Group F Preview (Oct. 20)
Zlatan will miss Barca's first meeting with the Russian Champions.
Tuesday’s forecast – a massacre for Rubin Kazan. The Russians showed resiliency and quality against Internazionale but that was on their own turf. Barcelona is near unbeatable in their impregnable fortress of Camp Nou.
Barcelona played to an uninspired 0-0 draw against Valencia on Saturday and showed a gritty defensive side that I haven’t seen before. Valdes proved he could save a match for Barca this year in, dare I say, Casillas-like fashion.
Guardiola and his men will be eager to bounce back with an entertaining performance I’m sure. They will have to do so withouth Ibrahimovich who is still trying to recover from a knee injury he sustained on International dury. This means that some of Barca’s youngsters might get an opportunity. Most likely Pedro or Bojan will take Ibra’s place.
Player to Watch:
As usual when Barcelona is involved it has to be the Argentine, Lionel Messi. He was limited to only a few opportunities against Los Che and will be looking to add more Champions League goals to his growing collection.
Match Prediction:
I predict a 4-0 win for Barcelona. Barca at home will be too much for Rubin Kazan, but I think the Russians might return the favour on the return leg.
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Internazionale vs Dynamo Kiev:
Internazionale are in a worse situation than Liverpool. With two draws and therefore, two points from their first two games, they desperately need a win against Shevchenko and his teammates.
A spectacular 5-0 win on Saturday against Genoa will go a long way in giving Inter a much needed confidence boost. Inter will hope to get some good news before Tuesday as they wait to hear if star strikers Eto’o or Milito can recover from their injuries in time.
Dynamo Kiev is second in Group F with a win and a loss. They will need to take point from Inter in one of their next two matches if they want to make it through the group stages.
Player to Watch:
Dejan Stankovic is Inter’s only scorer in the Champions League this season. The veteran player produced some of his magic over the weekend with a first class goal and he will be important in Inter’s Champions League run.
Match Prediction:
I predict a 2-1 win for Internazionale. Mourinho’s men need to turn around their season fast and I think they will.
Play Beautiful!
