I can’t wait for those six games against Braga, Partizan Belgrade and Shakhtar Donetsk.
I’m not joking. Each opponent should provide a good challenge for Arsenal.
That Lima looks a hot striker for Braga. My kind of front player. Bright movement. Is he a flash in the pan? Time will tell. Braga might be better than Porto. If so, it will be fascinating.
Without Squillaci, Sevilla were a shambles and the Brazilians of Braga took them apart. Palop was terrible. Normally a sound goalkeeper, Palop had a nightmare in both games.
Will Braga relish a trip to eastern Ukraine? Not really. Nobody does.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea could walk that group.
Valencia are feeble these days so Man United should dominate Group C.
Arsenal can win Group H but can’t win the Champions League.
Good atmosphere at the Lane when Spurs beat Young Boys 4-0. But not a great atmosphere because there was a lack of tension. Spurs needed any win and they got an early goal and Crouch was grinning by the time he slotted that penalty. He couldn’t wait to bang the ball in. Spurs have quite a competitive squad these days but they could find it hard to sustain consistency in the league.
They will play Inter twice and that’s a massive opportunity. What do they have to lose? It’s not Jose Mourinho’s Inter, it’s Rafa Benitez’s Inter and Rafa’s mad tinkering will undermine morale in JM’s all-conquering champions.
Group A : Inter, Werder Bremen, Tottenham, FC Twente
Group B: Lyon, Benfica, Schalke, Hapoel Tel Aviv
Group C: Man United , Valencia, Rangers, Bursaspor (Turkey)
Group D: Barcelona, Panathinaikos, Copenhagen, FC, Rubin Kazan
Group E: Bayern Munich, Roma, FC Basel, CFR Cluj (Romania)
Group F: Chelsea, Marseille, Spartak Moscow, MSK Zilina (Slovakia)
Group G: AC Milan, Real Madrid, Ajax, Auxerre
Group H: Arsenal, Shakhtar Donetsk, SC Braga, FK Partizan