Post by Taxigirl on Apr 4, 2006 8:23:04 GMT
soccernet.espn.go.com/preview?id=195620&cc=5739
KO - 19:45 UK - El Madrigal
First Leg: 1 - 2
Champions League debutants Villarreal hope to turn the tables on Inter Milan with a catenaccio-style performance when they host the Serie A side in their quarter-final, second leg on Tuesday.
Inter were the pioneers of door-bolt defending back in the 1960s when they excelled at grinding out 1-0 wins, but it is Villarreal who are more likely to adopt such tactics as they attempt to overturn a 2-1 deficit from last week's first leg.
A 1-0 win will be enough to put the Spaniards through to the semi-finals in their debut season in the continent's elite club competition.
In a dress rehearsal for the Inter match they sneaked a 1-0 victory away to a dominant Real Zaragoza on Saturday with their customary mixture of defensive effectiveness and maximum efficiency in front of goal.
Villarreal were on the ropes for much of the game, but came away from Zaragoza with their first win in five league matches thanks to a sweetly struck free kick from midfielder Roger on the stroke of halftime, the team's first shot on goal.
'It was an efficient performance,' said coach Manuel Pellegrini. 'But football is all about goals and we scored one and hit the post later on.
'Perhaps it was too big a prize for us given how little we got near their goal in the first half, but we played well in the second and didn't give Zaragoza any room to move.'
Villarreal have only lost one of 17 European home games and have kept clean sheets in 13, but their victories in the Champions League have always been by the smallest margin.
In attack they will be looking to Uruguay striker Diego Forlan and playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme to tease open the Inter defence, with the help of either former AC Milan forward Jose Mari or Mexico centre-forward Guillermo Franco.
Their back four will need to be at their very best if they are to shackle Inter's pacy front line and the driving runs of defender Javier Zanetti who was man-of-the-match in the first leg.
The Italians, who crushed Villarreal's regional rivals Valencia 5-1 on their last visit to Spain in the Champions League, fielded just one player from the starting XI against Villarreal in Saturday's 3-0 win over Messina.
Coach Roberto Mancini has to wait for news on Portuguese winger Luis Figo who spent Saturday training alone at the club's Appiano Gentile complex.
Last week Mancini used Brazilian Cesar on the left and Serbian Dejan Stankovic in Figo's slot on the right flank but Argentine Santiago Solari made his claim for a place with two goals against Messina.
Inter had little trouble against Messina with all three of their goals coming in the first 26 minutes and Mancini says he wants to see the same positive attitude in Spain.
'We will have to play like we did on Saturday. We know it will be a tough match but we will have to play to win. The main thing is to qualify, but we will go to Spain to impose our game,' said the Inter coach.
Solari says he is well aware of the challenge facing Inter.
'They are a very Spanish side -- they like to keep possession and they make the most of their quite small pitch. It will be a very tough game for us,' he said.
Probable teams:
Villarreal: 13-Sebastian Viera; 17-Javi Venta, 2-Gonzalo Rodriguez, 16-Quique Alvarez, 3-Rodolfo Arruabarrena; 6-Josico or 18-Alessio Tacchinardi, 19-Marcos Senna, 12-Juan Pablo Sorin, 8-Juan Roman Riquelme, 23-Jose Mari, 5-Diego Forlan
Inter: 1-Francesco Toldo; 4-Javier Zanetti, 2-Ivan Cordoba, 25-Walter Samuel, 33-Pierre Wome; 7-Luis Figo (or 21-Santiago Solari), 14-Juan Sebastian Veron, 19-Esteban Cambiasso, 5-Dejan Stankovic; 10-Adriano, 20-Alvaro Recoba (or 30-Obafemi Martins).
Referee: Kyros Vassaras (Greece)
KO - 19:45 UK - El Madrigal
First Leg: 1 - 2
Champions League debutants Villarreal hope to turn the tables on Inter Milan with a catenaccio-style performance when they host the Serie A side in their quarter-final, second leg on Tuesday.
Inter were the pioneers of door-bolt defending back in the 1960s when they excelled at grinding out 1-0 wins, but it is Villarreal who are more likely to adopt such tactics as they attempt to overturn a 2-1 deficit from last week's first leg.
A 1-0 win will be enough to put the Spaniards through to the semi-finals in their debut season in the continent's elite club competition.
In a dress rehearsal for the Inter match they sneaked a 1-0 victory away to a dominant Real Zaragoza on Saturday with their customary mixture of defensive effectiveness and maximum efficiency in front of goal.
Villarreal were on the ropes for much of the game, but came away from Zaragoza with their first win in five league matches thanks to a sweetly struck free kick from midfielder Roger on the stroke of halftime, the team's first shot on goal.
'It was an efficient performance,' said coach Manuel Pellegrini. 'But football is all about goals and we scored one and hit the post later on.
'Perhaps it was too big a prize for us given how little we got near their goal in the first half, but we played well in the second and didn't give Zaragoza any room to move.'
Villarreal have only lost one of 17 European home games and have kept clean sheets in 13, but their victories in the Champions League have always been by the smallest margin.
In attack they will be looking to Uruguay striker Diego Forlan and playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme to tease open the Inter defence, with the help of either former AC Milan forward Jose Mari or Mexico centre-forward Guillermo Franco.
Their back four will need to be at their very best if they are to shackle Inter's pacy front line and the driving runs of defender Javier Zanetti who was man-of-the-match in the first leg.
The Italians, who crushed Villarreal's regional rivals Valencia 5-1 on their last visit to Spain in the Champions League, fielded just one player from the starting XI against Villarreal in Saturday's 3-0 win over Messina.
Coach Roberto Mancini has to wait for news on Portuguese winger Luis Figo who spent Saturday training alone at the club's Appiano Gentile complex.
Last week Mancini used Brazilian Cesar on the left and Serbian Dejan Stankovic in Figo's slot on the right flank but Argentine Santiago Solari made his claim for a place with two goals against Messina.
Inter had little trouble against Messina with all three of their goals coming in the first 26 minutes and Mancini says he wants to see the same positive attitude in Spain.
'We will have to play like we did on Saturday. We know it will be a tough match but we will have to play to win. The main thing is to qualify, but we will go to Spain to impose our game,' said the Inter coach.
Solari says he is well aware of the challenge facing Inter.
'They are a very Spanish side -- they like to keep possession and they make the most of their quite small pitch. It will be a very tough game for us,' he said.
Probable teams:
Villarreal: 13-Sebastian Viera; 17-Javi Venta, 2-Gonzalo Rodriguez, 16-Quique Alvarez, 3-Rodolfo Arruabarrena; 6-Josico or 18-Alessio Tacchinardi, 19-Marcos Senna, 12-Juan Pablo Sorin, 8-Juan Roman Riquelme, 23-Jose Mari, 5-Diego Forlan
Inter: 1-Francesco Toldo; 4-Javier Zanetti, 2-Ivan Cordoba, 25-Walter Samuel, 33-Pierre Wome; 7-Luis Figo (or 21-Santiago Solari), 14-Juan Sebastian Veron, 19-Esteban Cambiasso, 5-Dejan Stankovic; 10-Adriano, 20-Alvaro Recoba (or 30-Obafemi Martins).
Referee: Kyros Vassaras (Greece)