With J Hutcherson -- Champions League Tuesday, also known as the day of the 2-1 reversal. Well, at least if you're buying the pre-game talk from Arsenal and Fiorentina. Both are playing at home, and both are heavily plain up their chances of advancing.
Bayern Munich went up in the opener on a very late first-half penalty. Fiorentina were back in it with an equalizer five minutes into the second-half. Miroslav Klose gave Bayern a goal lead a minute from time. In the first-half, Bayern were the better team. That's a difficult argument to make for the second-half, and Bayern knows it.
Though it might seem like a stretch for a mediocre Serie A team to continue to perform at the highest European level, there's something to Fiorentina's relative swagger. They're strong in Europe, with a tendency not to play to whatever the opposition is showing. That's not enough to switch the pressure onto Bayern since all they need is a draw. They have all the advantages in this one.
For Arsenal, it's a little more difficult. Yes, they're playing at the Emirates where they've been just about perfect in Champions League play. They've run up a +9 differential over four games, and only conceded two goals. Missing Cesc Fabregas is undoubtedly an issue, but there are bigger problems. Namely, Porto's ability to hold a lead in a two-game series and their tendency to score away goals.
How many times have Porto advanced when leading or holding an away goal after the first-leg? It's more than you think. 24, a number that should've been keeping Arsenal up every night since they left the Estadio do Dragao trailing 2-1.
Courtesy of UEFA changing the schedule to two games per day, there's not as much of a point in picking the one more worth your time. That said, it's Arsenal - Porto at 5pm on Fox Soccer Channel.
Also worth your time is the resumption of the CONCACAF version of the Champions League, putting the Crew up against Toluca in Columbus. 8pm on Fox Soccer Channel, and another attempt for an MLS team to show something against a Mexican Liga club.
Fortunately for Columbus, the bar isn't set very high. Toluca have been average so far nine games into the 2010 Clausura, fourth out of six in Group 1 with two wins and a +2 goal differential. If it wasn't for their 3-0 win over an awful Indios team a couple of weeks ago, Toluca would be in the minus column on differential. Their one big result was tagging Club America with a 3-0 loss on February 17th.
How that translates into Champions League play is an open question. For Columbus, this isn't like starting against an in-season club sweeping aside all opposition. Then again, Columbus won't be starting Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Frankie Hejduk, and Chad Marshall, all missing due to suspensions or injury. One would think that means a walkover for Toluca, but it might not be that simple.
Unless Columbus simply isn't ready to go tonight, there's no reason to think this ends up a lopsided win for the visitors. Considering the tendency of Mexican clubs to play to the hosts in the US and save the real show for their home leg, I would expect a fairly even game.
Comments, questions, solutions to problems that have yet to present themselves. Please, tell me all about it.
