All top notch English premier league side enjoy a relatively weaker opponents in group stage. The match days are

GROUP STAGE MATCHES

• Match day 1 15 - 16 September 2009
• Match day 2 29 - 30 September 2009
• Match day 3 20 - 21 October 2009
• Match day 4 03 - 04 November 2009
• Match day 5 24 - 25 November 2009
• Match day 6 08 - 09 December 2009

The top two clubs from the respective group will participate in the knockout round draw to be held on 18th of December.

The club finishing third in each of the group will entertain other teams in UEFA Europa League Round of 32.

FIRST KNOCKOUT ROUND

16 Feb - 17 Mar 2010

QUARTER FINALS TO BE PLAYED ON

30 Mar - 07 Apr 2010

SEMI_FINALS  SCHEDULED ON

20 - 28 April 2010

and THE ULTIMATE SHOW DOWN @  SANTIAGO BERNABEU STADIUM

will be witnessed  on 22 MAY 2010 (0010hrs of 23rd MAY IST)

Have fun and enjoy the season of UCL to be aired on ZEE SPORTS and TEN SPORTS in INDIA.

SOURCE: manutd.com

ANOTHER CHEER FOR UNITED FANS IN INDIA

Bharti Airtel, Asia's leading integrated telecom services provider, today announced a five-year partnership with Manchester United.

This partnership will enable Airtel customers across India, Sri Lanka and the Seychelles will get exclusive access to rich and exclusive United content on their mobile phones.
In addition, Airtel users will get opportunities to participate in training sessions with Manchester United Soccer Schools coaches, to attend matches at Old Trafford and travel into Europe with United to UEFA Champions League games.

The announcement was made at Old Trafford by Sanjay Kapoor, Deputy CEO, Bharti Airtel in the presence of United's David Gill (CEO), Richard Arnold (Director of Commercial), Sir Alex Ferguson and players Darren Fletcher, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez.
“We are very excited to partner with Manchester United, a powerful global brand with huge following across the world and in India,” said Sanjay Kapoor, Deputy CEO, Bharti Airtel.
“Football is definitely seeing a growing interest amongst the young population in India. Therefore, we are making a pioneering effort to bring to them rich football content on their mobiles, a fantastic opportunity to be part of the world’s leading football club through participation in Soccer Schools, and also an opportunity to watch matches across Europe.”
David Gill said: “Manchester United is delighted to announce the partnership with Bharti Airtel, India’s largest telecommunications company and one of Asia’s emerging global brands. This partnership demonstrates the enduring strength of the Club internationally.

 

Ever Since the defeat to AC Milan in the 2006-07 of champions league season, Manchester United had been an unbeaten side. This dream run still continue as Man Utd. defeated Porto FC at Estadio da Grado breaking the jinx of Porto unbeatable run at home against English Clubs.

The goal by ronaldo proved crucial as it was the lone goal of the away match. Along with the victory Man Utd. draught of clean sheet over the past 6 games got over which was mithered by back to back defeats, after a brilliant run of 14 consecutive clean sheet.

Rooney was seen in his new role as Right Winger giving inch perfect passes and attacking and marking French right fall back Cissokho. Rooney got a scare of injury when he tried to run down with the ball in the edge of the penalty area where he was tackled.

With this air of uncertainity over champions league Semi Final becoming Crystal clear, its now again three english club and one spanish club in the semis much similar as it was in last season the difference being arsenal replacing last year semi-finalist Liverpool.

Results Being

Barcelona Vs Bayern Munichen

Agg: 5 – 1

Arsenal Vs Villareal

Agg: 4 – 1

Chelsea Vs Liverpool

Agg: 7 – 5

Man Utd Vs Porto

Agg: 3 – 2

Thus Semfinals are drawn as

Barcelona Vs Chelsea , Man Utd Vs Arsenal On Apr 28th and 29th

 

It was another day….. Sir Alex and his Fall back woes continued and so did the magic of Italian striker Macheda that helped Manchester United regain the top spot after Liverpool’s emphatic four goal clean sheet. This happened twice over the couple of week and chelsea are also trying to pull themeselves out of the blues. The tension is mounting at Old Trafford. With very few games left and three games of MU  getting rescheduled and crucial champions league match to do the almost impossible task of winning at porto.

Talkin about Sunderland match:Inclusion of Berbatov raised few eyebrows and he couldnt do much. Once he was subbed tv clips showed his ankle being treated with Icebags not so good considering the porto match. But the magical run of macheda once again helped MU regain the top spot. In the villa match he was subbed at 72nd minute and scored in ET this time Sir alex subbed him at 74th minute just to the amazement of his side scoring a goal in the next few minutes. Scholes pass to Carrick . Carrick aiming the Far post and Macheda purposely deviated the ball to near post, to which Gordon couldn’t do anything but stand and see. Although we regained the top spot but the lack of center fall back Rio is clearly seen on the field Evans inexperience was clearly prominent in the game. Ben foster misjudgment to the cross resulted in Sunderland goal. Rooney’s brilliance could only help MU take the early lead. Later his brilliant play created only chances after chances surprisingly he started from RM where Ron used to play and his crosses where no doubt but of pin point accuracy.

The one thing that’s still hurting Sir Alex is to get back to the ruthless form. It must be a disgruntled feeling running through every MU fan. “So close yet so far”.

But then “No mountain too high, no river too deep”

Once A Red

Red Forever……..

Player	GF	PEN	MinP	MP
Edin DZEKO	7	0	530	6
Ebi SMOLAREK	6	0	360	4
Wesley SONCK	6	1	531	6
Soren LARSEN	5	0	248	3
David VILLA	5	0	399	5
Wayne ROONEY	5	0	444	5
Blaise N KUFO	5	0	518	6

 

However if you take a look at South American World Cup Qualifiers: likes of Messi scoring just 3 goals of 12 games and Kaka scoring 4 goals of 9 matches Robinho scoring 3 goals of 12 games Ronaldinho scoring just 1 goal of 8 games shows they are not intrested in their national duties and want to play for clubs giving large bucks.

VS LIVE ON ESPN ASIA PACIFIC

KICKOFF SUPER SUNDAY, APRIL 5  LIVE FROM OLD TRAFFORD @ 2025 hrs

Both teams had so for terrible form in past few games and atleast one team will end the draught of win

Form guide: Aston Villa visit Old Trafford in terrible form having lost their last three league games. A five-goal punch at the hands of Liverpool saw Martin O’Neill’s side drop out of the top four; prior to that game, Villa suffered a home defeat to the in-form spurs and lost to rivals City on their previous trip to Manchester. The Villas' only win in the last six games was back on 7 Feb when they beat Rovers 2-0. Meanwhile, the Red devils are determined to recover from successive defeats against Liverpool and Fulham.

ASTON VILLA: W L D L L L

4/18 points in last six games

MAN. UTD.: W W W W L L

12/18 points in last six games

Ins and Outs:

Aston Villa

Inclusion:Wilfred Bouma after 8 months lay off

Exclusion:Heskey injured in his national match in WC Qualifier against Ukraine and captain laursen also unavailble.

Manchester United

Inclusion: Gary Neville after a long time

Exclusion:Utd Woes Continue with injured Berbatov, Anderson and Red Carded Rooney, Vidic and Scholes.

 

Star men: Villa’s  Agbonlahor's pace could pose a few problems against a relatively weak united defence. Ashley Young has also been in great form for Aston Villa this season and he will be eager to test a United defence missing a possible Player of the Year in Vidic.

Rivals watch: Newcastle v Chelsea, Arsenal v Man City (both Saturday 20:30 IST), Fulham v Liverpool (Saturday 23:00 IST).

 

Pos	No	Driver	Team	Laps	Time/Retired		Grid	Pts
1	22	Jenson Button	Brawn-Mercedes	58	1:34:16		1	10
2	23	Rubens Barrichello	Brawn-Mercedes	58	+0.8 secs		2	8
3	1	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	58	+2.9 secs		18	6
4	10	Timo Glock	Toyota	58	+4.4 secs		19	5
5	7	Fernando Alonso	Renault	58	+4.8 secs		10	4
6	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams-Toyota	58	+5.7 secs		5	3
7	12	Sebastien Buemi	STR-Ferrari	58	+6.0 secs		13	2
8	11	Sebastien Bourdais	STR-Ferrari	58	+6.2 secs		17	1

 

P.S. Only the drivers having secured points are displayed.

Seasons first race ends with History being re-written by UK based Brawn Mercedes. It was 1954 when another UK based F1 team Mercedes Benz won their maiden debut race. With a 1-2 finish by Button and Barrichello(former Ferrari driver along with Schumacher) followed by contending champion Lewis who made a podium finish by coming third in a dramatic turnaround where Trulli was given a 25 second penalty by steward taking him to 12th position.

 

Stunning moment of this season opener was both Ferrari which started from the grid 6 and 7 position failed to deliver, adding to the woes was elimination of Massa in the 45th Lap and Kimi coming last in this season opener. The other Mclaren counterpart had a different fate written for him suffering from accident damage during this first lap.

United are looking for a third win in five weeks against Roy Hodgson's side…
Form Guide: Fulham go into the game on the back of an impressive 3-1 win away at Bolton, but the Cottagers' recent home form is slightly worrying. Struggling Blackburn Rovers came from behind to win last weekend; seven days earlier, Hull City also scored late to nick a surprise point. Sandwiched between those two results was United's last visit, which ended in a comprehensive 4-0 win for Sir Alex's men. Meanwhile, United are aiming to bounce back from last weekend's 4-1 defeat at the hands of title rivals Liverpool.
Ins and Outs: Roy Hodgson has a full squad to choose from, with no known injuries or suspensions in the Fulham camp. As for United, Sir Alex will have to do without the suspended Nemanja Vidic and the injured Wes Brown and Owen Hargreaves. Rafael and Gary Neville could both be available for selection after recent niggles.
Star Man: Danny Murphy's been a thorn in United’s side more than once before and he’d love the opportunity to help his former club, Liverpool, reel in the Reds at the top of the table. If United concede a penalty, Dan's the man to step up to the spot.
What are the odds? Fulham 11/2, Draw 11/4, United 4/9 (ManUtd.com/bet)

 

Vs

In the UCL draw for the build up to Quarter, Semi’s and Final’s Home team draw, Champions of the Europe, World are elated to see FC Porto as their opponents . Nostalgia of famous Mourinho run to the touchline when costinha scored the away goal at Manchester is what comes in mind first, that one goal that lured us from championship that season.

But this time around we are the defending champions and they are underdogs and we are going to give them the sweet taste of their own treatment.

Here’s the video I’ve found in youtube where Jose first came into picture in international arena.

Although Porto has a great pedigree of but we are equally wary of that said Sir Alex in post UCL draw comments.

Well, United’s defense may have been breached in the last two games but a miserly run of form in 2009 has proved key to the club’s continued chase for success on all fronts.

The Reds' solid backline is arguably the most enviable in Europe and

Indeed the Coveted trophy

Will surely be the taking for MU.

United we are
United we stand
The greatest by far
The best in the land

 

Visit Goal.com on Friday March 20 at 15:30 IST for all the build-up and all the matches drawn at the Champions League and UEFA Cup draws...

At 16:30 IST (11:00 GMT) the draw proper begins to take place, and we'll bring you each individual match drawn the minute it happens.

Defending Champion MU

A quick look at the teams involved.

ARSENAL

The Gunners have stuttered their way through this season but may be hitting form at just the right time. Arsenal have players of the quality of Theo Walcott, Cesc Fabregas and Eduardo coming back from injury and seem to have struck a better balance in Europe this season. Arsene Wenger will probably want to avoid English opposition and they will need to rediscover their scoring touch if they are to make the last four.

BARCELONA

The Catalan giants are tournament favourites based on their blistering attacking play to date, disposing of Lyon 6-3 in the last round. The attacking triumvirate of Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi strikes fear into defences across the continent but there are question marks over their defence based on recent stuttering form in La Liga. Barcelona will be confident whoever they face and they have every reason to be.

BAYERN MUNICH

The German aristocrats made people sit up and take notice with their record thrashing of Sporting Lisbon in the last round. They have shown solid form throughout and possess players of real quality in winger Frank Ribery and full-back Philipp Lahm. The Allianz Arena is a difficult place to play but they will want to avoid the English giants if they are to progress.

CHELSEA

Chelsea have undergone a quiet transformation since the arrival of interim manager Guus Hiddink. Without being spectacular they seem to have rediscovered the spirit which made them so difficult to beat in the past. Michael Essien is back after a long injury lay-off to bolster their midfield and if Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard can continue their current form they may have what it takes to deliver that elusive Champions League title to Stamford Bridge.

LIVERPOOL

Liverpool are flying after superb results against Real Madrid and Manchester United, and with manager Rafa Benitez signing a new five-year contract there is a real feel-good factor around the club. Captain Steven Gerrard is bullish about their chances, telling Liverpool FC magazine: "We are not running scared of anybody. We will take who we get and believe that we are going to go through."

MANCHESTER UNITED THE STRONGEST CONTENDER AND DEFENDING CHAMPION

The Premier League and European champions have been imperious this season but a stuttering win against Inter Milan and last weekend's thrashing by Liverpool have given other teams in the draw some hope. Defender Nemanja Vidic believes the Premier League is the strongest in Europe but admits, "whoever we play will be difficult because they are all top teams now." Expect a reaction following the Liverpool result and another place in the semi-final seems more than likely.

PORTO

Undoubtedly the outsiders of the draw and probably the team everyone else would like to meet. The 2004 winners topped Arsenal`s group this season and disposed of an attacking Atletico Madrid side in the last round, so should not be completely discounted. In Lisandro Lopez they have a striker who knows how to score at this level, with six this season to date, but the impression is the quarter-finals will be where their adventure ends.

VILLARREAL

The smaller of the Spanish sides in the draw, the Yellow Submarine showed their tidy brand of football earlier in the competition when drawing twice with champions Manchester United. They possess quality in playmakers Santi Cazorla and Ariel Ibagaza and coach Manuel Pellegrini says his side "are focused on getting as far as possible." Villarreal will be tough opponents but a semi-final berth seems beyond them.

Here is the latest information on how the F1 drivers and teams will line up in 2009.

Latest updates

• 6th March 2009 - Brawn GP confirmed as buyers of Honda, Button and Barrichello are drivers
• 6th February 2009 - Sebastien Bourdais confirmed at Toro Rosso
• 9th January 2009 - Sebastien Buemi confirmed at Scuderia Toro Rosso
• 9th November 2008 - Alexander Wurz remains a Honda test driver in 2009
• 4th November 2008 - Expected team numbers added
• 17th October 2008 - Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil confirmed at Force India
• 6th October 2008 - Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld confirmed at BMW, and Christian Klien as test driver
• 1st October 2008 - Kazuki Nakajima confirmed at Williams
• 31st July 2008 - Heikki Kovalainen confirmed at McLaren
• 17th July 2008 - Sebastian Vettel confirmed at Red Bull

McLaren-Mercedes

Race drivers

1. Lewis Hamilton (has 2009 contract)
2. Heikki Kovalainen (has 2009 contract)

Test drivers

Pedro de la Rosa (has 2009 contract)
Gary Paffett (has 2009 contract) | biography

McLaren F1 team information

Scuderia Ferrari

Race drivers

3. Kimi Raikkonen (has 2009 contract)
4. Felipe Massa (has 2009 contract)

Test drivers

Luca Badoer (has 2009 contract)
Marc Gené (has 2009 contract)

Ferrari F1 team information

BMW Sauber F1 Team

5. Robert Kubica (has 2009 contract)
6. Nick Heidfeld (has 2009 contract)

Test drivers

Christian Klien (has 2009 contract)

BMW Sauber F1 Team information

Renault F1 Team

Race drivers

7. Fernando Alonso (has 2009 contract)
8. Nelson Piquet Jnr. (has 2009 contract)

Test drivers

Romain Grosjean (has 2009 contract)

Renault F1 team information

Toyota Racing

Race drivers

9. Jarno Trulli (has 2009 contract)
10. Timo Glock (has 2009 contract)

Test drivers

Kamui Kobayashi (has 2009 contract)

Toyota F1 team information

Scuderia Toro Rosso

Race drivers

11. Sebastien Buemi (has 2009 contract)
12. Sebastien Bourdais (has 2009 contract)

Test drivers

Brendon Hartley (has 2009 contract) | biography | articles

Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 team information

Red Bull Racing

Race drivers

14. Mark Webber (has 2009 contract)
15. Sebastian Vettel (has 2009 contract)

Test drivers

Brendon Hartley (has 2009 contract)

Red Bull F1 team information

Williams

Race drivers

16. Nico Rosberg (has 2009 contract)
17. Kazuki Nakajima (has 2009 contract)

Test drivers

Nico Hülkenberg (has 2009 contract)

Williams F1 team information

Brawn GP

Race drivers

18. Rubens Barrichello (has 2009 contract)

19. Jenson Button (has 2009 contract)

Test drivers

TBC

Brawn GP F1 team information

Force India F1 Team

Race drivers

20. Adrian Sutil (has 2009 contract)

21. Giancarlo Fisichella (has 2009 contract)

Test drivers

Vitantonio Liuzzi (2008) |

Force India F1 Team information

Other drivers

Alexander Wurz (Honda test driver, 2008)

Mike Conway (Honda test driver, 2008)

Luca Filippi (Honda test driver, 2008)

Marko Asmer (BMW test driver, 2008)

Sakon Yamamoto (Renault test driver, 2008)

Lucas di Grassi (Renault test driver, 2008)

David Coulthard (retiring after 2008) |