The draw for the quarter-finals of the Champions League has been made, and there are some delightful matches drawn. Arsenal will play Barcelona – two of the most attractive to watch teams in the world. Manchester United will play Bayern Munich – as a repeat of that great 1999 Champions League Final. Lyon will play […]

The Almería – Barcelona match had not concluded when Real Madrid took to the pitch, but a few minutes into their match with Sevilla, they knew that Barça slipped at the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos and dropped two points with a 2-2 draw against Almería.  Expectations were that Real Madrid would not have the […]

Matchday 3 sees some crucial match-ups but none may be more important at this stage than the Standard Liege – Olympiacos fixture. Arsenal look to be a lock for top spot in Group H but second place is wide open. A win today for Olympiacos would put them in the driver's seat. If they lose […]

This season's Champions League and Europa League has its usual cast of superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribery but I wanted to feature a few names that I think you'll be hearing a lot more about as the January transfer window approaches. 1) Miralem Pjanic — midfielder — Olympique Lyonnais The "new Juninho" […]

After strong showings in the first leg of the playoff round, both Lyon and Arsenal are in a comfortable position to enter the group stage. Lyon can claim a tenth consecutive group-stage appearance unless they completely fall apart. The French club overwhelmed RSC Anderlecht 5-1 last week, while a 2-0 deficit would appear insurmountable for […]

Where does this idea of a European Super League keep coming from? Scratch that, WE know where the idea comes from, The European Club Association, the collective of 135 clubs dotted around Europe, keeps trying to push for this dreadful idea to come into fruition. I can't think of anything I'd rather watch less than […]

Why is Michael Essien so underrated is a mystery to me. I must admit that I was nonplussed about him as a player, knowing next to nothing about him when he signed for Chelsea from Lyon in August 2005 for £24 million. That was in the dark days before I had Setanta and could immerse […]

With only three places left in the next round of this seasons Champions League and with only five teams capable of filling those spots it seems like a good time to look ahead to the draw for the knockout stages. Once again all four English sides look set to qualify for the next round, with […]

Rumours of Tiago Mendes leaving Juventus are circulating, after vacating his home in Turin.  The talented Portuguese midfielder was previously linked to both Tottenham and West Ham United of the English Premier League in January of this year. Tiago, who is a regular in the national team, spent one season at Chelsea after Jose Mourinho took him from Benfica and […]

Alain Perrin, who guided Lyon to their first domestic league and Cup double last season, will be replaced by Lille coach Claude Puel according to reports circulating in the French news media. Nothing official has been posted on the official Olympique Lyonnais website. Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas refused to comment. "No decision has been taken", […]