Hey friends, thought I’d check in with yall, you know, make sure you have everything you need, make you a sandwich, rub your back, like a good boyfriend would. My ongoing romance for you, shallow-minded and sexually desperate readers, continues to haunt my every move, and like a drunk hookup, I will keep bothering you at all hours of the day until I get what I want. What is it I want you ask? Well, simply, a smile, a laugh, and the oft over-the-pants-hand-j. So with that in mind, how about a recap of the week’s events, and a look into this weekend’s games.
Big day yesterday in Munich. Bayern Munich beat Manchester United 2-1 in what I thought was a pretty dominate performance. They were clearly the better side, and if it weren’t for Edwin Van der Saar’s absurd performance in front of the ole’ onion bag, the Red Devils could have lost by way more. Wayne Rooney, Neil’s favorite cheeky bloke, scored in the first 65 seconds of the match, and it wasn’t until the 77th minute that Bayern was able to net one, with a Franck Ribery free kick deflecting off the aforementioned Brit and past the lanky Dutchman in goal.
Ernst Stavro Blofeld?? No...Franck Ribery
Then, in the 3rd minute of stoppage, Bayern’s Ivica Olic rifled a strike by Van de Saar after a sloppy clearance by Man U back Patrice Evra. 2 weeks from today the two will meet again at Old Trafford, in what is sure to be a classic. Man U has to score early and not allow Bayern a single goal, or all will be lost. Echos of the 1999 Champion’s League Final between these two ring loudly with Sir Alex Ferguson, and Man U hope to make another historic comeback to move on to the semis.
Olic sends home the winner
Lyon and Bordeaux also played on Tuesday with Lyon handing the French League champs a 3-1 defeat at the Stade Gerland with a pair of goals from Portuguese striker Lisandro Lopez. With a two goal advantage, Bordeaux will need a miracle at home to move on.
Today’s main event is Barcelona vs. Arsenal in the first leg of what should be a beautiful display of football. Barca remain the heavy favorites, but Arsene Wenger’s side is always tough in European competition. The most pressing question is the health of Arsenal captain, Cesc Fabregas. The Spaniard, who came up through Barcelona’s youth system before being sold to Arsenal at 16, bruised his knee in Saturday’s match against Birmingham, but is expected to play. I highly doubt a competitor like Fabregas will sit out this epic encounter. Also on tap is Inter Milan versus CSKA Moscow in what should be a good match. Inter are the favorites, but don’t expect CSKA to just bend over and take it. Former Barca star and Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto’o has warned his team that CSKA may be better than their last opponent, Chelsea. Now, I have to disagree with Sam here, but CSKA plays tough, fast football, and have earned their way to the quarters after eliminating a very strong Sevilla squad in the last round.
So, if you are in the mood for football like I am and can’t watch the games on TV, make sure and check out http://www.rojadirecta.com/ for links to a bunch of web streams for both of today’s games. Or if you are at work, follow the gamecasts at http://www.uefa.com. They start at 2:45 eastern.
Well, big weekend coming up. The Final Four, which means only one thing…HOT LINES. That’s right plebs, later this week Neil and I will bring you an analysis for the games this weekend with our picks straight up and against the spread. So, if you’re in the mood to lose money, make sure and check us out. That’s all for now, see yall soon.
Ὀδυσσεύς Bombay
