Sporting Lisbon (0) Vs Newcastle United (1) |
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Date:
Thursday 14th April 2005
Kick Off: 8.15pm (BST)
Venue: Jose Alvalade Stadium
Ref: Peter Fröjdfeldt (Sweden)
Comp: UEFA Cup Quarter-Final 2nd Leg |
| Pre-Season
Match Preview In Association With Toon
Ale |
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By
Ally
We put our dreadful league campaign aside for another few days as
we travel to Portugal and Cardiff in what is the most important week
of our season to date. The performance against Spurs on Saturday was
typical of an away day with Newcastle but this season we've saved
our best form for the UEFA and FA Cups. To begin with I thought the
NUFC jinx had returned on the injury front, but it appears the Gods
were just playing with our minds! Kluivert, Bramble, Dyer and Given
all boarded the plane to Lisbon.
Last week we beat them 1-0 at St. James's in a rather average performance.
We had plenty of chances to score more goals and should have really
won at least 2-0, but that's in the past now and there is nothing
we can do about it. We kept a valuable clean sheet however which means
that even a draw would see us progress into a Semi-Final with either
AZ or Villareal. Lisbon are likely to be patient and will try to hit
us with a goal to open the tie up again. From our point of view this
would be disastrous and a good defensive performance is needed.
Can O'Brien make it a hat-trick of inept displays? To be fair, he
played well against them last week with Taylor so hopefully he can
again. Taylor is back from suspension and seems certain to start at
centre back after a great game at SJP. He stood out at right back
and even at left-back he's a cracking player but he finally got a
chance in the middle and impressed everyone. He's still got a lot
of learning to do but I'm confident we've got a potential England
player on our hands. However we'd have to avoid our trend of stalling
young players' careers!
Aaron Hughes is suspended for picking up a harsh yellow last week,
but the return of Babayaro from his mysterious injury softens this
loss. The ineligibility of Boumsong in the UEFA Cup and the fact that
Bramble has only just returned means that a defence of Carr, Taylor,
O'Brien and Babayaro should play and in my eyes will be enough to
stop Lisbon. Hopefully Bramble will be fully fit and ready for the
Man Utd game and the training he'll undergo this week will be of great
use to him. Given is a doubt and I wouldn't be surprised if he is
rested for Cardiff, Harper is better than his mistakes on Sunday showed.
As far as the midfield is concerned it will be an interesting selection
from Souness. I'd have expected him to play Butt and Faye in central
midfield for this game with Dyer and Robert out wide. Yet Nicky Butt
has been nothing short of pathetic in the last two games. He doesn't
deserve to play on merit. He was a liability against Spurs and was
rightly substituted. Bowyer and Dyer are obviously available for this
game and now that the hoo-har has died down after the fight I really
wouldn't be surprised to see Bowyer and Faye in central midfield.
If Souness isn't quite willing to forgive & forget then surely JJ
should play there rather than Butt. I'm not getting at Butt as a player
as I think he's a good one, but his recent form is awful. Bowyer is
an attacking outlet for the team, but he can stay in the midfield
and help protect if that's what is needed of him. Obviously I've no
idea of what Souness is thinking but I imagine he'll go with Robert,
Faye, Bowyer and Dyer. Quite what we're going to do on Sunday is a
different matter all together!
Shola Ameobi was poor at the weekend and whilst I don't rate him anyway
at least he is willing to play through the pain barrier, sadly I can't
say the same for our mystery Dutchman. Kluivert has boarded the plane
but there has been such silence on his injury I have no idea if he'll
play or not. On form, Kluivert should partner Shearer but no one seems
to know what's the matter with him. Its a big game though so I wouldn't
be surprised if he played a part, but expect another Ameobi/Shearer
partnership. Its not ideal but hopefully we can nick a goal from either
of these two and stay tight at the back.
Lisbon have their star striker Liedson suspended but Douala returns
from injury. They are certainly no mugs and they'll have some passionate
supporters behind them all the way. They're unlikely to play at a
high tempo so if we get at them from the very start, giving the ball
to our pacy wide players to test their dodgy keeper Ricardo, we've
got a good chance. A vintage attacking performance isn't necessary,
but a goal or two will certainly do my fingernails the world of good!
As I mentioned last week, Middlesbrough were very dominant in Lisbon
and were very unlucky to lose.
Its a massive game and if we win we've got a great chance of winning
the trophy. AZ and Villareal are both good sides but so are we. The
Semi-Final defeat was really hard to take last year, so lets go all
the way this time.
Harper |
Carr |
Taylor |
O'Brien |
Babayaro |
Dyer |
Faye |
Bowyer |
Robert |
| |
Shearer |
Ameobi |
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Newcastle - In many ways, Steven Taylor is the key
to this game. We need to keep a clean sheet in this game and neither
of our usual partnership of Bramble and Boumsong will play so a good
performance from the youngster would be great. We've seen enough of
him to show he can do it, he certainly did it last week and they were
limited to hopeful long shots. Its a big pressure for such a young
lad but Souness seems to trust him.
Lisbon - Roudolphe Douala. The Cameroon international
is a very pacy forward player and a lot of pressure will be on him
due to the absence of Liedson. They've got good players all over the
park, but whenever I've watched them he's really stood out as a threat.
| NUFC Squad, Team News
& Pre-Match Reaction |
Manager Graeme Souness on the game:
"I have some news on the injury front - but I'm not telling you!
"I'm going to keep my cards close to my chest, you'll have to wait
and see what the team is on Thursday night.
"As I said before we left Newcastle, i'm not thinking about the FA
Cup semi final on Sunday, that will have no bearing on my selection
for the Sporting match.
"I am going to send out a team capable of winning the game and getting
through to the semi final of the UEFA Cup.
"We're looking forward to the game. We have a slight advantage, but
it is only slight and we have to finsih the job off now.
"I'd imagine they will be quite clever, they have 90 minutes to score
a goal so they won't be panicking.
"It promises to be an exciting game, and hopefully I will be sitting
here just after 10pm on Thursday having seen the team go through to
the last four."
United Captain Alan Shearer on the match:
"That clean sheet was the best thing to have come out of the first
game.
"They proved to us that they are a decent side, their technical ability
is excellent.
"They have proved to us and to the fans here that their keeping the
ball and their one, two-touch passes is very, very good.
"We are aware of that and they will be strong at that, but we are
also aware that we can score goals against them both in general play
and from set-pieces, and I would be confident that we can do that.
"I do not think they will chase the game - that is not their style
in Portuguese football. I think they will be patient and if it needs
be then they will take it to the last minute.
"But at some stage in the game, they are going to have to come out,
and it will be up to us to try to exploit the gaps.
"But I think looking at the teams left in this competition, we have
a great chance of winning the UEFA Cup, I really do.
"I keep saying it, but if we can get past this round, then we will
have a great chance.
"I said it against Olympiakos, it was the toughest draw we could have
had, but we go there with a decent advantage, and hopefully that will
be enough.
"We are going to have to do it the hard way in both competitions -
but I have never known an easy way to win a cup, have you?"
United squad:
Given, Harper, Caig, Carr, Babayaro, Taylor, Elliott, O'Brien, Bramble,
Ramage, Dyer, Robert, Bowyer, Butt, Faye, Jenas, N'Zogbia, Milner,
Ambrose, Shearer, Ameobi, Kluivert.
| Sporting Lisbon Squad, Team
News & Pre-Match Reaction |
Manager José Peseiro on the game:
"We play the second half of the tie. We are losing 1-0 against
an excellent team, but we want to lift this trophy.
"I'm extremely confident we can get through.
"We have quality players, there's going to be an excellent atmosphere
and we are confident. We are a free-scoring team, and in contrast
to the match last week, we shall impose our game.
"I'd like to see the stadium full, with our fans supporting us
from start to finish, even if we concede a goal, because I'm convinced
that things will go well and we will get through to the next round."
Sporting Lisbon squad:
Ricardo, Rogerio, Beto, Anderson Polga, Rui Jorge, Rochemback, Carlos
Martins, Mota, Pedro Barbosa, Tello, Joao Moutinho, Sa Pinto, Tiago,
Niculae, Miguel Garcia, Mario Sergio, Paito.
It'll be a tough game, but we've got the players to do it. We're on
a bad run of form at the moment and need to replicate the performance
and result shown last Thursday. We're solid enough at the back and
I envisage a 2-0 victory, an early goal from Shearer
and a late winner from Bowyer. Come on lads do it for the fans, we
deserve it! |
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