Champions League Quarter-finals: Real Madrid vs. Galatasaray

Real Madrid vs. Galatasaray is going to be another entertaining game. For most people, this seems like an easy match-up for Madrid, but for soccer scholars, have we forgotten the amazing comeback displayed by the Turkish club back in April 3rd in 2001. In that Champions League series the Turkish squad came from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2. The second leg was a bit of a different story, Madrid won the second encounter 3-0, eliminating the Turkish club from the tournament.

So how will Galatasaray stand up to Spanish giants Real Madrid? The first leg is slated to be played on April 3rd at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid. The fact that the first encounter is going to be an away game is crucial for a team like Galatasaray. Being that the game isn't a home game means that a goal is highly valuable.  Going into the first leg expect to see a highly motivated attack squad, especially in the first half of the game.  Led by Wesley Sneijder who's the midfield general, look for him to link up with ex-Chelsea player Didier Drogba playing up front. 

Real Madrid will have a different mindset.  Being that its a home game, they know the importance of an away goal getting scored on them. Look for the Madrid side to play a balanced game. Most likely using Xabi Alonso as a holding midfielder launching long-balls to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Ozil. As for their front, most likely Benzema will start and provide for a better counter attack option down each flank, winning crosses sent in by Ronaldo and Di Maria.

As for set pieces I'm giving the edge to Madrid. They have players with amazing heading ability that can really get up there when needed to. Look for Sergio Ramos to get a few headed shots on target if Madrid are awarded corners.  A pretty exciting match, with a pretty star studded lineup on both sides of the field.  Players to watch for this one are going to be Wesley Sneijder playing for Galatasaray and Cristiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid. Both will be setting the tempo for each team and when these players are on, look out for fireworks.

Champions League: Quarter-finals Barcelona vs. Paris St. Germain

The quarter-finals for the Champions League will start in April, and the remaining teams are hungry. The match-ups are great. Starting with Barcelona vs. Paris St. Germain, this game brings a history as ex Barcelona player Zlatan Ibrahimovic has small beef with the Catalan side. Both teams are great and have a wide array of weapons. Starting with Barca with star player Lionel Messi who's coming back from playing for his country Argentina for the World Cup qualifiers. Paris St. Germain are currently in 1st place in their respective league as are Barcelona, and both teams have top league scorers: Zlatan Ibrahimovic leads the France Ligue 1 with a tally of 25 goals, the Swede is looking quite dangerous, and look for no mercy when playing Barcelona. As for Barcelona look for the #10 who is leading the Spanish La Liga with a tally of 42 goals. Yes thats 42 goals in a season, the "Atomic Flea" is looking in top-notch form. Look for him to be pulling the strings alongside Iniesta and Xavi. 

Now lets take a look at each whole team. Barcelona on paper looks phenomenal.  With a great overall squad, the team looks solid, and with the amazing comeback game against Inter Milan, the team's confidence has skyrocketed. Look for Barcelona playing their classic possession game, passing the ball back and forth till finally slicing down the Paris defense with the dagger pass in the box. Their weapons are everywhere, even in the defense. With wingers like Dani Alves who easily run up their flanks to setup an attack, you can't count out the Barcelona side if Messi were to have an off day (which he won't).

PSG are a pretty solid team. Defensively sound and a good all around midfield. Look for lot's of crosses aimed at big man Ibrahimovic. One big loss for the Parisian side is the absence of midfielder Thiago Motta who's out the first encounter between the Catalans due to a groin injury. Will we see David Beckham get some playing time because of this? Highly doubtful, but a major loss for PSG and bad news for Javier Pastore who will be playing with out his midfielder partner. As for the forwards, Zlatan will have to play very physical and use his size and power to both hold the ball in the box to set up an attack and use his height to win  crosses in the area.

Overall this has the ingredients to be a must watch series. First game will be played on April 2nd at Paris, and the second leg will be on April 10th at Barcelona.

Later on I'll put a preview up for Real Madrid vs. Galatasaray.

BAD BLOOD: The History of the U.S. and Mexico rivalry.

So here we are, March 26 and another FIFA date under way. With many games being played around the world for World Cup qualifying, the heat is on for many team's. Especially tonight's game  between USA vs. Mexico. The giants of the CONCACAF. So lets take a REAL look at the catalyst of this "rivalry", why is it that when Mexico plays the U.S. there's always this "Bad Blood".

For the answer I had to do some digging and came up with their very first encounter on the pitch. Not just any encounter, but a qualifying match for the final spot in the 1934 World Cup in Italy. The story goes that each team approached this match completely differently while traveling abroad to play their match in Italy. On the Mexican ship, the team rarely did any excersise, or preparation of any kind. The Mexicans were simply overconfident, and who could blame them, soccer is ranked number among many Latin American cultures. Its a sport thats been embraced from day one by many if not all Latin American cultures. As for in the U.S. the sport was just a fad, the Americans did establish a professional league in 1921 but folded in 1933.

Now onboard the U.S. ship, the ambiance was differently. They trained on that ship for that whole month till they reached their destination in Rome. When they reached the Italian capital, they were in the besy shape of their careers at the time. The game was played and the final score was 4-2, giving the win and the final ticket to the World Cup tournament to the Americans,  and sending the overconfident Mexican squad home humiliated. A defeat by the U.S. squad is considered an embarrassment to the Mexican character. 

That was just the beginning, that snowballed into the rivalry that we know today. With an overall record of 33-16-12, thats 33 victories for Mexico and 16 wins for the U.S. and only 12 ties, one would give the upper hand to Mexico. But recently since the start of the 1990's which many soccer analyst consider that to be the peak of the rivalry, the U.S. holds a 14 wins 11 ties and 9 loses. Including the famous 1-0 victory on Wednesday, August 15 at the Estadio Azteca that reignited the rivalry to full potential cause that was the first victory recorded for the Americans on Mexican soil in their 75 years of rivalry. Which tonight that's where the game will take place. Can we make it two in a row?