Will FC Basel tonight continue their fairytale in Champions League against strong Bayern Munich?

Scott Chipperfield and Philipp Degen are both sidelined for the Swiss club. Star man Xherdan Shaqiri will play against the club he has agreed to join in the summer.

Bayern’s big injury news is the absence of midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who has suffered ankle ligament damage. Bayern are also short at the back with Diego Contento, Breno and Daniel van Buyten all missing.

MANAGER QUOTES

Heiko Vogel: “It’s special that there is Swiss involvement in the last 16, the fact I started my training career with Bayern makes it even more interesting. We have a small chance and we want to take it as we did against Manchester United.”

Jupp Heynckes: “Shaqiri has everything to become a really big player. He has the talent but also the right professional attitude.”

MATCH FACTS

Basel conceded more goals than any other the other teams who qualified for the Last 16 (10).
Basel are the first Swiss side to reach the knock out stage in the Champions League era.
The Swiss side are the only team in the Last 16 yet to keep a clean sheet in this season’s competition.
Franck Ribery was fouled more often than any other player in the Champions League Group Stage (23).
Nine of the 11 goals Bayern have scored have been netted in the first half, the highest proportion of any team in the Group Stage this season (82%).
Basel have scored three goals on counter attacks this season, more than any other side in the Champions League Group Stage.
Bayern have played five matches against Swiss sides in Europe, winning four, including a win home and away against Basel in the 20010-11 Champions League Group Stage.
FC Basel have won none and lost four of their six European games against German opposition.
Basel have lost just one of their last seven matches in Europe.
Alexander Frei has netted eight goals in just 11 Champions League appearances (excluding qualifiers).

eurosport.com

Clash of former European champions at Velodrome and crash of teams that are in completely different moods. Marseille is in the range of up to 15 games without defeat in all competitions, while Inter has three consecutive, and a total of five defeats in six matches, as it is without a victory…

Last weekend the Didier Deschamp team is, however, had not celebrated at home, with Valenciennes has played only 1:1. But it is obvious that the players were already with their minds in this duel. Good news is the recovery of Gignac and Diarra, but still missing Mbia. Deschamp will miss the best striker Remy, who was injured last week and must miss this match.  Brandao will replace him in the attack.

Seventh placed Serie A team going through a major crisis and game results. When it was thought that the Inter with victories against Milan and Lazio went back to the top, happened a series of five defeats in the last six games. In those five defeats Inter has not scored a single goal, and especially painful were domestic defeats against poor Novara and Bologna. Inter’s defense operates confusing as at the beginning of the season, in attack Sneijder and company are showing a remarkable level of inaccuracy. Ranieri is under tremendous pressure before the visit to Marseilles and the Italian media have largely talking about his possible successors.

Ranieri would be able to return in Marseille to 4-4-2 tactics, which could mean leaving the best player, Sneijder on the bench. In the team returned Milito and Samuel, but it is expected that Milito will start match on the bench because of the flu which has left a mark on him. Inter’s attack should lead Forlan and Pazzini.

LINEUPS:

Marseille lineup: Mandanda, Azpilicueta, Diawara, Nkoulou, Morel, Kabore, Cheyrou, Amalfitano, Valbuena, A. Ayew Brandao

Inter Milan lineup: Julio Cesar, Maicon, Lucio, Samuel, Nagatomo, Zanetti, Cambiasso, Stanković, Sneijder, Forlan, Pazzini

soccer-magazine.com PREDICTION:

- Marseille WIN – stake 7/10

- Less than 3 goals – stake 8/10

- Both teams to score – NO – stake 7/10

BET NOW AND GRAB YOUR BONUS!!!

The Juan Mata put the Blues in the lead against the Napoli in Stadio San Paolo before they hit back with three goals to set a tough assignment in three weeks’ time. It will need the players and the Chelsea supporters to be on top form on the night but having caused the Serie A side problems throughout the first leg, Mata believes we can do so again.

“A score of 0-1 was excellent for us but we didn’t keep it and we knew Napoli is a team with three very fast strikers on the counter attack with a lot of movement,” he said.

“We like to play offensively and we had a lot of chance to score and at the Bridge we have to convert more goals than the first game.

“Napoli is a very strong, very intensive team in their stadium and for sure their supporters help them a lot, but now we have the second game and we are going to put 100 per cent in at the Bridge to win.

“For sure at Stamford Bridge the atmosphere is going to be very intense and full of supporters supporting us. It will be a very difficult game but we will have to give our best.

“I have confidence in this team and we believe in our style of football,’ he added. ‘We are not dead. It will not be easy for us but I think we can do it.”

chelseafc.com

Speaking to Barça TV, Gerard Pique has revealed much about current goings on at FC Barcelona. After thrashing Valencia in Sunday’s league match, the centre back spoke about Barça’s situation in that competition…

“I think the difference in the league is excessive. We’re playing great football. There have been a lot of points we have dropped in the last few minutes”.

Piqué thinks they now have to deal with things in the short term. “We shouldn’t think about the distance right now. We have to go game by game. Try to enjoy ourselves, try to win and let’s see if in a couple of months we are better positioned to close in on the leaders and make the league a bit more exciting”.

A lot has been said of late about the relationship between Piqué and Guardiola, but the centre back insists “there aren’t any problems; we’ve been working together for years. I know what he wants from me and I don’t think there are any problems in that sense. We have always spoken to each other face to face whenever there’s been anything to be said and if there is anything wrong, then he wouldn’t have any problem with coming up to me and saying it … At the end of the day, if you listened to everything people say, you’d go crazy. You just have to concentrate on what you have to do and try to ignore what people are saying”.

fcbarcelona.com

Finally Carlos Tevez decided to apologies for his behavior to all. Just to remember, Tevez came back to his club last Tuesday after three months absence without permission…

Carlos Tevez has today apologised to all concerned for his recent conduct.

The striker returned to the football club last Tuesday, following a three month absence from duties, without permission.

Carlos said, “I wish to apologise sincerely and unreservedly to everybody I have let down and to whom my actions over the last few months have caused offence. My wish is to concentrate on playing football for Manchester City Football Club.”

Carlos has also withdrawn his appeal against the Club’s finding of gross misconduct which was due to be heard by a Premier League panel in the coming days.

He has since begun a training program designed to return him to optimum fitness.

source:mcfc.co.uk

Chelsea lost to Napoli, 3-1, and the Villas Boas may have lost his career at Chelsea … Maybe it’s time to Andre Villas-Boas completed his time at Chelsea, not maybe, certainly it is time for him to go…

Whether or not Roman Abramovich, and this time give another chance to Villas-Boas? He shouldn’t if he think to save what can still be saved. Too many words we spent in last few weeks on Andre Villas-Boas and now we have just one song for him…