UCL MatchDay 2 Preview: A look at the Wednesday's action
It’s Day 2 of the Matchday 2 in the Champions League. Matches of Group A-D are on show and there will some good matches which will be of great excitement and moments to cherish as the teams will look for points and get to top of the table.
1. Group A – Porto v PSG at Porto – 20:45 CET/ 00:15 IST
Group A’s top two clubs face off at the Estadio do Dragao. The French visitors are arriving in fine form, but they will be wary of the threat Portugese giants pose, especially in home conditions. PSG thrashed Dynamo Kiev by at home 4-1 and are in great form, winning last 4 domestic league matches. Porto beat Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia by 2-0 and they are also in fine form domestically. Both teams will want to continue the winning form and get to the top of the table. It’s going to be a tricky test for both sides and Porto will have home advantage which they would want to make the best of. It’s a tough match in prospect and a difficult test for PSG and Porto, but I think it will be an entertaining draw.
Players to watchout for Porto – Lucho, Moutinho and Helton
Players to watchout for PSG – Ibrahimovic, Pastore and Thiago Silva
Prediciton – Porto 1-1 PSG
2. Group A – Dynamo Kyiv v Dinamo Zagreb at Kiev – 20:45 CET/ 00:15 IST
Both teams will be looking to improve upon opening day defeats. Dynamo Kyiv had a disappointing start against PSG where they lost 4-1, so they will look to win this match to stand any chance of getting on top of the table. Dinamo Zagreb lost to Porto 2-0 at home where they had a great record and will look to improve their performance. Both teams need something from the game to have any realistic chance of advancing out of the group. Expect a close match but the better team and great support of home side will help get 3 points to Kiev.
Players to watchout for Dynamo Kiev – Ideye, Kranjcar and Veloso
Players to watchout for Dinamo Zagreb – Sammir, Kovacic and Vida
Prediction – Dynamo Kiev 3-2 Dinamo Zagreb
3. Group B – Arsenal v Olympiakos at Emirates Stadium London – 20:45 CET/ 00:15 IST
Arsenal will face off Olympiakos in the Group B match. Arsenal won at Montpellier 2-1 on MatchDay 1 and will look to continue winning in group stages. Arsenal had a great start in the EPL but in the weekend they lost to London rivals Chelsea 2-1 at home so they would like to bounce back on home soil with a win. Olympiakos lost to Schalke 2-1 on home turf but their form is very good in domestic league, so they will try to get something at Emirates, but it will be very difficult for the Greek side against English opponents with home advantage. Easy victory for Gunners on the cards and the chance to get on top of the table.
Players to watchout for Arsenal – Gervinho, Cazorla and Podolski
Players to watchout for Olympiakos – Mitroglou, Ibagaza and Carroll
Prediction – Arsenal 2-0 Olympiakos
4. Group B – Schalke v Montpellier at Veltis Arena – 20:45 CET/ 00:15 IST
Schalke face-off last seasons French Ligue 1 champions Montpellier where Schalke with a win, can put themselves in a great position for the knock-out stages. Schalke won away at Olympiakos 2-1 and are in good form in German Bundesliga, so they would like to win the home match and take a big step towards qualification. Montpellier lost at home against Arsenal 2-1 and will look to improve, but it would be difficult for them after defensive injuries. Schalke has a fantastic array of talent going forward that could create mayhem against a Montpellier team that are looking a shadow of the side that won Ligue 1 last season. I’d expect the hosts to record a narrow victory.
Players to watchout for Schalke – Huntelaar, Afellay and Fuchs
Players to watchout for Montpellier – Yanga-Mbiwa, Cabella and Estrada
Prediction – Schalke 2-1 Montpellier
5. Group C – Zenit St Petersburg v AC Milan at Petersburg – 18:00 CET/ 21:30 IST
Both teams are winless on Matchday 1 and both are in poor form domestically. Zenit lost at Malaga 3-0 and will now face high profile AC Milan side, as they will like to improve performance against Italians. AC Milan drew at home against Anderlecht by 0-0 and will want to win it this match to gain confidence but it will be hard for them to gain result in Russia. Both teams are unpredictable and it will be a tricky contest. I will go for a draw where both sides will try hard to get a result.
Players to watchout for Zenit – Hulk, Kerzhakov and Bruno Alves
Players to watchout for AC Milan – El Shaarawy, Monolivo and Mexes
Prediction – Zenit St Petersburg 1-1 AC Milan
6. Group C – Anderlecht v Malaga at Brussel – 20:45 CET/ 00:15 IST
The Belgian side look to end their wait for European home victory against the Spanish team. Anderlecht have not won a single home game since 2003. Belgians drew against AC Milan 0-0 at San Siro so they will want to win this match and end the wait. But they face in-form Spanish team which are in good form in La Liga. Malaga won 3-0 against Zenit on home soil so they will like to win this match and get in prime position for knock-out stages. It will be a tricky test for Malaga as Anderlecht are good at home but Malaga will be too strong for them.
Players to watchout for Anderlecht – Mbokani, Gillet and Kanu
Players to watchout for Malaga – Saviola, Isco and Demichelis
Prediction – Anderlecht 1-2 Malaga
7. Group D – Manchester City v Borussia Dortmund at Etihad Stadium Manchester – 20:45 CET/ 00:15 IST
Last season Champions from England and Germany face-off at Etihad Stadium in Group D. Man City lost to Real Madrid dramatically in the dying moments of the match by 3-2 where they led twice but Madrid scored crucial goals to win it. Man City are in good form in EPL but they are conceding too many goals so they will like to get defensively strong and win this match to progress for knock-out stages. On the other hand, German Champions Dortmund won at home against Ajax by 1-0. Dortmund are in inconsistent form in Bundesliga as they were defeated this weekend, breaking their winning run. Both sides are top heavy and free scoring, but are liable to concede goals too. Dortmund attack relentlessly with speed and efficiency and City are also an attacking team but they defend well than Dortmund. City’s home advantage, physical power in midfield and goalscoring options at the top should be enough to overpower and outscore the visitors.
Players to watchout for Man City – Tevez, Aguero and Kompany
Players to watchout for Dortmund – Lewandowski, Reus and Subotic
Prediction – Man City 3-1 Borussia Dortmund
8. Group D – Ajax v Real Madrid at Amsterdam Arena – 20:45 CET/ 00:15 IST
The Dutch Champions face Spanish Champions at Amsterdam Arena. Ajax lost at Dortmund 1-0 on MD1 and will look to bounce at home where they have a good league record but against Real Madrid, they have poor record at home too. Real Madrid won against Man City 3-2 in last moments of the match and will look to add 3 more points and get in a great position for knock-out stages. Ajax possess good play but will struggle against a side which is packed with pace and power and is devastating on the counter attack. Easy victory for Real Madrid on cards and get to the top of the table.
Players to watchout for Ajax – Babel, Eriksen and Vermeer
Players to watchout for Real Madrid – Ronaldo, Benzema and Marcelo
Prediction – Ajax 0-2 Real Madrid