2Slick
04-12-2006, 21:20
They may both have guaranteed their progress to the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds, but Felix Magath is expecting his FC Bayern München side and FC Internazionale Milano to put on a "magical night of football" when they meet to decide who finishes top of Group B.
Kahn milestone
The match is likely to see Oliver Kahn make his 100th UEFA Champions League appearance and, true to form, the veteran goalkeeper has been making headlines of late, claiming Bayern play better under pressure. The flip side is that they are less impressive when the weight of expectation has been lifted - witness Saturday's 1-1 home draw with VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach - although suggestions that this could be the case against Inter were firmly rebuffed by coach Magath. "We are still under a lot of pressure because we are determined to top the group to help our chances in the last 16," he said. "A home tie in the second leg would be a major advantage."
Inter threat
A draw would do for Bayern, who scored late goals to beat the Nerazzurri 2-0 when the teams met at the Giuseppe Meazza on Matchday 2. One of Bayern's goalscorers that night, Lukas Podolski, will play no part at the Fußball Arena München due to ankle ligament damage, but Magath focused instead on the opposition's leading lights: "I agree with José Mourinho's assertion that Inter are one of the competition favourites. The likes of Zlatan Ibrahimović and Hernán Crespo can turn games in an instant."
Fine form
Bayern present pretty formidable opposition themselves on home turf. A 2-0 UEFA Cup defeat by Inter 18 years ago remains the only occasion in European club competition that they have lost by more than a goal in the Bavarian capital, yet the rich vein of form currently coursing through the black-and-blue side of Milan has fostered a firm belief they can atone for September's loss. "We have improved a lot," said coach Roberto Mancini, whose team beat AC Siena 2-0 on Saturday to make it eleven straight wins in all tournaments. "Now we have to underline it.
Wind of change
"We were already on the right path on Matchday 2 but had to play with ten men for much of the second half after Ibrahimović's dismissal and we couldn't hold out." Fabio Grosso also saw red on a miserable night for Inter, who were left bottom of Group B without a point. Ten weeks on, though, things appear far rosier as they prepare for the reverse fixture, despite injuries ruling out Iván Córdoba, Olivier Dacourt, Julio Cruz and Adriano. "We're delighted to be in this position, through with a match to spare, considering our difficult start," said Mancini.
'Magical'
"Now we want to win to secure the advantage of playing the return leg at home in the last 16. More so, we want to win because we are facing a great team in a great stadium. It will be very entertaining." The sense of occasion has also enraptured Bayern counterpart Magath, who concluded: "Bayern against Inter - this is one of those magical nights of football."
Probable teams
Bayern: Oliver Kahn; Willy Sagnol, Lucio, Daniel Van Buyten, Philipp Lahm; Mark van Bommel, MartÃÂ*n Demichelis, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Hasan Salihamidžić; Roy Makaay, Claudio Pizarro.
Inter: Júlio César; Maicon, Marco Materazzi, Nicolás Burdisso, Fabio Grosso; Javier Zanetti, Esteban Cambiasso, Patrick Vieira, Dejan Stanković; Zlatan Ibrahimović, Hernán Crespo.
http://www.uefa.com/Competitions/UCL/FixturesResults/Round=2357/match=1116397/report=PR.html
Kahn milestone
The match is likely to see Oliver Kahn make his 100th UEFA Champions League appearance and, true to form, the veteran goalkeeper has been making headlines of late, claiming Bayern play better under pressure. The flip side is that they are less impressive when the weight of expectation has been lifted - witness Saturday's 1-1 home draw with VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach - although suggestions that this could be the case against Inter were firmly rebuffed by coach Magath. "We are still under a lot of pressure because we are determined to top the group to help our chances in the last 16," he said. "A home tie in the second leg would be a major advantage."
Inter threat
A draw would do for Bayern, who scored late goals to beat the Nerazzurri 2-0 when the teams met at the Giuseppe Meazza on Matchday 2. One of Bayern's goalscorers that night, Lukas Podolski, will play no part at the Fußball Arena München due to ankle ligament damage, but Magath focused instead on the opposition's leading lights: "I agree with José Mourinho's assertion that Inter are one of the competition favourites. The likes of Zlatan Ibrahimović and Hernán Crespo can turn games in an instant."
Fine form
Bayern present pretty formidable opposition themselves on home turf. A 2-0 UEFA Cup defeat by Inter 18 years ago remains the only occasion in European club competition that they have lost by more than a goal in the Bavarian capital, yet the rich vein of form currently coursing through the black-and-blue side of Milan has fostered a firm belief they can atone for September's loss. "We have improved a lot," said coach Roberto Mancini, whose team beat AC Siena 2-0 on Saturday to make it eleven straight wins in all tournaments. "Now we have to underline it.
Wind of change
"We were already on the right path on Matchday 2 but had to play with ten men for much of the second half after Ibrahimović's dismissal and we couldn't hold out." Fabio Grosso also saw red on a miserable night for Inter, who were left bottom of Group B without a point. Ten weeks on, though, things appear far rosier as they prepare for the reverse fixture, despite injuries ruling out Iván Córdoba, Olivier Dacourt, Julio Cruz and Adriano. "We're delighted to be in this position, through with a match to spare, considering our difficult start," said Mancini.
'Magical'
"Now we want to win to secure the advantage of playing the return leg at home in the last 16. More so, we want to win because we are facing a great team in a great stadium. It will be very entertaining." The sense of occasion has also enraptured Bayern counterpart Magath, who concluded: "Bayern against Inter - this is one of those magical nights of football."
Probable teams
Bayern: Oliver Kahn; Willy Sagnol, Lucio, Daniel Van Buyten, Philipp Lahm; Mark van Bommel, MartÃÂ*n Demichelis, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Hasan Salihamidžić; Roy Makaay, Claudio Pizarro.
Inter: Júlio César; Maicon, Marco Materazzi, Nicolás Burdisso, Fabio Grosso; Javier Zanetti, Esteban Cambiasso, Patrick Vieira, Dejan Stanković; Zlatan Ibrahimović, Hernán Crespo.
http://www.uefa.com/Competitions/UCL/FixturesResults/Round=2357/match=1116397/report=PR.html