PANATHINAIKOS V INTER

[hellas_08]

what: uefa champions league group stage
where : OAKA STADIUM (olympic stadium) athens greece
when : athens: 20.45 tuesday night
adelaide: 3.15am wednesday morning

tv: ert world ( not confirmed yet)
rai international (not confirmed yet)

panathinaikos FC make their return to the UEFA Champions League after a two-year absence hoping to inflict another losing start on opponents FC Internazionale Milano.

• Inter have opened their campaign with a defeat in the last two seasons, going down 1-0 away at the start of both the last two tournaments – to Fenerbahçe SK in 2007/08 and Sporting Clube de Portugal the previous season. As a result, the Italian champions will be on their guard when they visit the OACA Spyro Louis Stadium, where Panathinaikos have lost to Italian visitors only once out of four games in Europe's premier club tournament.

• That came in the 2005/06 group stage, the last time an Italian club visited in the competition, when Udinese Calcio won 2-1. Before that, the Greek side had defeated Juventus 3-1 in the 2000/01 first group stage, drawn 0-0 with UC Sampdoria in the 1991/92 third round and held Juve 1-1 in the 1961/62 preliminary round. In total, Panathinaikos have played host to Italian visitors eight times in UEFA club competition, winning three, drawing three and losing twice.

• Henk ten Cate's side, who are launching their eighth UEFA Champions League campaign, will be hoping to improve on their disappointing recent group-stage record. Between 2003 and 2006, they came third in their section twice and fourth once. Their best UEFA Champions League achievement to date was reaching the 1995/96 semi-finals.

• Finishing third in the Super League in 2007/08 left Panathinaikos needing to qualify for the group stage and they achieved that feat thanks to a 3-1 aggregate defeat of AC Sparta Praha. Štěpán Kučera's own goal and Mozambique international Simão put the Greek side 2-1 ahead after the away leg and Rodrigo Souza sealed their passage with the only strike of the home game a minute from time.

• In the second qualifying round, goals in Athens from Andreas Ivanschitz and two from Dimitris Salpingidis set Panathinaikos up for a comfortable aggregate victory against FC Dinamo Tbilisi. The return ended 0-0.

• After last season's disappointing UEFA Champions League experience, when he left Chelsea FC following their 1-1 home draw with Rosenborg BK on Matchday 1, new Inter coach José Mourinho will be hoping for a longer stay on Europe's top stage. A winner in 2003/04 winner with FC Porto, his first game back in the competition brings him face to face with Ten Cate, who worked at Stamford Bridge last season as an assistant to Avram Grant, the man appointed to succeed Mourinho.

• Mourinho has joined a club with a huge desire to dominate the continent as they did in 1963/64 and 1964/65, when they won back-to-back European Champion Clubs' Cups. This is the Nerazzurri's ninth attempt to win the UEFA Champions League and their sixth successive season in the group stages. Their best achievement to date came in 2002/03, when they reached the semi-finals only to lose to city rivals AC Milan, who went on to lift the trophy. In the last two seasons, Inter's hopes were extinguished in the first knockout round, while their two previous campaigns ended at the quarter-final stage.

• Liverpool FC got the better of Inter in the 2007/08 last 16, winning 2-0 at Anfield and wrapping things up with a 1-0 victory at San Siro. After losing their first group fixture, Roberto Mancini's team had proceeded to win their remaining five games to top the section. If they repeat that feat again in Group B, it will be the fourth time they have finished as group winners in the last five campaigns.

• These opponents will stir fond memories for Mourinho because Panathinaikos were one of the sides his Porto team defeated en route to lifting the UEFA Cup in 2003. Meeting in the quarter-finals, the Greek team won 1-0 away from home to make themselves favourites to go through only for Porto to hit back to win 2-0 in Athens.

• Inter's previous three trips to Athens have all been to play AEK Athens FC, with a defeat and a draw sandwiching a 1-0 success in the 1986/87 UEFA Cup first round.

• In the other group game, Werder Bremen take on competition debutants Anorthosis Famagusta FC.



FC Internazionale Milano midfielder Dejan Stanković will miss the UEFA Champions League match at Panathinaikos FC after sustaining a knee injury during Serbia's 2-1 FIFA World Cup qualifying loss in France on Wednesday.

Examination
Stanković, who turned 30 on Thursday, had to leave the field after only four minutes following a collision with Thierry Henry. The former S.S. Lazio and FK Crvena Zvezda player returned to Italy and underwent tests which revealed sprained ligaments in his right knee. Although the injury is not as serious as initially feared, he will not travel to Athens for the Group B opener on Tuesday. Inter have lost Chile midfielder Luis Antonio Jiménez for the first two Matchdays with a torn muscle in his left thigh.


i say 1-0 to PAO

with ninis to score

[Fenerbahçe]

Impossible is nothing, but I still say Inter.

[Pao Thyra 13]

i reckon 0-0 or 1-0 to Pao, if we where to win i would say that Salpigidis would score.

[Piola]

Just a touch of bias?

Inter's squad on paper is in Europe's top 3 or so. Mourinho was brought in to improve the tactical side of things that Mancini lacked.

Inter probably won't play hot football but PAO will be very lucky to scrape a point, even at home.

[Fenerbahçe]

Just a touch of bias?

Inter's squad on paper is in Europe's top 3 or so. Mourinho was brought in to improve the tactical side of things that Mancini lacked.

Inter probably won't play hot football but PAO will be very lucky to scrape a point, even at home.

And thats why we beat them 1-0 last season.

Oh yeah, and if it wasnt for Inter keeper Julio Cesar it wouldve been 5plus-0.

[Fenerbahçe]

Oh and I was wondering if Inter were a Italian side or not, because half of their players were Argentinian and the rest other parts of South America.

[Piola]

this is a different Inter IMO, and besides Fenerbahce were extremely strong at home

as to how Italian Inter are, an interista would say look no further than the owner of the club - Moratti family, still staying true to the club's principles of the last 100 years.

at least most real Italians hope our national side doesn't follow the Turkish example and start naturalizing Brasilians like Amauri. We don't need the oriundi as much as you

[Pao Thyra 13]

Just a touch of bias?

Inter's squad on paper is in Europe's top 3 or so. Mourinho was brought in to improve the tactical side of things that Mancini lacked.

Inter probably won't play hot football but PAO will be very lucky to scrape a point, even at home.

Not even one touch of bias Il Duce,
If you look at our performance's in Europe at home we are a top side, we drew 0-0 with barcelona at home the year barca won the champions league, we drew 2-2 with Arsenal a few years back and in 2001/02 we actually beat Arsenal 1-0 at home. So with our clubs European Histroy at home we are definetly up there.

[Fenerbahçe]

at least most real Italians hope our national side doesn't follow the Turkish example and start naturalizing Brasilians like Amauri. We don't need the oriundi as much as you

At least Aurelio knows the Turk anthem word for word

unlike Camoranesi

[Piola]

Camo is fine, he has Italian heritage. Amauri doesn't, he can faark off.'


PAO have a decent home record, that's fine, all well and good to beat those powerhouses, but remember it didn't stop Udinese from taking all 3 points

so yeh, I'm no interista, couldn't care less if they lose, just stressing the point that Mourinho was brought in so the side actually does something in Europe this year, face it, Mancio was never going to lead them to a CL title.

[The Kop]

inter comfortably.
havent been impressed by PAO, in preseason in CL qualifiers or against AEK.

for all these average midrange players they bought (Xristodoulopoulos, Cleyton, Rukavina, Moon, Petropoulos, etc) that cost around 12m, they could have fixed up their obvious weakness.......central defence.
(still suss on Souza and Gabriel too).

Best left back in the league, best central mid combo in the league......but lacking everywhere else.

No team playing Vyntra at centre back, let alone in his preferred position of right back will take points of Inter Milan, simple as that......Same can be said for Sarregai aswell.

The biggest mistake Patera and the new PAO managment made was not getting Kyrgiakos, he would have signed for PAO for less than what he signed for AEK.

[Pao Thyra 13]

Kyriakos didnt come to us beacause he isn't on good terms with tzigger.

[delfino_1936]

Pao 0-2 Inter

[totsreds08]

lets not kid ourselves here. inter have the best if not best 2nd best squad in europe and will destroy panathinakos 4-1. quaresma -1, mancini -1, ibra-2

[olympiakos]

inter will win this easily, no doubt about it

[Translator]

any result is possible early in especially away from home. Inter to top the group with two games in hand like last year.

I don't expect Inter to "click" until January

[COLOSSUS]

I agree with translator, Inter wont start firing up till January, therefor they should beat the scum of Pana by only 4 goals to begin with

[Fenerbahçe]

At least PAO are in the CL, unlike other Greek teams losing to Cypriot sides.

especially Anorthosi - Olympiakos made me crack up badly.

[olympiakos]

At least PAO are in the CL, unlike other Greek teams losing to Cypriot sides.

especially Anorthosi - Olympiakos made me crack up badly.

yeh i thought it was hilarious too

[Panathinaikos]

panathinaikos wont lose at home to Inter

[The Waterboy]

Inter to win by more than 3 goals

with quaresma, ibrahimovic and now Mourinho coaching them, they wont lose to PAO

[olympiakos]

panathinaikos wont lose at home to Inter

oh yes they will

[Muslimovic]

Panathinaikos are pretty crap in Greece but in europe they seem to beat the best teams while as Olympiakos just make stupid embarrising attempts

something weird about that

[hellas_08]

guys if u wanna watch the matc on the internet in greek commentary http://www.justin.tv/antileech is probably showin the match. if not by wednesday mornin i will find a different stream

[totsreds08]

inter won't wait til jan to click. their squad is better now and will destroy. inter vs chelsea final unless they meet earlier

[Muslimovic]

i hate Athenian clubs in Greece but i europe i hope Panathinaikos and AEK do well.

very annoyed with AEK and Aris getting knocked out to small teams though. They did very well in europe last year. Hopefully Panathinaikos do the double to teh Italian champions.

Good luck Vazelos

[Piola]

inter won't wait til jan to click. their squad is better now and will destroy. inter vs chelsea final unless they meet earlier

No, they'll hit their peak in January.

[hellas_08]

greek commentary

greek football channel
http://www.justin.tv/widgets/jtv_live.r ... k_football

greecesport channel

http://www.justin.tv/widgets/jtv_live.r ... reecesport

info all of the myp2p website:
http://myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=18414&part=sports

[Madridista612]

Last time Mourinho coached in Europe I believe it was a 1-0 loss to Rosenborg at Stamford Bridge. Quaresma is one of those players that I think is going to get on a lot of people's nerves if he can't be controlled, I remember one incident in particular at Euro 2008 where Scolari was trying to tell him something and Quaresma just dismissed him. If he does that to Mourinho he's going to see a lot of bench time, and in turn Mourinho is going to see a lot of public tantrum time. Having said that I think Inter should do the job, 1-0 or so, as for people saying that have one of the best squads in Europe....1. Chelsea 2. FC Barcelona 3. Manchester United 4. Inter in my opinion.

[GATE13]

Well what can i say, although we lost 2-0, today we proved to everyone who saw the match what PAO is made of. We dominated the match especially the second half. first half I'll say was quite even and the Inter goal came from Ibrahimovic's class / our mistake we still had our chances though hitting the crossbar just before the end of the first half. But my oh my second half Inter were nowhere and we were all over them with Inter being very lucky not to concede on various occasions by the end of it we went all out and took defenders out for strikers and we were caught pushing everyone forward in the we'll either score or concede mentality in the last 5 mins.

The stats speak for themselves....

19-10 on shots for panathinaikos
7-4 corners for panathinaikos
50-50 on possession

PAO played their hearts out today, Inter can count themselves lucky... although people predicted an Inter win they also predicted Inter dominance and thats where they were very wrong, very very wrong. Lets just hope PAO keeps playing like that in the group phases and if they do they can definetely progress from this group especially after Bremen drew to Anorthosis

PAO did us proud today