How will England treat Rafa on his return? Spurs fans will be hoping he’ll get the same treatment in London that he did at Liverpool: a loss. While at Liverpool, Benítez lost all three games his team played against Harry Redknapp at White Hart Lane. If the losing trend continues, it will marks the first win in 4 games for Tottenham after recording a 2-0 loss this weekend to Manchester United, a 1-1 draw with Everton and a 4-3 loss away to Inter in Europe’s matchday 3.
Bursaspor v Manchester United
Its a David v Goliath match. And even though the giant wins 99 times out of 100, occasionally the little guy overcomes all the odds to topple an empire, if only for one night. Will tonight be that night for Bursaspor? They sit at the top of the Turkish league, having recently drawn with Fenerbahçe. If they can accomplish more than that tonight they will give Manchester United only their second loss away in Europe in 8 matches (the other being that quarterfinal against Bayern Munich).
Benfica v Lyon
Lyon make have a 100% record in Europe this season and a 2-0 win against Benfica on Matchday 3 under their belt, but given the Portuguese team’s record against Ligue 1 teams – I doubt the hosts will be too intimidated today. Benfica are undefeated against French teams at home, winning 5 of the 9 matches. Will Lyon be the team that breaks this record? If so, it will be their first win in Portugal since their win against FC Farense in the UEFA Cup in 1995/96.
Milan v Real Madrid
Its an obvious, but necessary choice. Two historical giants pitted against each other for the second consecutive week in Europe (and second consecutive year). Not to mention this is Jose’s first trip back to Italy since leaving Inter this summer – but will his experience in Serie A help Real Madrid overcome their awful record in Milan? Should they win tonight at the San Siro, Madrid will not only seal their progress in the group but also start to set right their historical record of 10 defeats and 3 draws in the city of Milan. Well, it would be a (very small) start.
Partizan v Braga
Will tonight be the night Partizan fans celebrate their first ever Champions League group stage win? If so, it will be the second huge victory in three weeks for their fans, who just celebrated a 1-0 victory in their derby against Red Star Belgrade just 9 days ago. A loss for Braga would likely be the end of their roller-coaster ride in Europe this season. Currently sitting in 3rd place on 3 points, taken from Partizan on matchday 3, they have experienced both the highs and lows of European matches: the euphoria of beating experienced heavyweights like Celtic and Sevilla to the rather unfriendly welcome on matchday 1 when Arsenal beat them 6-0. Of course, if they were looking for a warm welcome in Europe, they’ve come to the right place. (Rumor has it) Partizan is famous for being a warm and cuddly host…
