Galatasaray 1-6 Real Madrid September 17, 2013

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Galatasaray 1-6 Real Madrid: Ronaldo hat-trick torpedoes Turks

Galatasaray
  84′ Umut Bulut

Real Madrid
  Isco 33′
  Karim Benzema 54′
  C. Ronaldo 63′
  C. Ronaldo 66′
  Karim Benzema 81′
  C. Ronaldo 90+1′

The Portuguese celebrated signing a new contract with a supreme performance while goals from Karim Benzema and Isco capped off the Blancos' evening

Real Madrid will begin their Champions League campaign against a familiar foe on Tuesday night, when Carlo Ancelotti's side take on Galatasaray in Istanbul.

Galatasary beat Madrid 3-2 last April in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash, but the Spanish giants still prevailed 5-2 on aggregate.

Real Madrid and Galatasaray will kick-off their European campaign this Tuesday (20:45 CET) at Istanbul. Last season, both clubs met in the Champions League Quarterfinals and José Mourinho and his men managed to get a ticket to the Semifinals after winning 3-0 at the Bernabéu and losing 3-2 at Ali Sami Yen with a crowd that never gave up.

Galatasaray will get a chance to avenge their Champions League loss in last year's quarterfinal to Real Madrid when the two meet in a Champions League group game on Tuesday.

Last year, Galatasaray beat Real Madrid in Turkey in the second leg of their battle, 3-2. However, Madrid took the aggregate 5-3.

This Real Madrid will look quite a bit different. For starters, Jose Mourinho has moved on to Chelsea and has been replaced at the helm by Carlo Ancelotti. 

Ancelotti had a productive summer with Real Madrid, and Isco, Asier Illarramendi and Gareth Bale have all since come to call Madrid home. 

Real Madrid have not been playing well in these first matches. After Isco and Modric allowed the team to win the first nine points in La Liga, Villarreal put Real Madrid in trouble and managed to get a 2-2 draw with an unforgettable performance by Diego López, who saved his team numerous times.

López will not be Real Madrid's goalkeeper against Galatasaray, as Carlo Ancelotti confirmed in the pre-match press conference. Real's captain Iker Casillas will get a chance to prove himself as a better goalkeeper than Diego López, but Casillas will have a hard time trying to match Diego's performance against Villarreal.

Carlo Ancelotti might also have Álvaro Arbeloa available if the Spanish defender feels ready enough. Nacho Fernández was the team's left back at El Madrigal and he struggled quite a lot, so it could be smart to play Arbeloa in that position, since he's a far more experienced player than Nacho. Arbeloa's natural position on Real Madrid's right back would then be kept by Dani Carvajal, who assisted Gareth Bale for Real's first goal against Villarreal.

In the Turkish Super League, Gala have failed to win any of their last three league games, but Didier Drogba did get his first goal of the campaign last Friday as Fatih Terim's side drew 1-1 against Antalyaspor.

Madrid have included Gareth Bale in their squad for the Group B opener following his scoring debut in a 2-2 draw at Villareal in La Liga last weekend, but the Welshman is a doubt to start on Tuesday as he bids for full fitness.

Galatasaray: Muslera, Eboue, Chedjou, Nounkeu, Riera, Felipe Melo, Inan, Amrabat, Sniejder, Yilmaz, Drogba

Real Madrid: Lopez, Carvajal, Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo, Khedira, Modric, Isco, Ronaldo, Bale, Benzema

Viktoria Plzen vs Manchester City September 17, 2013

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Manchester City get their Champions League campaign underway on Tuesday when they travel to Czech champions Viktoria Plzen in Group D.

The Blues will be hoping to improve on their last two years in the tournament after failing to get out of the group stage both times.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini has been given a boost ahead of the match with the news that captain Vincent Kompany has travelled with the squad following a groin injury.

When Manuel Pellegrini sat down with Manchester City’s powerbrokers to discuss his plans to transform their club from Champions League flops into serious European contenders, he had no idea it would all begin here.
But on Tuesday, in the humble surroundings of the 11,700-capacity Doosan Arena, Pellegrini’s credentials will be put to the test by Czech underdogs Viktoria Plzen.

David Silva, Gael Clichy and Micah Richards are all doubtful.

"Vincent has worked with us normally for the last two days," said City manager Manuel Pellegrini on Monday. "We will see if he is 100%. If he is, of course he will play.

Viktoria Plzen vs Manchester City September 17, 2013

Plzen are top of the Czech league with six wins in their opening eight games and beat Slovenian side Maribor in a play-off to earn a second Champions League appearance in three years.

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany could return from a groin injury as his side begin their Champions League campaign against little-known Czech side Plzen.

Kompany has been absent since his side's 4-0 win over Newcastle in their Premier League opener on 19 August.
It should be a simple enough start for City, even though they have failed to reach the knockout stage at their first two attempts in this competition, winning only once away from home.

Pellegrini’s predecessor Roberto Mancini paid the price for picking up a solitary point from his opening two games in both campaigns, but the opposition — Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli and Bayern Munich — was considerably stronger. 

Plzen’s only victory in this competition has come against Bate Borisov.

Pellegrini, 60 yesterday, knows what is expected. The Chilean was appointed largely on the strength of guiding Villarreal and Malaga to the latter stages of the Champions League, and he acknowledges City’s ambitions are far greater.
Defeat here would be a disaster and even a point would represent a setback considering that the next game is against champions Bayern and CSKA Moscow are the other side in Group D.

‘We have to win,’ said Pellegrini. ‘The Champions League is the most important competition.
City want to grow every year, which means they cannot go out of the group stage. We must advance.

Plzen, whose only previous appearance in the group stage of the competition came two years ago, should be full of confidence thanks to a solid start to the season with four wins and two draws.

Manchester United vs Bayer Leverkusen September 17, 2013

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Just before Manchester United’s most important game against Bayer Leverkusen, the one in 2002 that had a place in a European Cup final in Sir Alex Ferguson’s home city of Glasgow at stake, Roy Keane looked around him. There, as the Champions League anthem played, he noticed one of his team-mates, whom the Irishman  untypically refused to name, “shaking with nerves”.

There will be a shiver running through David Moyes’s body as the music plays at Old Trafford tonight but it will be of anticipation rather than fear. When the realisation he would be succeeding Ferguson began to roll through his mind, it would have been occasions like this that would have seemed most thrilling.

No stadium in England transforms itself for European nights quite like Old Trafford. On Saturday against Crystal Palace the atmosphere was flat and  routine in a way it seldom is at Anfield. However, under the floodlights it  becomes what it is, one of the world’s great arenas. As he gave his first Champions League press conference, Moyes was sitting in a room in which there were 15 separate photographs of United players and managers with the European Cup.

Manchester: David Moyes will sample the Champions League group phase for the first time on Tuesday when his Manchester United side host Bayer Leverkusen in their opening Group A fixture.

Moyes was selected to succeed Alex Ferguson as United manager at the end of last season despite having only overseen two matches in the competition during his 11-year tenure at Everton.

Manchester United are set to pair Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie in attack again for the Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen.

Rooney is close to a full recovery from a head injury sustained in training and scored against Palace at the weekend.

There are still doubts over Shinji Kagawa with boss Moyes saying at Monday's press conference: "He has a bit of flu. He did some work yesterday and a little bit today."

Youngster Adnan Januzaj, who impressed off the bench against Palace, is not part of the squad.

Manchester United vs Bayer Leverkusen September 17, 2013

Moyes confirmed that the complicated UEFA eligibility criteria means if United wait to register him until October 7, by which time he will have been with the Reds for two years, he can go on the B list of youth players.

Those games, in 2005, saw the Merseyside club beaten 4-2 by Villarreal over two legs in the third qualifying round, but Moyes is relishing the prospect of a second bite at the apple.

"I have been in the Champions League before but I have not made the group stage. I had quite a few episodes in the Europa League, which were good, but nothing at the level of the Champions League.

"We will do our homework to make sure we are as prepared as we can be."

United are the only genuine European heavyweights in the group, but with Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Sociedad making up the pool, there is not a weak team in Group A either.

Moyes says that although things could have been better, they could also have been a lot worse.

"It was the first time I have been involved in a draw at that level," said the Scot.

"When the names came out, there were some that I didn`t want and others I would have been happy with. Relatively, I am quite pleased.

Manchester United predicted starting XI:

De Gea; Fabio, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Valencia, Carrick, Giggs, Nani, Rooney, Van Persie.

Where: Old Trafford in Manchester, England

When: Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 2:45 p.m. ET (7:45 p.m. BST)

Steelers vs Bengals September 16, 2013

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Two AFC North teams convene on Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio for Monday Night Football as both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals look to turn things around after disappointing Week 1 outcomes.

Cincinnati traveled to Chicago last week and were upended by the Bears, while the Steelers fell victim to a new-look Tennessee Titans squad.

Both teams sit behind the Baltimore Ravens in the division and have a variety of questions to answer.

Can Pittsburgh overcome injuries to linebacker Larry Foote and center Maurkice Pouncey? Will a running game led by Jonathan Dwyer show up? 

For Cincinnati it's much simpler—can the team grow up? The national spotlight has not been kind to the young Bengals, and the team has only defeated Pittsburgh at Paul Brown stadium two times since 2000, the last coming in 2009—eight years after the first win in 2001. 

The South Point sports book installed Cincinnati as a 6.5-point favorite at the start of betting, with the total 40.5. Early money was on Cincy, pushing the spread to 7, but there's been some buy back on Pittsburgh at that number, and as of Monday morning, it sat at 6.5 across Las Vegas. In terms of the total, OVER money has pushed the number up to 41.

 The Steelers' Week 1 loss to Tennessee was surprising and perplexing. It's not just that the Titans were underdogs of around a touchdown; it's that the Steelers never got into gear.

Make no mistake: the Steelers sounded some familiar notes. They allowed but one play of longer than 15 yards, and they shut down the Titans' running game. If you are going to score on the Steelers, you are going to have to put a drive together; that's been one of their hallmarks, and that was the case in Week 1. The Steelers only allowed 3.6 yards per play and 16 points. The defense is just fine, thank you.

The offense? That's another story. The Steelers rushed for just 32 yards, and starting tailback Isaac Redman fumbled twice. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sacked five times. The Steelers scored their only points on offense with less two minutes left in the game.

Steelers vs Bengals September 16, 2013

Roethlisberger's presence alone requires the Steelers' offense to be respected. The Bengals know his capabilities well. Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery comprise a solid trio of targets for Pittsburgh.

In Marvin Lewis' 11 seasons as head coach, the Bengals have been favored in just two games against Pittsburgh.

In both matchups, the Steelers won outright. The most recent example was New Year's Eve 2006, when the Steelers beat Cincinnati in OT in Bill Cowher's final game as Pittsburgh's head coach. The win kept the Bengals out of the postseason. Overall, Lewis' Bengals clubs are just 6-15 SU and ATS against Pittsburgh. Also, Cincinnati is 2-4 SU and ATS on Monday Night Football since 2003.

Swansea vs Liverpool September 16, 2013

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Liverpool travel to the Liberty Stadium to face struggling Swansea City tonight – with the two sides having adverse fortunes so far this season.

The Merseyside outfit will go top of the Premier League if they avoid defeat, while Swansea City are currently in the last relegation place, but can move up to mid-table with victory against the Reds.

Many feel Swansea City’s firepower will see them emerge victorious against their league compatriots tonight, as Michael Laudrup has a fully-fit Migeul Michu and Wilfried Bony to play together up front.

The striking pair have yet to shine in the Premier League, but it could well change against Liverpool.

Michu and Bony have scored six goals between them already in the Europa League, while both shining during pre-season for the Swans. They’ve shown glimpses of a partnership forming in games, and Laudrup will be hoping they can prove their worth against a stubborn Liverpool team.

Swansea City: Vorm; Rangel, Williams, Chico, Davies; Routledge, Shelvey, Canas, Hernandez; Michu; Bony

Liverpool: Mignolet; Wisdom, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique; Gerrard, Lucas; Henderson, Coutinho, Aspas; Sturridge

Despite the Reds boasting three clean sheets in three games, they have failed to beat Swansea on their travels since City’s promotion to the Premier League in 2011 – drawing twice at the Liberty Stadium.

Successive 1-0 victories over Stoke, Aston Villa and Manchester United - secured thanks to Daniel Sturridge's goals and Simon Mignolet's excellence - have raised expectations on Merseyside and another three-point haul will return the Anfield outfit to the top of the table.

Swansea City vs Liverpool

September 16, 2013 7:00pm

Rodgers experienced mixed fortunes against his former club last term, suffering a 3-1 defeat in the Capital One Cup, drawing 0-0 at the Liberty Stadium and then enjoying a 5-0 Anfield romp in February when the Swans had one eye on Wembley.

Michael Laudrup's men faced a tough opening to the new term, with clashes against Manchester United and Tottenham leaving them with nothing to show, before they claimed their first points of the new season with a 2-0 success at West Brom prior to the international break.

The Swans have struggled in front of their own fans in recent times, with just two points to show from their last six games at the Liberty Stadium, with their season fizzling out last term following their Capital One Cup triumph.

Monday's game will be a personal landmark for Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard as he leads the club out for the 400th time in his professional career, with the Anfield outfit also one win away from their 400th Premier League success.