Champions League 2012-13: The week of big cup clashes in Europe

The major matches of the week:

The European football season has entered its final phase, where each and every match is decisive for the teams participating in domestic leagues and cup tournaments, as well as Champions League. This is why each week starts to bring big clashes.

The previous weekend started with an Italian supermatch between two Milan sides. Massimilano Allegri’s team was just back from the sensational Champions League victory over Barcelona. Inter had also been successful in the European arena, beating the Romanian champions and Champions League group stage participant Cluj in the Europa League. The forms in Serie A were, however, different, as Milan was climbing up to the Champions League zone, with Inter getting thrown out of there. The biggest intrigue of the match was

Champions League 2012-13: The week of Didier Drogba's debut at Galatasaray

The major matches of the week:

Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt are two of the contesters for the Bundesliga silver medals this season. Their initial meeting took place in Dortmund on the 16^th of February.  

Already by the 7^th minute Marco Reus had created a couple of great moves, which, fortunately for the visitors, didn’t get to open the score. However, Reus scored the opener showing some master class again, when on the 8^th he beautifully

Champions League 2012-13: The first 1/8 final matches, Part IV

Read Part I, Part II, Part III

The dessert of the Champions League 2012-13 Round of 16 is the tie between Milan and Barcelona.

The winter transfer period was the moment of truth in Milan. Disappointing profiles like Acerbi, Mesbah, Emanualeson and Pato left the team, while Balotelli joined the rossoneri. Although Super Mario will not play in this Champions League, the changes have added a lot to team’s moral. Allegri’s side is already on the third place in the league.

Champions League is the tournament where Stephan El Shaarawy will need to make it without his new partner.

Despite coach Tito Vilanova’s absence due to

Champions League 2012-13: The first 1/8 final matches, Part III

Read Part I, Part II 

The central match of the Champions League Tuesday is going to take place in London, where Arsenal and Bayern will meet for the 5th time in the Champions League history. The teams are approaching this round of 16 encounter in opposing moods.

The home side is struggling to earn a new Champions League ticket from the English Premier League. If things remain as they are right now, Arsene Wenger’s team will not be a part of this big tournament next year. In addition to this, the team is out of the English League Cup and the FA Cup. Robin van Persie’s departure has had a huge impact on Arsenal. Podolski, Giroud and Cazorla, despite performing greatly from time to time, haven’t been as clinical as the Dutchman. The team has scored

Champions League 2012-13: The week before the Champions League restart

The major matches of the week:

Bayern-Schalke 04: The two German teams still active in the Champions League met each other in matchday 21 of Bundesliga. Total dominance of the Munich team is what the match will be remembered for. The score fully reflects the incidents on the pitch. However, the most memorable moment of the match was

Champions League 2012-13: The first 1/8 final matches, Part II

Read Part I

Real was having problems with injuries. The worst is over, though. Only Casillas is still recovering. This is the main reason of Diego Lopez’s addition to the squad. Having accepted the loss of the league title to rivals Barcelona, Jose Mourinho’s main focus is Champions League this year. Mourinho’s team has had a hectic period of 14 matches in 2 months: many of them didn’t really go their way. Actually Mourinho can claim this season to be the unluckiest in his career. First,

Champions League 2012-13: The first 1/8 final matches, Part I

So we are not far away from the Champions League spring-part to begin. There are 8 encounters, winners of each will lead to the quarterfinals. The first four matches take place this week, then four more next week. After a week of a break, the second matches will take place. We will know the names of all 8 quarterfinalists late in the evening of March 13^th.

Before the first matches start, it is interesting to take a look at some facts describing the first part of the Champions League 2012-13. The main fact is

Champions League 2012-13: The week of Leo Messi's 12th consecutive goal in La Liga

The major matches of the week:

The last weekend was there to bring us a couple of important matches. In Spain there were two Champions League teams involved in a match at Estadio Mestalla, where Valencia seriously intended to beat the league leaders Barcelona. The visitors looked better, but

Champions League 2012-13: The week of Drogba's and Balotelli's transfers

In the last week of the winter transfer window there was much more happening at the offices than on football pitches. Thanks to these negotiations we received some interesting news about Didier Drogba’s and Mario Balotelli’s move to Champions League Play-off participant teams. Nevertheless, there was also a lot to watch on the pitches, too.

The major matches of the week:

In the match, where Arsenal needed to secure itself from being caught by the closest followers, Liverpool, everything went awfully