CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES - 23RD OCTOBER, 2012

10/03		Ajax	1	-	4	Real Madrid		‎-Recap‎-Box Score
		Arsenal	3	-	1	Olympiacos		‎-Recap‎-Box Score
		Dynamo Kyiv	2	-	0	Dinamo Zagreb		‎-Recap‎-Box Score
10/03		Man. City	1	-	1	Dortmund		‎-Recap‎-Box Score
10/03		Schalke	2	-	2	Montpellier		‎-Recap‎-Box Score
10/23		Spartak Mo.	v.			Benfica		‎-5:00 PM
10/23		Galatasaray	v.			CFR Cluj		‎-7:45 PM
10/23		Barcelona	v.			Celtic		‎-7:45 PM
10/23		Man. United	v.			Braga		‎-7:45 PM
10/23		Shakhtar Do.	v.			Chelsea		‎-7:45 PM

Barcelona vs. Celtic

On Tuesday, October 23, Celtic will travel to Camp Nou after earning their first away victory in 27 matches.
While getting points in Russia is always an impressive feat, there are few places more intimidating and harder to break than Camp Nou.
That is precisely the task that lies before Neil Lennon and the Bhoys in the Champions League Group G headliner.
The crowd will be in Barça's favor as will the history and, quite frankly, the talent.
But none of that matters when the whistle blows. It won't matter which team won the entire thing just two season ago or which team has the most in-form player in football.
If Celtic can avoid being intimidated by La Blaugrana, they can come away with a point and maybe even use the result to make the next round of the Champions League.
To do that, they will need to win certain key battles in Spain.

Champions League - Matchpack: Spartak Moscow v Benfica

Benfica Coach, Jorge Jesus

Team news, manager quotes and facts ahead of the Champions League group G match between Spartak Moscow and Benfica at Luzhniki.

TEAM NEWS

Spartak Moscow third-choice keeper Artem Rebrov will face Benfica in Tuesday's Champions League Group G match after Sergei Pesyakov was ruled out with a foot injury. Pesyakov, who was in goal for Spartak's 3-2 home defeat by Celtic in this month's tie, suffered the injury in a 2-1 loss to Russian league leaders Anzhi Makhachkala on Saturday. Spartak's first-choice keeper Andriy Dykan, who played in last month's 3-2 defeat by Barcelona, is sidelined with a shoulder injury. Spartak's Spanish coach Unai Emery, however, expressed faith in 28-year-old Rebrov, who has seen little action for the Moscow club since joining last year and has never played in European competition.
Benfica have a full squad available. Luisao is out due to his ban, but Jardel is set to continue in defence alongside Ezequiel Garay.

MANAGER QUOTES
Unai Emery (Spartak Moscow): "I think the game is decisive for both teams. Barcelona are the favorites, but the three teams are battling for second place. Tomorrow's game will be crucial for two reasons. Firstly we are playing at home, and secondly we are fighting for that second spot."
Jorge Jesus (Benfica): "We are facing an opponent who is motivated, and we could face difficulties due to the individual quality of some players of Spartak. Although we do not expect an easy match, Benfica will remain faithful to their identity. We will not run away from our ideas."

MATCH FACTS
The last time Spartak played a Portuguese side they conceded five goals in both the home and away legs, Quarter-final Europa League April 2011.
Benfica have won just one of their five European away games in Russia (W1 D2 L2), losing the last two.
Spartak have won just one of the last 15 Champions League home games (W1 D5 L9).
Spartak have earned red cards in three of their last four games in the competition.
Benfica have committed more fouls than any other team in the competition (43).
Benfica have won just one of their last six Champions League matches (W1 D1 L4), which includes a win and a defeat to Zenit St Petersburg.
Only Malaga and Real Madrid (4 each) have allowed their opponents fewer shots on target against them than Benfica (5) in this season’s Champions League.

Shaktar Donestk v Chelsea: Match Preview

John Terry is set to return to the Chelsea starting line up this Tuesday – although will be asked to pull on a 'anti-racism' armband at the racism controversycontinues.

John Terry will be asked by UEFA to wear an anti-racism armband as he captains Chelsea against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday night.
Terry was fined £220,000 by the Football Assosciation for racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand. Not appealing the decision – Terry faced a four game domestic ban, but can still represent Chelsea in Champions League games.
Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck told talkSPORT: “John will continue to be captain of the club – We have taken disciplinary action and we think it is firm disciplinary action and appropriate for the circumstances.”
In Europe – Chelsea have started the defence of their crown well. With a 2-2 draw against Italian champions Juventus and a 4-0 thrashing of FC Nordsjaelland.
Chelsea currently sit top of Group E in this seasons campaign – and with tonights games against second place Shakhtar Donetsk, Chelsea will be keen to increase their lead over the remainder of their group.

TEAM NEWS

Shakhtar Donetsk have a full squad available for this match while Chelsea have no fresh injury worries and could go with the same side that won 4-2 at Tottenham in the Premier League on Saturday.

MANAGER QUOTES

Mircea Lucescu (Shakhtar Donetsk): "I don't really care about the entertainment aspect of our game right now, because our main goal is to get three points. For the first time since I came to Shakhtar, we are playing against the European champions. This obviously provides a perfect motivation for the players, as it's a big honour for our city and our club. I don't want to talk a lot about their game on Saturday, because I think that at the moment we are stronger than Tottenham. We expect that the visitors will attack a lot. I hope that our team will show tactical nous and an ability to adapt to Chelsea's game as well as they did in Turin against Juve."

Roberto Di Matteo (Chelsea): "I remember Mircea Lucescu's work in Italy very well. All his teams stuck to the same philosophy – they always try to play possession football. You can see how Shakhtar pass the ball. You can see the structure of the team. They are very good tactically and they have a lot of quick players. Lucescu is an excellent coach with huge experience, and he has done very well at Shakhtar."

MATCH FACTS

Shakhtar have played English opposition eight times in European competition, winning three and drawing one of their four home matches and losing three and drawing one away.
Chelsea are the fourth different English team to be drawn against Shakhtar and the previous teams are all from London (Fulham, Tottenham and Arsenal twice).
Shakhtar have won 12 and lost just two of their last 18 home games in Europe (excluding qualifiers), but victory over Nordsjælland on Match Day 1 ended a run of four home games without a victory.
Shakhtar have won just two of their last 10 Champions League matches (W2 D3 L5), but are unbeaten in the last three.
Chelsea have won five and lost none of their last eight Champions League games.
Juan Mata and Oscar have scored with both of their two shots on target each in this season’s Champions League.
Chelsea have only won two of their last eight Champions League away games (W2 D3 L3) but those victories have come in their last three away trips.

Ashley Cole fined £90,000 by Football Association

England left-back Ashley Cole has been fined £90,000 over his foul-mouthed Twitter attack on the Football Association.

The FA today confirmed the fine after Cole had admitted a charge of making a Twitter comment that was improper and/or brought the game into disrepute.

The Chelsea defender had labelled the FA a "bunch of t***s" on the social networking site after an independent regulatory commission of the governing body investigating the John Terry racial abuse case had cast doubt on Cole's evidence.

Cole apologised via his solicitor on the day the tweet was sent and later apologised in person to FA chairman David Bernstein, but a charge was still brought against the 31-year-old.

"Chelsea's Ashley Cole has been fined £90,000 after he admitted an FA charge in relation to a Twitter comment which was improper and/or brought the game into disrepute," read a statement on the FA's website.

"Cole, who had requested a non-personal hearing, was also warned as to his future conduct."

STATEMENT ON JOHN TERRY

Chelsea Football Club believes John Terry has made the correct decision by not appealing against the FA judgment relating to language he used at the QPR match last October.
Chelsea also appreciates, and supports, John's full apology for the language he used. The club firmly believes such language is not acceptable and fell below the standards expected of John as a Chelsea player.
The Board has conducted its own investigation into the matter, and considered the various issues involved. The Board has taken further disciplinary action in addition to the four-match suspension and £220,000 fine imposed by the FA. In accordance with our long-standing policy, that disciplinary action will remain confidential.
Chelsea enjoys support all over the world. We have players and supporters from many different countries and cultures and our club is committed to eradicating all forms of discriminatory behaviour. John is fully committed to continue supporting that ongoing work.
The FA suspension means John will be not be available to play in our games against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United in the Premier League and League Cup, and Swansea.

John Terry's statement, released today, reads:
'After careful consideration, I have decided not to appeal against the FA judgment.
'I want to take this opportunity to apologise to everyone for the language I used in the game against Queens Park Rangers last October.
'Although I'm disappointed with the FA judgement, I accept that the language I used, regardless of the context, is not acceptable on the football field or indeed in any walk of life.
'As I stated in the criminal case, with the benefit of hindsight my language was clearly not an appropriate reaction to the situation for someone in my position.
'My response was below the level expected by Chelsea Football Club, and by me, and it will not happen again.
'Looking forward, I will continue to do my part in assisting the club to remove all types of discriminatory behaviour from football.
'I am extremely grateful for the consistent support of Chelsea FC, the fans and my family.'

TERRY FINALLY SAYS SORRY AND ACCEPTS HIS BAN AND FINE

John Terry has finally said sorry for racially abusing Anton Ferdinand and has accepted the four game ban and £220,000 fine from the FA. 
By accepting the ban it means he will miss two games against Rio Ferdinand's Manchester United.
Terry had until 6pm on Thursday to appeal the four-match ban imposed on him for racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand, but decided against it.
It means he will miss he will miss Saturday's game with Tottenham as well as the clash with Manchester United on October 28 and then the Capital One Cup clash between the two sides three days later. Chelsea's trip to Swansea will be the final game of his suspension.
In a statement Terry said: 'After careful consideration, I have decided not to appeal against the FA judgment.

GAMES TERRY WILL MISS

Tottenham (Premier League A) - October 20
Man United (Premier League H) - October 28
Man United (Capital One Cup H) - October 31
Swansea (Premier League A) - November 3

'I want to take this opportunity to apologise to everyone for the language I used in the game against Queens Park Rangers last October.
'Although I'm disappointed with the FA judgment, I accept that the language I used, regardless of the context, is not acceptable on the football field or indeed in any walk of life.
'As I stated in the criminal case, with the benefit of hindsight my language was clearly not an appropriate reaction to the situation for someone in my position.
'My response was below the level expected by Chelsea Football Club, and by me, and it will not happen again.

'Looking forward, I will continue to do my part in assisting the club to remove all types of discriminatory behaviour from football.
'I am extremely grateful for the consistent support of Chelsea FC, the fans and my family.'
His decision to accept the ban means he will avoid coming face-to-face with his former England team-mate and Anton's brother, Rio, in the pre-match handshakes.
The Chelsea captain and his advisers had two weeks to study the full written reasons of the decision by an FA independent regulatory commission.

Terry, who was also fined £220,000, was told by the panel that his defence 'improbable, implausible and contrived'.

Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor earlier called for Terry to accept the punishment.

Taylor said: 'I would like the situation to be ended and people learn from it and move on.

'It is a decision for John and his advisers but my preference would be now to accept what has gone on, and that things were said which shouldn't have been said.
'Sorry is the hardest word to say but we have got to learn from it and move on.
'To get reconciliation, people have to accept what they have done is wrong, and there has to be some reconciliation because it is causing the game to implode from within. It has caused division among black players and among white players.'

Those within the game will also be studying Chelsea's response closely - the club said they would wait until the end of the legal process before commenting.

They have however defended club secretary Dave Barnard whose actions in asking for a significant change to an Ashley Cole statement backing Terry's version of events was questioned by the panel.
Terry was accused of calling Ferdinand a "f****** black c***" in the 83rd minute of Chelsea's defeat at Loftus Road last October.
The panel said the Chelsea captain, 31, 'is not a racist' but were 'satisfied' his comments were used as an insult. The three-man panel said there was 'no credible basis' for Terry's claim he had only been repeating words he thought QPR defender Ferdinand had accused him of saying.

- Daily Mail

AVB LOOKS TO AVENGE CHELSEA EXIT

Andre Villas-Boas can become the first opposition coach to plot Chelsea's downfall in a Premier League match this season when his old club play his in-form Tottenham Hotspur side at White Hart Lane on Saturday.

Tottenham Coach, Andre Villas Boas

The 34-year-old Portuguese is gradually rebuilding his reputation at Spurs after enduring a traumatic nine-month spell that lasted for just 27 league matches at Stamford Bridge before his dismissal in March.

The London derby is the outstanding game of the weekend and offers him the chance of some personal revenge with extra spice added to the mix.
Chelsea finished sixth last season, two places behind Spurs, but they took Spurs' place in the Champions League after winning the final itself in Munich, consigning Spurs to the Europa League despite finishing in the top four.
Chelsea became European champions under Roberto Di Matteo who went to Chelsea as Villas-Boas's deputy in the summer of 2011 and took over as boss when he left.
Chelsea go to Spurs as leaders on 19 points after winning six and drawing one of their seven games while Spurs have climbed to fifth on 14 points after winning their last four league games - including their 3-2 success at Manchester United, their first win at Old Trafford for 23 years.
If Spurs were to halt Chelsea's progress, Manchester United, champions Manchester City and Everton would all be looking to capitalize.
United, second on 15 points, are at home to mid-table Stoke City, Manchester City third on 15, visit sixth-placed West Bromwich Albion and fourth-placed Everton face bottom-of-the-table Queens Park Rangers.

All eyes though will be focused on White Hart Lane on Saturday lunchtime where Spurs are seeking to extend their unbeaten run to 10 matches in all competitions since an opening day defeat at Newcastle United in August.
Their last victory came two weeks ago before the international break when they beat Aston Villa 2-0 at home, a result that delighted "AVB".
"This gives us the opportunity to play the league leaders at home, undefeated for a while and with a good chance to go nearer the top," Villas-Boas said.
"It is obviously going to be a difficult game but we are showing a good level of competence."
Chelsea have not won at White Hart Lane in their last six Premier League visits but did beat them 5-1 in their last meeting, an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley last season.
Villas-Boas is optimistic.
"They have a lot of very young, dynamic players but so do we, and we are playing very well right now. This is a very good moment for us to play them."

UEFA charge both Football Association and Serbian FA after Krusevac events

The Football Association and the Serbia FA have both been charged by UEFA following the events at the under-21 match between England and Serbia in Krusevac on Tuesday night.

The Serbian FA have been charged with alleged racist chanting by fans, and both associations over the behaviour of players at the end of the stormy encounter which saw violent scenes after the final whistle.
UEFA said in a statement: "UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against both the Football Association of Serbia (FSS) and England's Football Association (FA) following a number of incidents during and after England's 1-0 win over Serbia in the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship play-off second leg at the Mladost stadium in Krusevac on Tuesday 16 October 2012.
"Regarding alleged racist chanting, UEFA will instigate proceedings against the FSS over the misconduct of their supporters during and at the end of the match. Proceedings will also be instigated against the FSS for the improper conduct of the Serbia players at the end of the match.
"UEFA will also commence proceedings against the FA for the improper conduct of the England players at the end of the match.
"These cases will be discussed on the occasion of the next ordinary hearing of the UEFA Control & Disciplinary Body on 22 November 2012."
England U21s defender Danny Rose said he was racially abused before, during and after Tuesday's match which the Young Lions won 1-0 to qualify for next year's European Championships in Israel.

- Sky Sports

Liverpool unveil Anfield redevelopment plans

Liverpool have unveiled new plans to expand Anfield to a 60,000-seater stadium.

The redevelopment would end a decade of potential change on Merseyside, with the £150million project bringing closure to speculation over Liverpool’s proposed move to a new stadium on Stanley Park.

Liverpool FC would also build a hotel, as well as create new corporate facilities as part of the council’s regeneration project in the L4 region. Managing Director Ian Ayre is understandably excited about the possibilities.

“The regeneration of Anfield is something that many residents and many people throughout the city have talked about and we all recognise the football club is an employer, a business, and a resident, to some extent, in this area,” Ayre told the official Liverpool website.

 

“I think this is the spiritual home of Liverpool Football Club. Football fans, both Liverpool fans and fans of other clubs, will have had some of the most amazing memories of their time supporting the club and coming to Anfield at this stadium.”

 

Ayre was eager to stress that today’s announcement is not the final hurdle for the Reds however, and that there is still plenty of work to be done alongside Liverpool City Council before work begins.

“Liverpool fans, myself, everybody connected with Liverpool knows what happens when promises are made and then broken, so it's important we get certainty before we make the next step and a big part of the certainty for what we are trying to achieve is the acquisition of properties and therefore land to build on and then the subsequent planning permission,” he added.

 

“It would be wrong and foolish and irresponsible for any of us to just assume those things will happen.”

 

The current capacity of Anfield is 45,276, and whilst Ayre was not willing to give a specific number on what the new total will be, he confirmed that owners Fenway Sports Group are working hard to find the ‘sweet spot’ - believed to be around the reported 60,000 figure.

 

“We've done a lot of work, I've been here just over five years now, and there's been a lot of work done on demand so we have a very good handle on what our sweet-spot in terms of capacity is, and again the ultimate solution will be driven by the economics of it,” he concluded.

 

- Leye Ayokanmbi

Wilshere Replaces United Star Striker in Marketing Rankings

Arsenal's Jack Wilshere

Arsenal star Jack Wilshere has joined Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on the list of the world's most marketable footballers.

 

Wilshere sits fourth on the list, behind the famous trio, despite not playing football for the last 15 months. The Arsenal midfielder missed the whole of last season, and the beginning of this, with an ankle injury.

But SportsPro magazine compiled the rankings of the planet's most marketable players, and placed Wilshere in fourth.

A SportsPro analyst told the Daily Star: "That his stock has risen even after missing Euro 2012 speaks volumes about his pedigree."

Wilshere replaces Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney on the table, and the Arsenal midfielder is England's only representative. Wilshere is also England's only representative on SportsPro's list of top 50 most marketable athletes in the world - placing 25th overall.

Rooney drops off the footballer's list, after a disappointing Euro 2012 campaign. And SportsPro reveal further reasons behind the Manchester United striker's fall.

"Rooney was more or less replaced in the rankings by his younger, less tarnished and more social media-friendly compatriot, as the foremost name within the marketable ranks of England's national team," said SportsPro.

Brazil star Neymar tops the list, ahead of Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 20-year-old Santos forward is set to become a megastar at the next World Cup, hosted on home soil in Brazil in 2014. The skilful forward already has a number of high-profile endorsements, and they are expected to grow in value and number over the next two years.

Manchester United resume Premier League duty at Old Trafford against Stoke City on Saturday, while Arsenal travel to Norwich in the day's evening kick-off.

Sir Alex Ferguson's United side currently sit second in the table, four points behind league leaders Chelsea, while Arsene Wenger's Arsenal lie seventh, seven points off the pace-setters.

 

- Leye Ayokanmbi