Fenerbahce v Arsenal is on ITV4 on Tuesday at 7.45.
And Fenerbahce are rubbish this season.
They lost three of their first five league games. That was their worst start for 21 years.
On Matchday 1 they were a disgrace in Porto and lost 3-1.
At home to Dynamo Kiev on Matchday 2 they were an embarrassing rabble. Some very good players giving mediocre performances in a nervous team that drew 0-0.
Their decline has been steep. Last season Fenerbahce were good and that’s why they beat Inter Milan, Sevilla and Chelsea.
This year, with new manager Luis Aragones, they are hopeless. I don’t know why. Keeper Volkan is a muscular clown, Roberto Carlos a caricature of the super-gladiator he once was, and Kazim-Richards should go back to Sheffield United.
Their best player, by far, is Guiza, the Spanish striker. He would score goals in any league.
My tip is : Fabregas will take Fenerbahce apart. Arsenal will find space to play and rip them to shreds. No doubt about it. Even if Fenerbahce improve by 100% on their first two CL games, Arsenal will still beat them 3-2.
A year ago this famous Turkish team caught my eye on Matchday 1 because they looked stylish and penetrating, a well-above-average outfit. David and playmaker Alex looked like Brazilian aces.
Now Fiorentina catch my eye and I’m interestred to see what Bayern Munich v Fiorentina will be like. Klinsmann’s struggling a bit and its taking time to get his ideas across.The Viola might fade to lavender quicker than you can say Adrian Mutu.
You never know what a team’s game-plan is going to be.
On Matchday 2 Porto’s game-plan was to sit back, hit Arsenal on the break, and lose. Porto have sold all their best players, so they could only lose.
When Shakhtar Donetsk met Barcelona on Matchday 2, their game-plan was : press, kick and foul. And I didn’t know that Brandao, a big ponytailed bruiser was going to show English ref Howard Webb a series of forearm smashes and shrewdly calculated elbows. Brandao is a thug who never plays the ball when he can play the man. He likes to wallop the defender just before the ball arrives. If the defender is in the air, and Brandao can’t get the ball, he will bump the defender violently, so that his opponent falls awkwardly and painfully. He’s one the biggest bandits ever to come out of Brazilian football.
Messi scored two late goals and Barca won 2-1.
Coming soon: Tottenham.
Remember, when Spurs come to Arsenal on Wednesday the 29th, they will still be bottom.