004 was a good year but I really enjoyed the long run we had in, I think, July 2005. It was exhilarating! 2006-2007 was not as exciting although still quite profitable and so far 2007-2008 looks quite good. I'm wondering if we're going to hit a long one again soon. Anyway, it's been a pleasure as always with your service, Greg. Armstrong and you are one of the few people I trust on the internet. You have made my retirement so much more fun and financially happy!
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