Avoiding the Drop

The UEFA Cup is back in action today, with the second legs of their Round of 32.  There are some decent fixtures in this round, but I’m not previewing or talking about every one because:

I don’t have the time.

I know nothing about teams like Lech Posznan.

I’m still in awe of Tuesday and Wednesday.

You fill in the choice that works best for you.

So, what’s on tap today?  I’ll talk about the English teams and a few other big names in action, and please visit here to see the live scoring updates from ESPN.

CSKA Moscow v. Aston Villa – Martin O’Neil is following English tradition here, and wimping out.  Well, maybe that’s a bit harsh, but he cares about finishing in the Top 4 in the English Premier League, so he’s fielding a team that could be described as “young”.  Interested observers might describe it as “Please, GOD, don’t let us win, we don’t need any further fixtures clogging up the rest of our season, when we have a chance to make the Champions League and keep the Liverpool dogs away from Gareth Barry for another Summer.”  Or something very similar.  This was 1-1 after the first leg at Villa Park.  I’m sure O’Neil will say regardless of the outcome that his team “fought hard” and that the supporters should “understand the priority here”, but when some of them have paid up to one thousand quid to travel to the Russian capital, to see a team of muppets, it will be hard to shake the feeling that following a footy team all over Hell’s Half-Acre might not be worth it all the time.

Twente Eschede v. Marseille – Please, please, please Jesus/Allah/Buddha, keep Steve McClaren in this competition.  The man is a walking circus.  Twente had a 1-0 advantage after the first leg.

AC Milan v. Werder Bremen – In the continuing saga that is David Beckham, Milan is drawn at 1 with Bremen after the first leg.  Honestly, I have no idea whether or not they’re actually trying to win this thing or if they’re on the Martin O’Neil plan.  One would assume they wouldn’t want to go out to a German side at home, so I’m guessing they’ll give this one at least a cursory effort.   Ancellotti may have to risk the injured Ronaldinho and Kaka if he truly wants to advance, so at least that’s something interesting to keep an eye on.

Manchester City v. FC Copenhagen – This one was 2-2 after the first leg, so again, it’s all at stake here.  City obviously has the advantage in terms of the two away goals, but honestly, I wonder if half of them even realize it.  Citeh really doesn’t have much going on in the EPL and isn’t loaded with fixture congestion since they’ve been bounced out of the FA Cup, so one would guess they’ll go for it as much as they can in this competition.  Mark Hughes needs every good result he can get at this point.

Tottenham Hotspur v. Shaktar Donetsk – One would guess that with Manchester United coming up on Sunday in the Carling Cup final, Harry Redknapp might have considered forfeiting this game if it was at all possible.  He, much like Martin O’Neil, complained long and loud about the fixture pileup this week before picking a squad for this game that might have trouble beating a local pub team.  Being down 2-0 and going on the road isn’t exactly what you’re looking for in a fixture like this either.  The boys know what their up against, and honestly, if the phrase “Don’t go out there and embarass us today” isn’t spoken in Spurs dressing room, then I’m your Aunt Tilly.

Two other games of note today, Hull City hosts Sheffield United this evening in a 5th round FA Cup replay, with the winner getting the winner of the eventual Arsenal/Burnley matchup.  The other game to take note of is in the CONCACAF Champions League, as the final Round of 8 first leg takes place this evening in Puerto Rico.  The Puerto Rico Islanders of the USL take on Marathon of the Honduran league tonight at 8:00 PM EST.

Enjoy today’s footy.  Cheers.