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Every week In The Stands will single out the pick of the week’s UEFA Champions League fixtures commencing with Matchday 1.
Amongst the highlights of matches on the first day of the 2011/2012 UEFA Champions League clashes, there is a match pitting two European giants against eachother, a return of former club heroes and an intriguing affair between two clubs harbouring the same playing and development style.
Barcelona vs AC Milan
The stand-out match of the week is Barcelona’s blockbuster clash with Italian giants AC Milan at the Camp Nou.
Not just legendary in the sense of the hand of history besetting both these elite clubs, rather onlookers will be able to see a cornucopia of great talent on display concomitant of the stature of these two European powerhouses.
AC Milan have a good record against Spanish sides and in 2009 grabbed an emphatic 3-2 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu when pundits believed a result was all but impossible.
The current Barcelona side are widely regarded as the best team in footballing history although many point to that AC Milan team who smashed Johann Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’ 4-0 back in 1994 as being the best side ever.
The last time the two clubs clashed in Europe it was La Blaugrana who came out on top in a tight two-legged semi-final affair and this match will be rendered all the match special considering it will be Lionel Messi’s first actually time facing the Rossoneri.
Prediction: Barcelona 2-0 AC Milan
Borussia Dortmund vs Arsenal
When Arsene Wenger envisaged bringing through a crop of young talent as a step towards bagging titles and major honours, he did not think such a plan would take this long to materialize successfully – if materialize at all.
The Frenchman need thus take a leaf out of Borussia Dortmund’s book as the German side – racked with a splendid array of youthful talent – showed Wenger how it was done and ended an eight-year League drought to bag the Bundesliga crown last term.
This makes Tuesday’s match all the more intriguing as it pints ‘youngsters-against-youngsters’ in what promises to be exciting, unpredictable and full of youthful exuberance (an lest we mention, goals!).
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Arsenal
Manchester City vs Napoli
A match which marks City’s maiden voyage in Europe’s elite cup competition sees them take on a fearless Napoli side not short of confidence themselves.
Right now City are the ‘in-team’ slang for the team that everybody wants to watch and ironically enough, their Italian-born coach has turned them into one of Europe’s most potent and formidable attacking sides.
Napoli’s (naïve) if not brazen approach could pave the way for a City demolition…again.
Prediction: Manchester City 3-1 Napoli
Other Matches Worth Watching Include:
Chelsea vs Bayer Leverkusen (the return of Michael Ballack to Stamford Bridge).
Ajax v Olympique Lyon (two very evenly matched sides facing off in a great Stadium).
FC Porto vs Shakhtar Donetsk (bound to be goals from two counter-attacking sides).
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