PLAY BALL!!!

Well after a captivating game at Stamford Bridge last night, it is now time to turn to today's set of games that are expected to be highly competitive and could go down to the wire. I will review some statistics for each game, and include my predictions. For those of you wondering, InterMilan vs. Porto is set for the 15th of this month.

• Quick Predictions
• Juventus 2 Real Madrid 1
• Leverkusen 2 Liverpool 2
  
• Monaco 3 PSV Eindhoven 1
  
• Arsenal 3 Bayern Munich 2
  

• Today's Games
• Juventus vs. Real Madrid. 1st leg at the Bernabeu ended 1-0 to Madrid.
• Head-to-head they met 11 times with Madrid winning 7 and Juventus winning 4. There has never been a draw between the two teams!
• Last win for Madrid was in the 1st leg. Last win for Juventus was in 2003 during the Champions League when they beat Madrid 3-1.
• Juventus played 17 matches against Spanish opposition at home in Turin. Juve won 10, drew 5 and lost 2. The two losses came to Deportivo La Coruna last year, and to Real Madrid in 1962!!
• Madrid played in Italy against Italian opposition 22 times!! They won five, drew four, and lost 13! However, 3 of Madrid's 5 wins came on their last 5 trips to Italy! So watch out Juve fans the train is moving!!
• First game between the two teams was in Italy in 1962 and Madrid won 1-0 thanks to a goal by Alfredo Di Stephano.
  
• My Verdict: 2-1 Juve which would put Madrid through to the next round on away goals! You will never walk alone Madrid! Come on lads!

• Leverkusen vs. Liverpool. 1st leg at Anfield Road ended 3-1 to the Reds!!!
• Head-to-head they met three times with Liverpool winning 2 and Leverkusen winning once. The last time (and the first time) the two sides met was in 2002 during the Champions League Quarterfinals. Liverpool won the 1st leg 1-0 (Hyypia) but did not manage to go through to the Semis after losing the 2nd leg with a score of 4-2. To all Reds fans out there, it was Lucio's goal in the 84th minute that took us out of the competition!
• Leverkusen played 5 matches against English opposition at home in Germany. Their only win at home was against Liverpool as mentioned earlier. Leverkusen also lost 2 and drew 2.
• Liverpool faced German opposition 13 times and managed only one win. However, that win is accomapnied by 10 draws and two losses. With Hyypia at the center of defence, chances for a tie are looking good.
• This game will see an attacking Leverkusen who have nothing to lose. They hope to perform well and avoid the disgrace of Bremen last night in losing 7-2. On the other hand, Liverpool are missing key players including Kewell, Pongolle, Mellor, and others. The only viable attacking option will be Baros. With 2 goals in hand, Coach Rafa is more likely to stick to a defensive scheme since the defensive line of Liverpool is the only healthy line right now. On the bright side, Jerzy and Didi are ready to play again. If the defense plays well, it is game set match. Otherwise, an upset could be in the making. GO REDS!!
  
• My Verdict: 2-2 which would put Liverpool through on aggregate!

• Monaco vs. PSV Eindhoven. 1st leg at Philips Stadion in Holland ended 1-0 for PSV.
• Head-to-head the teams met three times with one win for each side and one tie.
  
• Monaco are unbeaten at home against Dutch opposition winning twice and drawing once.
• PSV played French sides away 10 times drawing 6 and losing 4. However, PSV have not lost in their last three matches in France.
  
• Monaco Coach Deschamps is hoping his home record in the Champions League will not let him down. Monaco have won 9 out of their last 10 Champions League games at home. However, history shows that their chances of advancing after losing 1-0 in the 1st leg stand at 41%. Spaniard Chevanton returns for Monaco after missing two months with an injury.
  
• Moncaco can expect to face a tough game in midfield facing Van Bommel, Vogel, and Phillip Cocu. If the French side succeeds in forcing mistakes in midfield, they can expect to control the game. However, other Eindhoven threats include DeMarcus Beasley and the talentend 24-year-old Brazilian Robert De Pinho. Argentinian Saviola and Mohammed Kallon can wreak havoc in the Dutch defence.
• My Verdict: 3-1 Monaco which would put them through on aggregate.

• Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich. 1st leg at Olympiastadion ended with a 3-1 Munich win.
• Head-to-head the two teams met three times with Munich winning 1 and a single draw. Arsenal never beat Munich in official tournament games.
• Last time Munich won the Champions League was in 2000/2001 and the way to the final included an away and a home win over Arsenal. So could this be the key?
  
• Munich has not lost on English soil in 20 years. Their record away to English teams includes11 matches where they recorded 2 wins, 7 draws, and 2 losses. Their last lost came against Everton in the UEFA Cup semi-final in 1984/1985. Evertone eventually won the cup that year.
• Arsenal played 8 games against German teams at Highbury. The Gunners won 6, drew 1, and lost 1 game only.
• Arsenal have a big mountain to climb. Although 2-0 would put them through on away goals rule, it is no easy task with Kahn in goal and a defence that includes Sagnol, Lucio, and Lizarazu. Bergkamp will return for the Gunners. On the other hand, Edu is expected to miss the game.
  
• For Munich, Makaay will be out which is a big loss to them. However, Ballack's form provides optimism to Munich fans everywhere. Another optimistic fact? Munich have not lost any of their last 21 Champions League games by more than 2 goals. Yet, 2-0 will put Arsenal through.
  
• This game revolves around Henry. If he shows up to play, this will be an entertaining game. Otherwise, we can flip the channel to Monaco's game, like Barca fans did after going down 3 at Chelsea!!! No pun intended!
• My verdict: 3-2 Gunners which would put Munich through on aggregate.