Players should be guaranteed three full days’ rest between matches, the world players’ union FIFPro said on Tuesday, adding that the idea could bolster the much-criticised Europa League.

FIFPro fully backed a study conducted by Dutch coach Raymond Verheijen which said that two days were insufficient and significantly affected a team’s chances of winning.

After studying the results of 27,000 professional matches, Verheijen said he had concluded that rest period of three days “proved sufficient and did not give rise to any noticeable change in the chances during the second match.

FIFPro’s technical director Thys Tummers said the devaluation of the Europa League could be a “direct consequence of the two-day rest periods
“”Clubs in the Europa League that want to gain a place in the highly lucrative Champions League increasingly favour the (domestic) competition in which they can gain qualification for the Champions League and rest their best players for the Europa League fixtures,” he said.

“”This has been the consistent policy of Tottenham Hotspur throughout this season. The team was eliminated in the group stage.

“”Twente Enschede, even though they had a lead of 1-0, fielded a weakened team for their return match at Schalke 04 and were eliminated.

“”This undesirable effect could be avoided in the future by giving players and teams three days’ rest between two matches.” Tummers said there were other reasons for following the recommendations.

“”First, there is the question of fair play. By allowing one club only two rest days, you give the teams an unequal chance of a good result.

“”In addition, we must take care that our players are not overused. First, because of the health of the players, but second, because the public want to see the players perform at their best.

“”That doesn’t happen after just two rest days. It is plausible that the number of injuries is higher after only two rest days; a follow-up study is currently being held into this.”

FIFPro said that Portugal was the only country where players were guaranteed three days’ rest with teams involved in the Europa competition allowed to play their next league matches on the following Monday.

In his study, published last week, Verheijen, who has worked on the coaching staff of the Netherlands, Russia, South Korea and Wales national sides, analysed results of English Premier League teams during the group stage.

“He said: “The eight worst results all came after two-day gaps — Manchester City’s away defeats to both Bayern Munich and Napoli, Manchester United’s home draws against Basel and Benfica, Chelsea’s away draw with Genk and defeat to Leverkusen and Arsenal’s draws with Dortmund and Marseille.

“”The fact that Spurs are still well placed to qualify for the Champions League is absolutely down to Harry Redknapp’s refusal to play his first team in the Europa League last year,” he added.

Verheijen also calculated that Europa League winners Atletico Madrid’s campaign in the competition could have cost them six points in La Liga.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Coming into this season, many expected the UEFA Champions League final to be an all-Spanish affair between Barcelona and Real Madrid. That hasn’t come to pass, as Bayern Munich and Chelsea had other plans.

However, La Liga is still assured of having a European champion this season, as domestic foes Athletic Club and Atletico Madrid will tangle in Wednesday’s Europa League final in Bucharest.

Spanish sides have had a lot of success in the UEFA Cup/Europa League in the last decade, as this year will mark the fifth time in nine seasons that a Spanish side has won Europe’s secondary club competition. Most recently, Atletico Madrid took home the title in 2010, downing Fulham 2-1 in extra time behind a Diego Forlan double.

Get your free football bets at www.freebets.org.uk.

Savior Simeone Spearheads Atletico Revival

This year’s Atletico Madrid side is much, much different than the one that made that successful run two years ago, with many changes coming just in the last year. Atletico sold some top names last summer, as Forlan, Sergio Aguero, and David de Gea all departed for prominent European clubs, and they invested a lot of money on new faces. The most notable of those new faces is Colombian goal machine Radamel Falcao, who will be looking for back-to-back Europa League crowns with two different sides. Last season, he scored a competition-record 17 goals – 18 including the playoff round – including the winner in the final against Braga, as Porto lifted the trophy.

Falcao has put together another fantastic campaign, notching 10 goals in the Europa League and 33 in all competitions, but some of the other new names have had significant roles as well. Forward Adrian, the Golden Boot winner at last summer‘s U21 Euros, has proven to be quite the bargain after moving from relegated side Deportivo La Coruna on a free. He’s matched Falcao‘s 10 Europa League goals, and he has 18 in all competitions. Brazilian playmaker Diego, on loan from VfL Wolfsburg, leads the competition in assists with six, reminding all why he was rated so highly a few years ago.

The most important signing, however, has been in the technical area. Former Atletico star Diego Simeone – yes, the Diego Simeone – replaced Gregorio Manzano as manager in December, and the change has paid big dividends.

In the league, Atletico head into the final weekend on a five-match unbeaten run and still in contention for a Champions League place, as they are only two points behind fourth-placed Malaga. And in Europe, Atletico have impressively won all eight of their matches in the knockout round. After dispatching Lazio, Besiktas, and Hannover 96 all home and away to reach the semis, they did the same to compatriots Valencia, following up a 4-2 home win with a 1-0 win at the Mestalla, recording their first away win of any kind against Valencia since 2003. That’s an achievement made all the more impressive by the fact that Atletico have all of three away wins in the league this season.

Their impressive run has booked the sixth European final in the club’s history, adding to one European Cup final, the victorious UEFA Cup final, and three Cup Winner’s Cup finals. But as impressive as they‘ve been in reaching the final, they’ve perhaps been somewhat overshadowed by Athletic‘s achievements.

Bielsa Brings Belief to Bilbao

Athletic’s only previous European final was in 1977, when they lost on away goals to Juventus in the UEFA Cup final, and they haven’t seen a ton of success since their domestic league and cup double under Javier Clemente in 1983-84. Cue former Argentina and Chile manager Marcelo Bielsa, who took the helm last summer. For much of the season, Athletic were in the thick of the race for a Champions League place, and after not winning a trophy since the Spanish Super Cup in 1984, Athletic now have a chance to win two in quick succession, as they will end their season against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final.

And what a season it’s been for the youthful side. Not only have they achieved as much as they have, they’ve done it with many an impressive attacking performance. The performances that catapulted them into the consciousness of many football fans came in the round of 16 against Manchester United, who were stunningly dispatched 3-2 at Old Trafford and 2-1 at San Mames. As impressive as those scorelines are, they could and perhaps should have been even bigger, as Athletic thoroughly dominated United over the two legs.

This side may not be filled with experience, but its fearlessness and confidence is to be admired. They weren’t intimidated against United, and they weren’t fazed by having to overturn first-leg losses in the round of 32 against Lokomotiv Moscow and in the semis against Sporting Lisbon. Those deficits were successfully negotiated, and they also came back from 2-1 down to win 4-2 at Schalke in the first leg of their quarterfinal tie.

It’s easy to be fearless and confident when you have the quality that Athletic have in their ranks. How long the side stays intact remains to be seen, as this run has only intensified the interest that top European clubs have in Athletic’s numerous bright talents. Seven of their primary starters are 24 or younger, and several of those young stars have been linked with elite clubs. Iker Muniain and Javi Martinez were already well on the radar before this season, but Oscar de Marcos, Ander Herrera, and Markel Susaeta have also seen their stock soar thanks in part to their excellent performances in Athletic’s Europa League run.

The emergence of their mass of young talent has helped make Athletic more of a complete team, and it’s also freed up one of their ‘old’ players to be even more dangerous than he already was. Fernando Llorente has been considered one of the top strikers in Spain for a while and has been linked with some big-money moves himself, but this is his best season yet. He’s scored 29 goals in all competitions, including seven in the Europa League. His most recent goal might be the most important one of his career, as it was the decisive goal in Athletic’s dramatic 4-3 aggregate win against Sporting. This could be a big, big few months for Llorente, as he could have a prominent role for Spain at the Euros and will almost certainly be a prominent name in this summer’s transfer rumors.

Final Prediction

With an abundance of attacking talent on both sides, we would seem to be in for a few goals on Wednesday, and the numbers are certainly in favor of such. Including the qualifying rounds, Atletico Madrid have scored 40 goals in the competition, while Athletic have scored 28. Of course, cup finals are often not nearly as entertaining as they should be, due to caginess or sloppy play, but it would only be right if these two play out an open, goal-filled game.

If they do, it will only further the positive attention the Europa League has garnered this season. The competition is often enough dismissed, but thanks in part to these two sides, this year’s edition has been well worth watching, even with Manchester rivals United and City, who came into the competition at the round of 32, both being dumped out in the round of 16. Tuesdays and Wednesdays will always be king, but there have been many thrilling Thursdays this season.

How will the competition be capped off? Will Falcao win back-to-back Europa League titles, or will Athletic end a memorable run with the club’s first European trophy? Atletico are slight favorites, but with what they’ve shown to this point, who can bet against Bielsa and the boys from Bilbao?

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

According to Castrol EDGE Performance analysis 34% of Stoke City’s attempts on goal in the Europa League this season have been headers.

The English team have been put down for only posing a threat from set pieces and long balls, a view backed up by 14 of Stoke’s 41 shots in this season’s Europa League being headers. Only Ireland’s Shamrock Rovers have such a high percentage of headed attempts.

However, Stoke seem to have found considerable success with their direct tactics in European competition and go into the 5th matchday on top of their group requiring only a draw to qualify for the next round.

In this season’s Europa League, Stoke City are the team that have attempted the fewest passes (1161) and have also attempted the fewest in the opposition half (624).

On top of this the English team have had only 1888 touches of the ball in the 2011/12 Europa League group stages, by far the least of all the teams in the competition.

Yet, despite having an approach to football that requires little technique, Stoke’s other aspects of the game are well honed and quite possibly the key to their success in this year’s Europa League.

Tony Pulis’s side have launched more  successful long balls than any other team (70)  and also have the most precise long ball delivery (59.3%) in the 2011/12 Europa League.

To add to this, Stoke City also have the most precise crosses in the competition with 37.1% of them reaching team mates.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Stoke City continue to impress in their debut European season, as a 2-1 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel on Thursday night sees Tony Pulis’ side on the brink of qualification from Group E of the Europa League.

Second half goals from Dean Whitehead and Peter Crouch gave the visitors the three points, and one more positive result will see The Potters progress.

The introduction of Crouch for Jonathan Walters on the hour mark shows the strength in depth that Pulis now can call upon, and the England international got the all-decisive match winning goal. Soccer stats show the lanky hitman’s eye for goal in Europe; he is now the Britannia Stadium club’s top goalscorer in the tournament, and despite struggling domestically last season for Tottenham, scored some integral goals on the continent for Harry Redknapp’s men.

Stoke’s heroics are made all the more impressive by the group that they have been dealt, with Besiktas and Dynamo Kiev both seasoned European competitors. The fact that all three other pool sides are based in Eastern Europe means that Pulis’ men have had to overcome the travel aspect of the games, which so far has not been a problem.

The key to beating Tel Aviv in Israel was Stoke’s domination of the midfield, with the returning Wilson Palacios, Salif Diao and goalscorer Whitehead grasping the game by the scruff of the neck and foiling the home side’s attacks. Despite Tel Aviv being the weakest side in the group, travelling to play in Israel is never an easy feat, given the geography and atmosphere at the game.

The effort of the Stoke players showed exactly how much they wanted to win the tie, and this is refreshing given other clubs such as Spurs fielding weakened teams in the tournament.

Pulis told Sky Sports after the game:

“I thought the lads were brilliant tonight.

“The balance looked good. There was a bit of a lapse at the end but that’s a little bit of tiredness I think. I’m very pleased. They huffed and puffed a little bit but I thought we coped with it smashing.”

Stoke must now be careful not to let their European efforts hinder their English Premier League form, as after the previous four games in the Europa League, Tony Pulis’ men have lost the next domestic match and most recently this Sunday at the Reebok Stadium where they lost 5-0 to Bolton.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The draw for the group stages of this season’s Europa League has thrown up a number of difficult and interesting challenges for England’s representatives, with qualification through to the knock-out stages far from assured. This term it will be up to Tottenham, Fulham, Stoke and Birmingham to do the nation proud, and test their wits against some cultured European opposition.

Tottenham were drawn in Group A, and have been given one opponent on their doorstep, and two on the other side of the continent. Shamrock Rovers, Rubin Kazan and PAOK FC will look to further frustrate Spurs fans after their slow start to the campaign, and will have taken comfort in Harry Redknapp’s men being outplayed and beaten by both Manchester clubs in the space of six days.

The Russians will provide the most difficult opponent, and were unlucky not to make the Champions League; Kurban Berdyev’s side lost out narrowly to Lyon in the qualifiers. The Tsentrainyi Stadion is a hostile environment to enter, and a host of Russian internationals and familiar face Obafemi Martins will make the away tie in particular increasingly difficult. PAOK are not the force of past decades, but, like the Russians will make the away leg uncomfortable. The Irish champions will be sure to put up a fight in the emerald isle, but may find similar treatment to that distributed to Hearts in the qualifying round forthcoming at White Hart Lane.

Stoke have arguably got the most difficult task in front of them, with their fans looking for all inclusive holidays in the far-fetched lands of Israel, Turkey and Ukraine; Maccabi Tel Aviv, Besiktas and Dinamo Kiev lie in wait. Tony Pulis will be happy he has Wilson Palacios and Peter Crouch at his disposal, in what should be a tricky campaign. The Turks have European calibre and experience, and will look to capitalise on Tony Pullis’ outfit’s lack of past action in the continent. Stoke’s direct style of play will be countered by a technically gifted midfield trio of ex-Real Madrid playmaker Guti and Portugal international duo Ricardo Quaresma and Simao Sabrosa.

Kiev are top of the Ukranian Premier League currently have attacking options that could be the downfall of the side from the Britannia, with Andriy Shevchenko and international team-mate Andriy Yarmolenko sure to cause Ryan Shawcorss and company problems. Tel Aviv meanwhile will be the least threatening member of the trio, but the distance to the away leg will ensure a win is not guaranteed.

Fulham have a mixed group comprising Twente, OB Odense and Wisla Krakow. The Dutch side crashed out of the Champions League qualifiers at the hands of Benfica, but have a strong team; despite this a deadline day move saw Bryan Ruiz swap De Grolsch Veste for Craven Cottage, which could be the difference between the sides. OB were unlucky not to make the group stage of the top tournament, as they were eliminated by Spaniards Villarreal, despite winning the first leg. Krakow offer up an unpredictable element, but should not be underestimated as they are Poland’s current champions.

Birmingham may find the going tough especially with a squad depleted after relegation and will most likely focus on their domestic fixtures in an attempt to make it back to the English top flight, rather than a European adventure. Club Brugge and last year’s defeated finalists Braga should be too strong for The Championship side, who will target the fixtures against Slovenian outfit Maribor as winnable games.

The English sides will travel to the four corners of the continent in this year’s group stage, have drawn difficult opponents, and will have to be at the top of their game if they are to progress.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

When Tottenham stepped off the pitch at Tynecastle, having subjected a Hearts team who finished in 3rd place in the SPL last season – and briefly looked to challenge the Old Firm duopoly – the laments for the state of Scottish football were loud and numerous.

It’s not hard to see how this position came about, and as usual, it’s all about money. The club finishing top of the SPL can expect to gain around £2million from TV rights and prize money, whereas the club finishing bottom of the English Premier League will gain around £40million. And it’s as bad in all small nations: Ajax’s European record in recent years is worse than Celtic’s, and the Dutch league receives just 100m Euros a season, a twelfth of the Premier League. Rangers and Celtic are among Europe’s top twenty clubs for matchday income – these are clubs that have done nothing wrong besides being based in their own countries. So what can be done

There’s been much talking about the new Financial Fair Play laws about to be introduced to football. The idea, a direct response to the actions of Chelsea and Manchester City, has been ushered in with the purpose of preventing billionaires from artifically boosting clubs with unsustainable levels of spending. It’s not as cynical as the reigning powers burning the ladder that they ascended to the top – preventing clubs from racking up dangerous levels of debt is a noble goal. But when they come into power, the 518 million or so people who live in European countries outside the ‘big five’ of Spain, England, France, Italy and Germany will feel short-changed, for It will do nothing to address the slow decline that their clubs have suffered.

These clubs still compete in Europe, though only nominally. Since Porto’s triumph in 2004 – a feat for which the club was rewarded by seeing their team instantly dismantled by Europe’s giants – no team from outside the big five leagues has come close to winning the Champions League. Instead, they are often relegated to the dreaded Europa League ,where European has-beens scrap around for a competition that most see as a distraction. The rewards on offer barely register compared to the Champions League – a game between Ajax and Juventus in the group stages of the Champions League is worth many times more than if the two clubs met in a Europa League Semi-Final.

And it’s not just the big clubs that have felt this. Rangers and Celtic have visibly declined over the years, but the gap between the Old Firm and the rest of the league has not diminished. The ‘trickle-down effect’ of money being poured in at the top may be as dubious as it’s supposed social equivalent, but there’s no doubting the impact in prestige. If up-and-coming players don’t want to go to Celtic, they certainly don’t want to go to Kilmarnock.

If there is some hope to be had, it’s that things cannot continue this way forever. Even with the vast TV deals of the big nations, the levels of spending being seen by some clubs are unsustainable. Wages are increasing at a phenomenal rate, and basic economics will tell you that the bubble will burst at some point. Whether it’ll be a slow shuffling decline or a cataclysmic financial apocalypse, we don’t know. But it will happen.

Anyone investing in a football club now is like a property investor of a few years back – making the mistake of assuming that prices will continue to go up and up. Yet football, like all markets, fluctuates. This has been masked by new income sources, but it cannot keep going forever. The limit appears to already have been reached with ticket prices, and when the decline does begin, European football will have to reorder itself on more sustainable terms. But until then, clubs from smaller nations will find themselves like their fans – priced out of the game. We cannot know the future, but when the present is bleak certainty, change can’t come soon enough.

Written by Callum Hamilton from Surreal Football.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Three games. Fifteen goals. Even after a sloppy start in which they allowed Villareal to go in 1-0 up at half-time, FC Porto insisted on being brilliant. Having scored five in each leg against Spartak Moscow, Andre Villas Boas’ all-conquering cohort decided to repeat the trick in just one half against Villareal to set up a final against either Benfica or Braga.

For once this season, Porto fans were forced to suffer a little as a surprisingly abject first-half display, during which centre-backs Rolando and Otamendi went for an evening stroll which allowed Cani the space to put Villareal in front, meant the newly-crowned Portuguese champions went in 1-0 down at the break. Normal service was resumed in the second-half, however; Radamel Falcao scored from the spot to level the score before Freddy Guarin made a characteristic run into the box, shot from an angle and headed home the rebound from Diego Lopez’s save. Falcao then sandwhiched a predatory finish, after some excellent play down the right from Hulk, in between two bullet headers to give himself fourteen goals overall in the competition.

The other Semi-Final, an all-Portuguese affair, was much tighter. Having hit the post in the first-half, Benfica went ahead through centre-back Jardel, before Braga captain Vandinho levelled the score three minutes later. Oscar Cardozo then struck a beautiful free-kick to win the game for Benfica, but the tie looks delicately balanced. Braga’s away goal, coupled with Benfica’s struggles on their travels in the Europa League this season and their poor recent record at Braga, would suggest that this one is far from over.

Whoever Porto are dealt in the final, however, Villas Boas will fancy his chances of emulating Jose Mourinho by winning Europe’s ‘other’ major competition in his first full season, given his team’s utter dominance of domestic football this year. Having hammered Benfica 5-0 (what other scoreline could it have been?) at the Estadio do Dragao earlier in the season, they then beat  Benfica on their own patch twice in two weeks to guarantee the league title and turn around a 2-0 deficit in the domestic cup Semi-Final. This being the Benfica who are already guaranteed to finish second ahead of Braga.

In the meantime, Portuguese football can celebrate one of its greatest successes. Although Portuguese teams have reached fifteen major European finals at club level, this will be the first all-Portuguese affair in the final of a major tournament. It is, ultimately, the expression of the fact that the Portuguese, after decades of occasional highs amid years of disappointment, can finally lay claim to being one of football’s major forces for the first time since the 1960s. Since 2000, the country has hosted a European Championship and reached the final, appeared in a further semi-final and quarter-final of the same competition, and reached the World Cup Semi-Final. Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo have each been voted the best player in the world, Jose Mourinho is almost unanimously viewed as the wold’s best manager and, excluding this year, Portuguese clubs have appeared in three major finals.

Whether the likes of Radamael Falcao, Hulk and Rolando decide to stay together to mount a Champions’ League campaign next year remains to be seen. Given that Portuguese football has lost the likes of David Luiz, Ramires, Angel di Maria, Raul Meireles and Bruno Alves in the past year alone, one would imagine that the three Europa League adventurers will probably need to rebuild their teams once more in time for next season. In the meantime, there’s a major trophy to play for.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

With Birmingham City already securing one of the Europa League places and another going to either Bolton Wanderers or Stoke City, finishing 5th place in the Premier League is the only remaining method to bag yourself a place in Europe this season.

After Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Manchester City on Monday night, it would seem they have made a late surge for this position. However, would it do Liverpool any harm if they fail to qualify?

Current Squad

With the current lack of depth to Liverpool’s squad, do they really need an additional 18 games? Is one transfer window enough to strengthen a squad that could be capable of challenging for a Champions League spot whilst having a successful run in the Europa League?

WIthout having to trek to old Soviet countries and through Eastern Europe, it would certainly allow Dalglish, the potential full-time Liverpool Manager, the capacity to field his strongest and fittest starting eleven every week.

This season’s Europa League campaign saw Liverpool travel to Rabotnički (Macedonia), Trabzonspor (Turkey), Napoli (Italy) , Steaua Bucureşti (Romania), Utrecht (Holland), Sparta Prague (Czech Republic) and Braga (Portugal). Although various youth players have gained experience, it has taken a toll on the senior players who have had to cope with playing the following weekend. For what it was worth, the stress of travelling and the strain of playing on a Thursday night prior to a weekend fixture has not been beneficial to the squad Liverpool currently has. It has been duly noted that as a consequence of mid-week fixtures, Liverpool have suffered losses such as 3-0 to Manchester City, 3-2 against Manchester United, 1-2 home to Blackpool and 3-1 away to West Ham.

Facing the Reality

Having no European football would be a dent to Liverpool’s pride as it would be the first time they have failed to qualify in Europe since the 1999-2000 season. However besides the added incentive of the financial gain, the Europa League brings no excitement, no prestige and no care. Do Liverpool fans really get excited at the prospect of playing a home tie against Sporting Braga or an away trip to Sparta Prague? Furthermore, since the reform to the Europa League, which is essentially a watered down version of the Champions League, big clubs have lost all their competitive nature for the second rate European competition.

The Future

Liverpool need to be playing in the Champions League; for the good of the club and for the good of the country. With Andy Carroll signing for Liverpool, it is essential he grows as a player through the experience provided from the Champions League. He is more than likely to be the future spearhead to England’s attack with Wayne Rooney in the coming years and the best way in ending England’s wait for a second World Cup is to be seeing many homegrown players competing in the Champions League.

The only concern Liverpool should have if they fail to qualify is the future of Pepe Reina. He is arguably the most consistent goalkeeper in the Premiership and with Manchester United on the prowl looking to find a replacement for Van der Saar, if Liverpool are to succeed next season, it is vital that Reina remains their number one. Pepe is an ambitious player. He has dreams of returning to the big stage and there will be only so much he can take of Europa League football.

I’m not advocating that it would be disastrous and pointless for Liverpool if they qualify, I am simply saying it won’t be the end of the world.

You can follow the author on Twitter.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

These are unchartered waters for Portuguese football. With the national economy in tatters (and crippling international loans looking ever more likely), its football clubs are putting on a remarkable show in the Europa league, in which three Portuguese clubs are all in a strong position to advance to the Semi-Finals.

‘Can We Pay in Goals?’, asked sports daily A Bola after the dazzling displays from Porto and Benfica last night yielded nine goals between them. No bailouts required (though Benfica could do with finding a buy for hapless goalkeeper Roberto, whose gaffes are becoming as ritualistic as the eagle which is flown around the stadium before every home game) on another comfortable night for Portuguese sides in Europe.

The Portuguese are finding that there are some perks to their unwanted relegation in the UEFA league rankings. Porto, who a couple of years ago might have been in the Champions’ League having finished third in the domestic championship, instead qualified for a tournament which many would argue is beneath Andre Villas Boas’ all-conquering team; Benfica, on the other hand, made the Champions’ League but have found that a financial policy of mining Latin America for fresh talent, developing and then selling it and replacing it with fresh recruits means it may take a few months to settle into the gruelling rhythms of elite European competition every season. Their disappointing third place at the group stage saw them drop into the Europa League along with Braga.

So, Portugal have three top-class sides in a competition supposedly designed for European football’s nearly men. It certainly showed last night as Porto made light work of Spartak Moscow (who themselves were in the Champions’ League earlier this season), a Radamel Falcao hat-trick helping them to a 5-1 win. Benfica, meanwhile, made mincemeat of PSV Eindhoven, providing a packed Estadio da Luz with a festival of football during their 4-1 victory. Braga, who surprised many by overcoming Liverpool in the previous round, took a 1-1 draw from Dynamo Kiev which gives them an advantage going into the second leg.

The ties are by no means over, particularly for Braga. Dynamo Kiev, arguably the strongest of the three who played against Portuguese opposition last night, will feel that they can go to Portugal and take a result in the way that fellow countrymen Shakhtar Donetsk did earlier in the season – especially given that unlike Benfica and Porto, Braga’s league position is not guaranteed.

However, it would appear that the biggest threat to Portuguese hegemony in Europe’s ‘other’ major competition will come from across the border. Villareal, who matched Porto’s achievement last night with a 5-1 win over Twente Enschede (completing a wretched evening for Holland’s top two sides, by the way), are in great form in La Liga and look more than able to hold their own against anything coming out of Portugal this season. The Spanish club’s meteoric rise from obscurity over the past decade has been nothing short of outstanding, and whilst the current crop are not quite a match for the side which came within a penalty miss of the Champions’ league Final in 2006, they boast an array of quality players in their own right. A team which can claim a front pair of Nilmar and Giuseppe Rossi, with backed up by Spanish internationals like Cazorla, Marchena and Capdevilla will always be in with a shout at this stage of the competition.

Whatever happens, though, this has been an historic year for Portuguese football. Although Benfica disappointed in the Champions’ League, this was the first year in which three Portuguese teams were present in the quarter-finals of a major European competition. They have come close to an all-Portuguese final before, of course; in 2003, Jose Mourinho had been hoping that Porto’s city rivals Boavista would overcome Celtic in their Semi-Final, but it was not to be. This time around, with rife unemployment, inflation and falling salaries, a country in which ‘Did you see the game last night?’ is as commonplace an icebreaker as the state of the weather is in England would receive an enormous morale boost should their clubs meet in the latter stages of a major European competition.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The final eight for the Europa League has been assembled, and surprisingly no club from England or Italy will feature in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, for the first time in their history, Portugal will be represented by three sides in the final eight of the same UEFA competition, with Porto, Benfica and Braga all in with a chance of advancing.

Here is the quarter-final schedule:

7 April and 14 April

Porto v Spartak Moscow
Benfica v PSV Eindhoven
Villarreal v Twente
Braga v Dynamo Kiev

And the semi-final draw:

Here’s a look at the four mouth-watering quarter-final ties, and how they will be won and lost next month.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News