Tuesday 20 November 2012

Stars in Lewandowski's eyes at Dortmund

Two goals in four UEFA Champions League games this season is proof that Robert Lewandowski is flying in Europe's top club competition, with Borussia Dortmund learning from a disappointing 2011/12 campaign, leading Real Madrid CF, AFC Ajax and Manchester City FC in Group D.
In this video interview, the 24-year-old gives an insight into how he modelled himself on France and Arsenal FC star Thierry Henry as a youngster, and how Jürgen Klopp's passionate leadership is helping him and his team-mates to put bigger clubs in the shade in Europe. "You can see on TV how happy he is when we score, and how mad he gets after a failed move – but not with us, but rather with the ball not going into the goal," said the Polish international. "I think he lives and breathes not only the matches, but also the training."

Valencia prepared for Bayern ordeal

Valencia prepared for Bayern ordeal
Mauricio Pellegrino faces an anxious night with Valencia ©AFP/Getty Images
 

Tournament statistics

Valencia
Bayern
10
Goals scored
10
22
Attempts on target
37
18
Attempts off target
21
11
Corners
39
9
Offsides
10
63
Fouls committed
52
10
Yellow cards
12
1
Red Cards
0

Standings

Group F



PPts
1FC Bayern München Bayern49
1Valencia CF Valencia49
3FC BATE Borisov BATE46
4LOSC Lille LOSC40
Last updated: 14/11/2012 13:19 CET
Legend:
P: Played   
Pts: Points   
Click here to find out more! 
Click here to find out more! 
  
Mauricio Pellegrino exhorted his Valencia CF players to raise their game as they look to make amends for a 2-1 loss at FC Bayern München on matchday one and move to the top of UEFA Champions League Group F. Jupp Heynckes, meanwhile, knows that – with FC BATE Borisov breathing down their necks – defeat at Mestalla could be costly.
Valencia
Mauricio Pellegrino, coach
The team are in good spirits, and hopefully the fans will be after the game. It will be a top-class match which will make big demands of us, so we hope to do well enough to get the victory. We are getting better every day although I am aware that there are things we still need to improve. We are on the right track and we must continue working to achieve our goals. We are a competitive team, and when we have to make changes, we will and hopefully this game will be no exception to that.
Bayern work very well with or without the ball. We shouldn't make the same mistakes that we made in Munich. We must play a complete game to make it hard for Bayern. I would not settle for a draw when we have the chance to finish top of the group. We have nothing to fear. We must defend and attack well, and play to our strengths.
Weekend result
Saturday: Valencia 2-1 RCD Espanyol (Viera 16, Soldado 89pen; Longo 31)
Alves; Barragán, Rami, Víctor Ruíz, Guardado; Albelda (Banega 67), Costa, Feghouli, Viera (Bernat 68), Jonas (Valdez 80); Soldado
• Roberto Soldado's last-minute penalty was the striker's ninth goal for Valencia in all competitions this season and gave his side a seventh straight victory at Mestalla against an Espanyol team that finished with nine men.
Team news
Fernando Gago (left calf strain), João Pereira (right calf tear), Jérémy Mathieu (chronic Achilles problems) and Pablo Piatti remain on the sidelines. However, Aly Cissokho, suspended from Liga action on Saturday, returns along with Ricardo Costa, a late withdrawal from Valencia's squad for their weekend fixture owing to a virus.
Bayern
Jupp Heynckes, coach
A win or a draw might put us through, but the important thing is to qualify as group winners.
Roberto Soldado is a great player who I know very well. He is a great goalscorer but Valencia have other great offensive players like Jonas and Nelson Valdez. We are very strong defensively, but we have to be very careful.
We are very happy with [Spanish defensive midfielder] Javi Martínez. We have to forget how much he cost and continue the integration process so he can play at the highest European level. His team-mates speak very highly of him, and the captain has acknowledged that it is the type of player that the team needed.
There are several things that differ about the German and Spanish leagues. The stadiums here are newer and friendly; the economic situation and the standard of the Bundesliga has improved a lot, and you can see that in the German clubs' UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League performances. The atmosphere in German stadiums is great and they are almost always full.
Weekend result
Saturday: 1. FC Nürnberg 1-1 Bayern (Feulner 46; Mandžukić 3)
Neuer; Rafinha (Lahm 62), Van Buyten, Dante, Alaba; Schweinsteiger, Tymoshchuk (Martínez 53); Müller, Kroos, Shaqiri; Mandžukić (Pizarro 77)
• For the first time in the Bundesliga this season Bayern did not win away from home. They won the first five away games scoring 15 goals without conceding.
• Rafinha, Daniel Van Buyten and Anatoliy Tymoshchuk made the starting XI for the first time in the league this term while Philipp Lahm started on the bench, meaning that Bastian Schweinsteiger wore the captain's armband until Lahm came on. For Lahm, it was the first time since 16 April 2008 (in a 3-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt) that he was a substitute in a competitive game for Bayern.
• Franck Ribéry was absent because of a bruised rib. Holger Badstuber was in the squad for the first time since picking up a muscle problem three weeks earlier but did not feature.
Team news
Heynckes was "very happy" to have Mario Gomez back in his squad, with the striker having played in a friendly game as he recovers following an ankle operation. Luiz Gustavo has had surgery to resolve a groin problem, while Ribéry should play if he gets through a training session.
Match fact
• Bayern's record away to Liga teams is W5 D4 L10. Last season they won 2-0 at Villarreal CF in the group stage, their first victory in Spain since 2001, with Toni Kroos and Rafinha on the scoresheet.

Galatasaray to have a go at United kids

Press conference: Sir Alex Ferguson (Man. United)

Tournament statistics

Galatasaray
Man. United
4
Goals scored
9
22
Attempts on target
34
37
Attempts off target
19
23
Corners
24
12
Offsides
15
61
Fouls committed
50
9
Yellow cards
5
0
Red Cards
0

Press kits

Standings

Group H



PPts
1Manchester United FC Man. United412
2Galatasaray AŞ Galatasaray44
3CFR 1907 Cluj CFR Cluj44
4SC Braga Braga43
Last updated: 14/11/2012 13:19 CET
Legend:
P: Played   
Pts: Points   
Click here to find out more! 
Click here to find out more! 
  
Fatih Terim is hoping for a historic night for Galatasaray AŞ when they host Group H winners Manchester United FC. Galatasaray lead both CFR 1907 Cluj and SC Braga by a single point and Terim urged his club's supporters to get behind his team as they bid to strengthen their hold on second place in a "complicated" section. Sir Alex Ferguson, meanwhile, is eager to give a new generation of United talent a showcase.
Galatasaray
Fatih Terim, coach
I don't understand why the media are focusing on Manchester United's Istanbul squad. We shouldn't dwell too much on it because it's still Man Utd who you're facing in the end.
Our group is very complicated. There are two teams on four points and one team with three. Unfortunately we gave away those three points [when losing at home to Braga]. At the start of the campaign, I said that every goal scored and every goal conceded would count. Now we see this becoming a reality. If we had drawn against Braga, we could have guaranteed our place in the next round by beating United. The best thing now is us and Cluj winning tomorrow. That will give us a great advantage if no guarantees. At least, we'd have an advantage before the final match [in Braga].
It's clear that this match is one of the most important games in Galatasaray's history. Hopefully, tomorrow we'll see a historic night at Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi. I am sure that the fans will be putting a lot of effort into their preparations for the game and will support us until the final whistle.
Weekend result
Friday: Galatasaray 1-3 Kardemir Karabükspor (Yılmaz 31; Özek 22, Yıldız 35, Parlak 90+1)
Muslera; Eboué, Nounkeu, Cris, Hakan Balta; Hamit Altıntop (Engin Baytar 61), Selçuk İnan, Felipe Melo (Amrabat 69), Emre Çolak; Burak Yılmaz, Umut Bulut (Elmander 46).
• Karabükspor inflicted Galatasaray's first home defeat in the league since 22 April.
Team news
Terim promised "two changes" from the Karabükspor game but did not name names. He added that his squad were all fully fit save for Aydın Yılmaz who has flu, although "that won't prevent us using him if needed".
United
Sir Alex Ferguson, manager
Our players have played challenging games in various parts of the world and I believe they will be at their best. We don't consider the young players a gamble. What we do consider is our reputation and we have to be fair to the other teams in the group. We are very conscious of how to pick our team. It will be a good occasion to see our young players introduce themselves to the public and the media. Our aim is to win.
In the UEFA Champions League this season, we saw some interesting results, like Celtic beating Barcelona and BATE defeating Bayern München. Those occasions show the increasing quality of the Champions League.
In 1993 [when United first visited Galatasaray, drawing 0-0], the atmosphere was incredible. We've been here a few times and we've seen Turkish enthusiasm and passion. It's fantastic.
Weekend result
Saturday: Norwich City FC 1-0 United (Pilkington 60)
Lindegaard; Rafael, Smalling, Ferdinand (Anderson 80), Evra; Valencia (Scholes 69), Carrick, Giggs, Young; Van Persie; Hernández (Welbeck 70).
• United's five-match winning run on their travels in the Premier League ended on Saturday, allowing Manchester City FC to claim top spot.
Team news
Sir Alex plans to give defender Phil Jones a run-out, but Shinji Kagawa and Nemanja Vidić (both knee) remain on the injury list. "Shinji Kagawa's progress has been quite slow," he said. "He's not started any outside work and we're looking at another four weeks away, which is disappointing."
Match fact
• Darren Fletcher scored when United prevailed 3-0 at Bursaspor in the 2010/11 group stage on their last visit to Turkey. Paul Scholes struck the only goal when they were last in Istanbul, beating Beşiktaş JK in the 2009/10 group stage.
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