RACING POST CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SPECIAL The ultimate guide Tuesday, September 15, 2009 Who will be the kings of Europe? HHAll the odds HHGuide to the 32 teams HHKey stats and formguide for matchday one HHBetting advice from Racing Post experts Mark Langdon, Steve Davies & Kevin Pullein HHTop tips from football legend Tony Cascarino, plus European gurus Gabriele Marcotti & Guillem Balague 2 RACING POST Tuesday, September 15, 2009 racingpost.com INSIDE Mark Langdon can see English Previews WHO WILL LIFT THE CUP? winners this season Who will lift the Cup? ......2 Specials ..............................6 Group A ..............................8 Group B ..............................9 Group C ............................10 Group D ............................11 Group E ............................12 CHELSEA CAN Group F ............................13 Group G ............................15 Group H ............................18 Golden Boot................16-17 Trading Post ....................20 Spreadwise ......................24 FINALLY BREAK Today’s action Odds & form ....................25 Match previews................27 Chelsea v Porto................29 Man Utd v Besiktas ........31 EURO HOODOO Opinions Ancelotti’s Blues look great value to bring Cup back to England HE Champions an amazing last-gasp goal from Tony Cascarino ..................4 League curse which Andres Iniesta to stop the Gabriele Marcotti............21 has caused Chelsea marvellous run under previous Guillem Balague ..............21 so much pain in boss Guus Hiddink. Carlo Ancelotti has taken Odds-compilers..........22-23 T recent years could be lifted this season with the Blues over from Hiddink and he Kevin Pullein ..................30 looking an outstanding bet to could be the missing piece of claim a first European Cup the jigsaw. Having twice won success. the Champions League as a Email us at Chelsea have suffered manager he definitely has horrendous luck in the what it takes. [email protected] competition despite reaching at Ancelotti has an incredible Web: racingpost.com/sport least the semi-finals in five of squad at his disposal, strong in the last six years. every area and able to Edited by Just about everything which tactically adapt to almost any Dan Williams could have gone wrong has situation. Production team gone wrong in the latter stages Defensively they have John Phil Agius, Michael Brear, from disputed goals to penalty Terry, Alex, Ricardo Carvalho, Henry Hardwicke, Alex Hilton, LAST FIVE FINALS shootout defeats – and last Jose Bosingwa, Ashley Cole James Milton, Scott Samuels, 2008-09 ........Barcelona 2 (8-1) Man Utd 0 year’s heartbreaking semi-final and Branislav Ivanovic, while Adam Scriven, Ian Wilkerson. 2007-08 ............Man Utd 1 (8-1) Chelsea 1 exit to Barcelona was possibly in midfield Ancelotti can call Pictures & graphics Vic Jones, Man Utd won 6-5 on penalties 2006-07 ............Milan 2 (11-1) Liverpool 1 the most painful of the lot. upon Michael Essien, Deco, Dave Penzer, John Kettle, 2005-06 ........Barcelona 2 (13-2) Arsenal 1 With a better referee the John Obi Mikel, Frank Jenny Robertshaw, Stefan Searle. 2004-05 ............Liverpool 3 (33-1) Milan 3 Lampard, Michael Ballack, Joe Liverpool won 3-2 on penalties Blues would have gone to the Stats Chris Mann, Glenn final in Rome, and a treble- Cole, Yuri Zhirkov and Florent Jeffreys, Tom Earl. *Odds quoted were the best price to win the tournament at the start of the group stage winning Barcelona side needed Malouda. Didier Drogba is the best forward of his type in the CHAMPIONS LEAGUE world and he is partnered by LAST 6 EUROPEAN SEASONS (latest figure on the right) BET365 BFRED B SQ BOYLE CORAL HILLS LADS POWER S JMS TOTE VC Premier League Golden Boot Didier Drogba spearheads a superb Chelsea attack 4/16/W/16/SF/W Barcelona 4 9-2 4 9-2 4 9-2 4 4 4 4 7-2 winner Nicolas Anelka. There Ronaldo capable of dominating squad is and they have QF/16/16/16/16/16 Real Madrid 9-2 559-2 559-2 559-2 9-2 are no weaknesses and they represent terrific value at 13-2. and destroying opposition defensive problems, although SF/SF/16/SF/F/SF Chelsea 6 6 11-2 6 6 13-2 6 6 6 11-2 11-2 Barca are worthy favourites sides in equal measure. the Italian threat of Inter and 16/16/GR/SF/W/F Man Utd 15-2 7 8 778 5 15-2 6 13-2 7 having played such stunning But there are question Juventus is growing following QF/16/F/16/QF/SF Arsenal 8910 9 10 10 9 10 99 8football en route to becoming marks, not least can all of the an impressive summer of the first Spanish team to win Galacticos play together? The spending. 4/W/16/F/SF/QF Liverpool 12 12 11 11 10 12 9 11 10 11 11 the treble under the amazing rectangle midfield of two Both could have their QF/QF/QF/16/16/16 Inter 12 12 12 11 11 12 12 12 11 11 11 influence of novice manager holders and two attackers does supporters, but it may just take 16/QF/QF/-/-/16 Juventus 20 20 22 22 25 25 20 25 22 22 25 Pep Guardiola. not inspire total confidence, one more year of rebuilding 16/QF/16/QF/SF/QF Bayern Munich 25 25 28 25 25 28 28 25 22 22 25 However, they are virtually the defence lacks leaders and before Italy can once again half the odds of last term, and the front pairing of Raul and become top dogs, while Lyon QF/F/SF/W/16/32 Milan 25 28 25 22 18 40 22 22 22 22 22 is their side that much better Karim Benzema is far from the could be a big price but just -/16/W/W/16/GR Seville 33 33 33 40 40 50 33 40 33 33 33 than 12 months ago? strongest in the competition. lack that something special to QF/QF/QF/16/16/16 Lyon 33 33 33 33 40 50 40 40 40 33 28 Swapping Samuel Eto’o and Manchester United have go all the way to the final. a bucketload of cash for Zlatan reached the final in each of the The same cannot be said of -/-/-/-/-/32/16 Atletico 40 40 40 40 40 66 50 40 40 33 33 Ibrahimovic was by far and last two years. However, while Liverpool when Steven -/-/-/-/-/32 Wolfsburg 40 50 50 50 50 100 66 66 50 40 50 away the biggest gamble of the sale of Ronaldo to Real Gerrard and Fernando Torres 16/32/32/-/GR/32 Stuttgart 40 66 40 66 40 100 80 66 50 40 66 Guardiola’s short career. Madrid may have made sound are in the ranks, and no team -/-/-/-/-/SF/GR+32 Fiorentina 100 100 66 80 50 100 66 66 50 50 80 Ibra is a superb talent, but business sense, Sir Alex would enjoy a second-leg trip Barcelona’s great strength was Ferguson’s team is undoubtedly to Anfield where the special W/16/GR/16/16/QF Porto 125 66 66 66 66 100 80 66 50 50 80 the way they harassed teams weaker for his departure. atmosphere lives up to the QF/-/-/32/32/GR+32 Bordeaux 80 66 80 66 50 150 50 66 66 66 80 into winning possession back. It was Ronaldo who claimed hype. F/-/16/1/16/QF Marseille 150 66 80 100 50 150 80 80 66 80 80 The languid Swede makes the Golden Boot when United They have not started the Dimitar Berbatov look like went all the way in 2008, even GR/16/GR/GR/32/32 Olympiakos 100 125 100 125 100 150 150 125 150 125 100 season fantastically in the Carlos Tevez in terms of scoring in the final. It was Premier League and everyone -/SF/32/QF/GR/- AZ Alkmaar 125 100 100 125 80 200 100 100 100 100 125 workrate, and no longer will Ronaldo who took United past has become obsessed with the 2Q/GR+W/GR/32/GR/16 CSKA Moscow 125 100 125 125 100 250 125 100 80 100 125 Barcelona be able to defend Porto when he scored that loss of Alonso to Real Madrid. -/2Q/-/1/-/- Rubin Kazan 200 150 125 100 80 250 150 125 100 100 150 from the front like they did so phenomenal goal from 40 However, few have impressively last season. yards, and it was Ronaldo who mentioned the early-campaign GR/GR/16/16/F/2Q Rangers 150 200 200 200 250 250 150 150 150 125 200 Real Madrid have been the notched from a similar injuries to Martin Skrtel, GR+3/GR/GR/GR/GR/1 Besiktas 300 150 150 150 100 500 125 100 150 125 200 story of the summer and they distance in the semi-final Daniel Agger, Fabio Aurelio, GR/GR+32/2Q/GR/GR/GR+SF Dynamo Kiev 400 200 125 100 66 500 80 125 150 150 150 are desperate to win the against Arsenal before showing Javier Mascherano and Alberto his counter-attacking ability to -/GR/-/1/1/32 Standard Liege 200 150 200 250 150 500 200 150 150 200 200 Champions League after the Aquilani, and the Merseysiders success of great rivals Barca. make that tie safe at the should be a much stronger unit 2/1/2Q/16/-/- Maccabi Haifa 750 500 400 500 500 750 350 500 400 750 400 The fact the final is at Real’s Emirates. by the business end of the -/-/1/2Q/32/1 Zurich 1000 500 400 500 250 1000 500 750 500 750 300 Bernabeu home just intensifies He can’t be replaced despite competition.