Arsenal outclass United
Defeat for Tottenham against Southampton on Saturday and Chelsea’s draw at home to Wolves earlier on Sunday raised the stakes of the clash at the Emirates. It was simple; a win for either side will have them not only in pole position to finish in the top 4,but also a step further in giving them belief of finishing third.
Both teams had different fortunes in France in midweek. United produced an outstanding comeback to beat PSG 3-1 and progress to the quarter final of the Champions League while Arsenal lost 3-1 to Rennes in the first leg of their Europa League Round of 16 tie. Unai Emery demanded a reaction from his boys in what could be a decisive week in the Gunners’ season. He got it.
Setting up in an ‘all or nothing’ attacking line up, Unai Emery and Arsenal set the tone in the early stages of the game, controlling possession with some brilliant movements and combinations . In the 12th minute, Granit Xhaka gave Arsenal the lead with a well structured shot from 35 yards out. Arsenal continued to work hard on and off the ball and showed a kind of dedication and passion totally different to what was seen on Thursday. Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka were particularly solid in midfield for the gunners.
The second came in the 69th minute as Lacazette was brought down by Fred for an Arsenal penalty. Aubameyang, after missing infamously at Spurs last week made no mistake this time and sent David De Gea the wrong way. In the end, it was a resounding victory for the gunners, one that has the potential to set the tone for the run-in and remaining 8 games in the season.
For United, it wasn’t the perfect end to an amazing week for them. After a miracle in Paris, they succumbed to their first defeat in the PL under new manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer. They sit 5th, 2 points off 4th and 3 off third. No denying the massive improvement he has made to this side.
Sterling Hattrick keeps City in pole position
Raheem Sterling’s sublime hattrick at the Etihad kept city in pole position in the title race. At halftime, City were struggling to find the opener amid several half chances being spurned. It took a bit of luck, coupled with some questionable officiating to give them the lead right after the break but once that went in, the flood gates opened. In 13 minutes, Raheem Sterling completed his hattrick and City were flying love again. Watford got a late consolation but that was all it was, as City remain top going into the last 8 games of the season.
Kotoko qualification made difficult
Kotoko have given themselves a mountain to climb after failing to beat Sudanese side Al Hilal in their final home game in this year’s CAF Confederations cup competition. They now have it all to do in their final game away to Zesco United in Zambia. It wasn’t the explosive start we have all come to be used to in Kotoko home games. All Hilal’s defensive structure and compactness made it difficult for Kotoko to break them down. They were very organised and fought really hard to limit Kotoko to mostly few chances. The best chance however, fell to Emmanuel Gyamfi who could not finish into an empty net from about 3 yards out after some good work by Sogne Yacouba in the build up to that. Hilal took the lead shortly before that after soem suspect defending by Kotoko. Kotoko huffed and puffed in the second half and finally got the equaliser in the dying minutes. All is not lost yet and as it stands, a win of any sort in Zambia might just be enough to see Kotoko go through.
Moise Kean Lights Up The Eyes of Many.
Friday night kick off and Juventus were up against Udinese at home in the Serie A. Having one eye on the crunch second leg tie against Atletico, Massimiliano Allegri rang the changes and the most notable one was the inclusion of 19-year old teenage sensation Moise Kean to lead the Juventus attack. The youngster returned the favour by scoring twice in the first half. The first of the goals came as early as the 11th after he finished smartly from close range after Alex Sandro’s cross. The second was an even smarter one as the ball fell kindly to him after a mishap in the Udinese defense and he ran through towards goal and toe poke the ball into the net. Juventus eventually won the game by 4 goals but the game was lit up by the teenager and given his immense talent he might( with proper coaching) become a star.
Let’s talk About AC Milan!
AC Milan are on the rise and that’s because Gattuso has done a fantastic job with these boys. Coupled with the arrival of former Genoa striker, Krzysztof Piatek who has 6 goals in his seven appearances since he moved to the Italian capital in the winter transfer window. His 6 goals makes him Milan’s top scorer and have helped Milan to win games. Milan have not lost a game since the Supercup loss to Juventus in January. They’ve beaten Napoli in the Supercup, beaten giant slayers Atalanta and have taken points from Lazio and Roma. Milan are on the rise and have hit some good form in good time and have overtaken fellow Milan club Inter to take the 3rd spot on the table. Clinching that spot and finishing there would be the next target since AC have not finished in the top four for the past few seasons.
Preview Special :
Champions League.
Juventus vs Atletico
Juventus have it all to do in their Tuesday encounter with Atletico at the Juventus Stadium in Turin. Atletico carry a 2 goal advantage to Italy with the hope of sealing qualification to the quarter final. In a week that has seen miraculous comebacks and surprising results, I wouldn’t put it beyond Juventus to put on a show. Buoyed with the one man you would want in your corner when in need of such a comeback. If there is any team in the world you can trust to play out a 0-0 draw to qualify, it has to be Atletico, but yet again, there are two players I would never bet against in football, that is Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Barcelona vs Lyon
Barcelona host Lyon at the Camp Nou for the second leg of the Round of 16 clash.Lyon had a magnificent game in the first leg in France and could have stolen the lead in that encounter. However, the French club could still advance in a Champions League round of 16 stage that seems to be going well for the underdogs after Ajax’s stunning win at the Bernabeau and United’s comeback in Paris. Barcelona go into the tie after beating Rayo Valecano by three goals after going down first. Lyon, however lost a two goal lead to Strasborg as they took only a point from the game. Could Lyon join the highly coveted list of underdogs who knock the big boys off their perch or Barcelona enjoy a fine night of football at the Camp Nou.
Manchester City vs. Schalke
Pep Guardiola would probably have sighed a big sigh of relief after Raheem Sterling came of the bench to equalize for the Cityzens in Gelsinkerchin. Two first half penalties from Nabil Bentaleb cancelled out Aguero’s opener in the first half. It was one of the games where City would acknowledge they didn’t play well but got something out of heading into the second leg at the Ettihad and Domenico Tedesco would have been proud of his Schalke boys on the day. However, City away for Schalke is a big ask and Schalke might rue that Sterling equaliser but yet again, the underdogs might have something to say about that.
Bayern Munich vs. Liverpool
Another really interesting encounter and as at the time of the draw was probably far too easy to predict. Liverpool were on top of the English premier league and Bayern we’re underwhelming in the Bundesliga trailing arch rivals Dortmund and playing catch up. Now things are slightly different; Liverpool dropped their level a bit in the English premier league and are now a point behind in the title race. Bayern on the other hand have seen a resurgence in form and after a 6nil drubbing of Wolfsburg over the weekend, are joint top of the league (aided by their higher goal difference and Dortmund’s loss of the form that allowed them to go ten points clear months ago). Both teams drew blanks in the first leg at Anfield and Bayern Munich would be delighted they’re taking that advantage into the 2nd leg tie at home. Two teams who have points to prove both in the CL and in their respective leagues clash in this epic encounter not only to earn qualification to the quarterfinals but to emphasize their strength and show local rivals how tough they can be. With all the talk about the Juventus versus Atletico game, this is also a must watch game and I’ll probably have an eye on this one.
The Green Turf 