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AC Milan v FC Zurich

UEFA Cup Review

The UEFA Cup is almost at the group stages and only the second legs of the first round separates teams from a guaranteed 4 more matches in Europe.

For many clubs, the prospect of European football provides respite from domestic duties and this is definitely the case for one of, if not the, most illustrious club left in the competition.

Relief for Ancelotti
AC Milan have had a torrid start to their Serie A campaign with Carlos Ancellotti’s position looking to be in grave danger after he club lost their opening two league fixtures. Some respite was provided by a 3-1 triumph at home against FC Zurich but the loss of an away goal will cause a few nervous moments for all concerned at the Rossoneri.

A goal scored in injury time in the first half broke the deadlock and Milan came out in the second half with a touch more confidence and added to their tally with strikes from Pato and Borriello which gave the club a healthy lead. However, a 78th minute goal by Djuric has given the Swiss side that vital away goal and if FC Zurich start convincingly in their home tie, they will fancy their chances of causing an upset. With two league games to play before the face Inter Milan, AC are needing to add some confidence to their game or their season could be over before it gets a chance to get going.

Stunning Game in Switzerland
The game of the week appeared to be Galatasaray’s 4-3 triumph over Bellinzona in Switzerland. The Swiss team held the lead twice only for the Turkish team to fight back and when Gashi saw red around the hour mark, things looked bad for Bellinzona and their worst fears were realised when Milan Baros scored his second of the game to put Galatasaray 3-2 ahead with 9 minutes to go.

The home side rallied though and looked to have sealed a draw when La Rocca levelled in the 90th minute. A high scoring draw would not have been a bad score for Galatasaray to take home to Turkey but in the fifth minute of added time, a Lincoln goal broke Swiss hearts and should be enough to give the Turkish outfit a comfortable time in the return leg.

Udinese notched up a strong away victory against Borussia Dortmund which looks to leave the German team out of Europe at an early stage. Dortmund are clearly not the force they were in the 1990s and this 2-0 reversal at home to a strong, yet unremarkable, Italian outfit is yet another sharp reminder of how far they have fallen. Another team who scored a convincing away victory was Ajax, who were victors by a 4-1 margin over Borac Cacak from Serbia.

The highly rated Huntelaar helped himself to two second half goals which look to have secured Ajax’s place in the knock-out stages and will ensure they are seen as a strong outside tip for the tournament. Ajax, like so many other clubs, are not the force they were in the 70s and 90s but a prolonged run in Europe for the Amsterdam club would be welcomed by many people who view the club in a nostalgic and positive light.

Two Away Goals for Benfica
The Napoli and Benfica looks very much in the balance as the Italians take a 3-2 lead to Portugal. Suazo opened the scoring for the Portuguese team but were behind three minutes later when goals from Vitale and Denis handed Napoli a 2-1 lead at the interval. A strike by Maggio extended the Italians lead but Luisao notched a further away goal for Benfica and they will have some degree of confidence about emerging victorious from this tie. There are a few intriguing second legs to come and this game should be one of the most pulsating.

Kaunas on their way out
Of course, there are also some ties which look dead and buried and Sampdoria can probably look forward to the Uefa Cup group stages with relative comfort. They were 5-0 victors over FC Kaunas in their home tie and it is unlikely they will be tested too much in the second leg. This result may be galling for the Lithuanian team but how must Rangers be feeling? Last seasons Uefa Cup Final losers were defeated at the second round stage of the Champions League qualification stage which ended the Glasgow clubs European ambitions for the season. This drubbing suffered by Kaunas only further emphasises the awful result that Rangers achieved and will only make their defeat more galling and painful.

Another club who appear to have their European dreams ended for 2008/09 are Artmedia who suffered a 4-0 deficit away to Braga. The Slovakian team may have been involved in a few high scoring matches and shock results in recent years but it would take a performance of epic proportions to allow them to overturn this defeat. If Artmedia can score an early goal there may well be the chance of an upset but in all likelihood, Braga will be taking their place in the group stages of this seasons Uefa Cup.

Everton and Tottenham struggle
On the whole, the English teams did well with four victories for their five entrants with only Everton failing to grab a first leg victory. A 2-2 home draw for the Merseyside club with Standard Liege will ensure a nervous trip to Belgium and a tricky away tie also awaits Tottenham Hostpur. They may have grabbed a home victory but a 2-1 win in Europe is never convincing and the away goal scored by Wisla Krakow will give their opponents renewed confidence about defeating their English rivals.

Aston Villa can be satisfied with the score, if not performance, with their 3-1 away victory to Litex Lovech of Bulgaria. The tie was wrapped up when Bulgaria’s very own Stilyan Petrov scored Villas third in injury time. The midfielder has scored a few important European goals in his past and has played in a Uefa Cup final and his experience will be vital if Villa harbour serious ambitions of winning this competition.

Portsmouth were 2-0 winners in their very first European game while Manchester City claimed a 2-1 away win in Cyprus when they defeated Omonia Nicosia.

Although it is definitely Europe’s second competition, reaching the group stages of the Uefa Cup can help a team financially and aid their development so the second leg ties of some of the more evenly balanced ties will be eagerly awaited as clubs strive to lengthen their European adventures until the end of the year.

for The Silver Circle at www.footballtip.co.uk

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