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UEFA Champions League: Your Running Commentary

A day after Bayern Munich sent a loud message that they are indeed a strong title contender, the UEFA Champions League favorites from Barcelona take the field at the San Siro today to take on AC Milan (2:45pm, Fox Soccer Channel).

Barcelona will be fielding a full-strength lineup today against AC Milan, with the attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi pulling the strings against a Milan defense that will have its hands full. The good news for AC Milan is that star striker Stephan El Sharaawy is healthy and in the starting lineup today.

In Turkey, Galatasaray will take on German side Schalke 04 (2:45pm, MSG+ and Fox Soccer Plus) and they’ll be unveiling former Champions League winners Wesley Snjeider and Didier Drogba against a Schalke side beset by injuries. The Bundesliga club still has some weapons though, including Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Jefferson Farfan, among others.

If you will be watching today’s Champions League action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action.

Comments

  1. Hahahaha Barcelona losing made my day. But its not fair they had more possesion than Milan. Hahaha Barcelona, crying when they win and even more when they dont.

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  2. Jermaine Jones was awesome against Galatasaray both offensively and defensively and that goal was a thing of beauty–and he just about had a goal in the third minute with a hammer shot on target after dribbling around the defender from the corner. Jones touch today was the best I have seen and his passing exceptional. The yellow card he got was a joke. Never seen that before, otherwise Barcelona players would be getting 10 each game.

    And, guess what folks, Jones had a great game with a goal in the CL while playing in a defensive midfield position. I will say it right here and now: Jones is without a doubt the best and most important midfielder on the USMNT and people who will not admit it are in denial.

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    • I love the nastiness JJ brings to the USMNT, and for all his card troubles w/ Schalke, he’s never been expelled from an international match.

      That said, when he and Bradley click (see vs. Scotland) it’s sure something.

      I hope JK does something to keep them both on the pitch together against Costa Rica while still deploying some width and attacking spark.

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  3. I don’t know if Milan deserved to win 2-0, but I know for sure Barcelona deserved to lose 2-0!

    That was the worst “version” of Messi today and a disaster game by Fabregas.

    Barcelona are so dependent on Messi that when he doesn’t show up, they look clueless.

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  4. YES!!!! It is Christmas all over again, now the hard part is to win the second leg at Barelona. Not a great fan of AC Milan, just love the fact they beat the one man team.

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    • You will not find a person who “dislikes” Barca more than I do, but they are by no means a “one man team.” Xavi, Iniesta, and Puyol are incredible players, some of the best ever.

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    • “one man team”…..welcome to soccer, which is clearly a new sport for you YO. A one man soccer team is an oxymoron. The Barcelona organization and team is far far more than a one man team. Most of their players actually came from their own development academy. All their players are international caliber competitors. Messi is a force of nature, but the team without him would still be a top team in the world. I wont bother to name the other quality players on their roster, cause it’s basically all of them. By way of reference, there are two parts to the scoreline, and Messi cant be responsible for both. Thanks for the laugh.

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    • Yeah t he play actually began from a quality turnover that he sparked. Good to see him hustle down the field and finish it off

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      • Oh he did great to start it and I think he doesn’t get as much respect from Americans as he should but he’s not an 8 no matter how much JK wants him to be.

      • Agree 100% he is a DM who can start attacks and get a bit forward to make good passes. He is part DM and part Box to Box. This is where it is nice to have versatility of two positions packaged into one position..nice to have on an international team.

    • Terrible call by the ref. Who gives a yellow card for that? He was fouled, he did not dive or embelish it, he simply turned to the ref and shook his hand to say “that should be a card” for the Gala player, not overly aggressive or loud either. Very mild mannered you see it a few times every match, yet this ref gives him a yellow of it and now he has to watch himself for the rest of the match. Certainly affects his play from now, the ref shouldnt have that impact on the match for something so trivial.

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  5. I like how Schalke’s forwards and midfield is shifting left and right in relation to the position of the ball, they pressure and get near somebody after they lose possession, and find space for each other to pass to after they get the ball back while playing a decent compact game…such a fundamental game…smart and simple.

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  6. Turk Telekom Arena, Galatasaray’s home stadium…

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%BCrk_Telekom_Arena

    is operated by none other than Anschutz Entertainment Group–better known by LA Galaxy fans as AEG. Makes the Drogba move to Galatasaray very interesting.

    Also, the Arena has the world record for loudest fan cheering at a soccer match: 131.76 decibels on March 18, 2011.

    Go Jermaine Jones. Make us proud.

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